Thursday, July 23, 2009

Let's remember why we all love racing in the first place

[While I'm away, a few of my blog buddies are pitching in to cover for me. Today, we welcome "TC," the mysterious tire changer for a major NASCAR team and one-half of the NASCAR Insiders, to show our sport a little love.]

I don't know if you've noticed like I have, but there has been a fair amount of negativity surrounding our beloved sport of NASCAR lately. Sponsorships drying up, slowing growth, declining television ratings, and this Jeremy Mayfield situation have all been causes of bad press. And because of all of this, we've encountered a good deal of anger and frustration from race fans.

But while I was sitting on the pit wall this weekend at Daytona, I was once again reminded why I love racing. Those of you who have been to Daytona will know what I'm talking about, but one of my favorite experiences is watching and feeling the cars come through the tri-oval. There is nothing like experiencing a 190 MPH, 43 car freight train coming through the tri-oval hauling the mail, stacked two by two, 22 rows deep, with the cars separated by just inches. This one instance encompasses everything we love about racing; superhuman drivers, mind blowing speed, fierce competition, the constant threat of danger, and custom built racing machines.

So if you find yourself feeling down on the sport right now, think back to what drew you to racing in the first place. Those initial reasons that brought you to the race track are still alive and well in NASCAR. Everything beyond the action on track is just noise anyway.

Thanks, TC! Feel free to add your own "why I love racing" comments below. And be sure to visit The NASCAR Insiders when you're done.

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