Written by: Anna Estep
“Drivers! Start. Your. Engines!!!!” The grandstands rumble as the 40 stock cars lined neatly on the hot asphalt of Daytona International Speedway roar to life. Heat waves shimmer over the yawning track as fans are cleared from pit road, and pit crews assume their positions behind the pit wall. We are moments away from one of the most famous races in the country, the Daytona 500.
Many people seem surprised when I tell them that my favorite sport is NASCAR. And they have a point. After all, of the many Sunday afternoon activities that could consume a person’s time, watching NASCAR isn’t a common choice. NASCAR captured my heart when I was in middle school, and it still brings me joy every time I get to attend a race or watch it on TV.
There’s something exhilarating about watching a swath of cars fly around a racetrack, reaching speeds that make their engines sound like a constant scream of fighter jets, gasping with the crowd when a car careens out of control and smacks the safety barrier that lines the racetrack wall, breathing a sigh of relief when the driver climbs from the car unscathed, scrambling to your feet for the restart and craning your neck for the best possible view of the remaining race cars as they fly around the final turn on the last lap of the race. While much of this experience could apply to any motorsport, for me, there’s something special about NASCAR that sets it apart.
Maybe it’s the variety of tracks that NASCAR travels to over the course of nine months. The teams compete on 33 speedways, from tracks too big to see from one end to the other (Talladega Superspeedway) to tracks slightly larger than a football field (Bristol Motor Speedway). Perhaps it’s the fact that teams working behind the scenes are vital to the success of each driver who races in the limelight. Just this past weekend, Denny Hamlin won a race that had been dominated by another driver because his pit crew got him back on the track one second earlier than his competitors for the final restart.
Or maybe it’s because the sport is truly family-centered. Not only do the families of NASCAR teams and drivers attend each race to support their loved ones, but the sport also attracts a range of fans spanning generations, from grandpas still wearing their faded Richard Petty ball caps to little kids covered from head-to-toe in their favorite driver’s merch.
Regardless of the reason, NASCAR will always be a sport that I follow and support. And unless someone attends a race for themselves, I don’t think they’ll ever quite understand. You see, NASCAR isn’t just a sport. It’s an experience.