What is it with NASCAR?

I don't think my racing infatuation began with NASCAR. It really began with guys like A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti and Formula 1 racing. I think when I was younger (junior high, high school) it was just the thought of going somewhere fast. And I really loved the sounds and the colors. Those were the days when Jackie Stewart called the races for ABC and his Scottish accent won me over as much as anything.

Then I started watching stock car racing: Dale Earnhart, Rusty Wallace, Richard Petty. I think I was transitioning my life from the midwest (IL, MN) to Dallas TX at the time. By the time I moved to New York City, I was watching races on TV pretty religiously. I was also starting to really get into the Pro Golf at the time, so sometimes Sunday meant some tough TV viewing choices!

By the late 90's I was watching more NASCAR than golf and then, around the year 2000, my brother Allen and I learned that we were both watching NASCAR...only we weren't talking about it! So we started sharing interest in the sport and in 2005, ventured off to our first official NASCAR race: Texas Motor Speedway!

The mother of tracks - over 200,000 fans! What an inauguration into the sport! In 2006 we ventured to Darlington and then in 2007 we headed to Talladega (yes, that is Alabama!). This year Daytona tickets landed in our laps, thanks to some season ticket holders who couldn't make it this year.
Allen and I will be heading off to the track in about ten minutes, sun screen smeared (our English skin needs help in the Florida sun!) and ready to tackle the parking, the midway, and a few hours on steel seats in the hot sun! YEEEE-HAW!

The man to cheer for is Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M car! He came in 2nd last night in the Truck Series (2nd year in a row!)

Today's race is a just 200 miles (the track is 2.5 miles around) and the average speed is about 189 mph.

We'll let you know tonight how it went!