I take pleasure in watching most professional sports, because of their attention-grabbing and exhilarating performance. Yet, nothing is as thrilling as NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR racing is one of the most interesting and exciting sports in today's America. There are several well-known sports that people watch in America. They talk about how excellent and easier said than done that certain sport is or how much talent a professional in that sport has. Even though not all people in America would agree with me, I would say that NASCAR has all these qualities.

Most people don’t know what it’s like to dunk a basketball or hit a 100-mph fastball 500 feet for a home run, but almost everyone knows how to drive a car and that familiarity is the appeal of NASCAR and stock-car racing. Whether they admit it or not, lots of people speed down the highway and daydream about winning the Daytona 500 (the super bowl of races). That daydreamer could be a 17-year-old high school student who just got a driver’s license, a 35-year-old orthodontist, or a 70-year-old retired teacher. Driving is nearly universal.

In February 1948, two months after NASCAR was founded, more than 14,000 people showed up at a race course just south of Daytona Beach. The 150-mile event was held on a unique track that was half on the beach and half on the highway behind the sand, making it interesting for drivers and spectators alike, particularly when the tide came in and the beach narrowed. (Rassenfoss, 3) Today NASCAR authorizes several racing series. The top one is the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

NASCAR’s appeal has grown in recent years because of its tremendous television exposure; the drivers’ accessibility to their fans; and close, competitive racing. In 2003, nearly 7 million fans went to see the NASCAR Cup Series races, which is quadruple the attendance in 1980. And more than 280 million viewers tuned into NASCAR Cup Series events on television in 2003, making NASCAR one of the most popular sports to watch on TV, second only to the NFL. Here are a few more stats that show how NASCAR has grown from an originally Southern-based sport to a truly national phenomenon: #1 sport in brand loyalty of fans, #2 rated sport on television, over $2 billion in licensed sales and 75 million fans. (Hurt, 150)

When different people think of auto racing, the same image of a race car doesn’t necessarily pop into their heads. That’s because many different types of race cars and hundreds of racing series, or racing leagues, exist throughout the world. NASCAR stock cars are unique in that they look very much like what a suburbanite drives. But looks can be deceiving. Almost nothing is “stock” when it comes to NASCAR vehicles, whether they run in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. In addition to bodies (or chassis) reinforced with roll bars, multi-part driver restraint systems, and an escape hatch through the roof, NASCAR vehicles are among the fastest, and safest on earth. (Gailer, 58)

One of the best aspects of NASCAR is that its drivers are regular people, that is, until they get to the race track. As is the case with all competitive athletes, NASCAR drivers have their own personalities, which are often magnified when they get behind the wheel. The legendary Richard Petty, whose 200-victory record will probably never be topped (he raced up to 60 times a season) is one of the nicest guys in the garage area, always stopping to sign autographs while flashing his signature smile. (Ryan, 1) But Petty didn’t win seven NASCAR Cup championships by being the series’ sweetheart during a race; he bumped and banged with the best of them.

NASCAR drivers recognize that without fans, NASCAR wouldn’t exist. Although in this modern era drivers are pulled in many directions, from testing their vehicles to making appearances on behalf of their sponsors, they remain fairly accessible. NASCAR drivers still sign autographs and make appearances at malls in the cities in which they race. NASCAR fans tend to “adopt” a certain driver to root for, and he becomes a member of their extended family. Although NASCAR’s drivers are front and center when it comes to recognition and attention, they wouldn’t be in the racing business were it not for the hundreds of people who run the sport, create the teams, work on the crews, sponsor cars and races, and bring the action to the nation via television, radio, and newspapers.

NASCAR racing is about much more than making rules and driving fast. In fact, becoming successful in NASCAR entails much more than the ability to wheel a race car at high speeds. By the time a race starts, a driver and his crew have put in many hours of work building and tweaking the vehicles so that they handle well for that particular track, whether an oval track, a road course, or a super speedway. (Robertson, 7) Once at the track, drivers hit the pavement for practice laps, trying to coax the most speed they can out of their cars in order to both qualify and race well.

A good pit crew that can change four tires and fill two cans of gas in less than 14 seconds is also crucial to having a winning car. (Hinton, 1) The first car off pit road, especially near the end of the race, often is the one that makes the hard left into victory lane. Winning has become increasingly difficult as the sport has become more popular and more drivers enter races. That makes winning more special than it used to be. Millions of fans dedicate a portion of their weekend to attending or watching NASCAR events, a far cry from the hundred or so who turned up in the sport’s early days to witness the competition on small dirt or asphalt tracks. In addition to unparalleled action, NASCAR has grown in leaps and bounds.

Watching a NASCAR race is a total-body experience: the earth-shattering sound of a 790 horsepower engine roaring when a driver flips the ignition switch, the sight of 43 colorful cars flying around a track fender-to-fender as the grandstands shake, and the gritty smell of burned rubber mixed with gasoline. If watching races on television from your living room isn’t enough of a rush for you, it’s time to head out to the track.

Works Cited

Gailer, Lennce. “Why are Black Colleges Toadying to This Profoundly Racist Organization?” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education Jan. 2000: 58

Hinton, Ed. “Speeding toward a safer sport.” NASCAR safety five years after Earnhardts death Feb. 2006: 1

Hurt, Douglas A. “The New NASCAR: Tradition, Nationalization, and Regional Identity.” Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers May, 2005: 150

Rassenfoss, Sam. “Why is NASCAR so great?” Sports Spin Oct 2005: 3

Robertson, Dale. “Danger remains racing's appeal.” Houston Chronicle Feb 2001: 7

Ryan, Joan. “Racing's Driving Force.” Tremendous growth for NASCAR May 1996: 1