Knowing NASCAR®
By Bob Heiss

On Sunday, February 17 the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, NASCAR, began its 54th season of competition. Already the longest season of any professional sports, 36 races over a 39 week period, it is also one the fastest growing sport in terms of viewers and attendees.

Unlike today's modern arenas of football or baseball that seat 45 to 90 thousand people during an event, NASCAR tracks like Michigan International Speedway or Las Vegas Motor Speedway seat on a regular basis over 130,000 die-hard and loyal fans. And then there are the Grand-daddies like Daytona, seating 170,000, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which holds a massive 250,000 for one single event.

To understand NASCAR one must look back and its history. Its roots are based in the vehicles and drivers of the bootlegging era of the American South. Its fans were friends and family of those bootleggers, many of whom spent some time in prison courtesy of the Revenuers.

Today's fan base is far and removed from that era, and unlike a football game or baseball game, or any sport involving two teams competing against another, you don't just see two or three different jerseys - you see a sea of color at every event for there are over 20 teams, and 43 drivers, and 100 major sponsors, and the fans buy up their favorite drivers merchandise at an astounding rate.

Home Depot Orange for driver Tony Stewart, DuPont Rainbow for driver Jeff Gordon, Jack Daniels Black for driver Clint Bowyer, and red, lots and lots of Budweiser red, the most dominating color of all as carried, until this season, by NASCAR's favorite son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

When Earnhardt left his family-owned race team to join another team, he gave up his sponsorship by Budweiser which then went to another driver, Kasey Kahne. Jr., as he is called, had a new sponsor and new colors. And so began the biggest buying venture in American sporting history as fans swarmed over web-sites and merchandise trailers to buy the new Jr. colors of National Guard Blue and AMP green.

To attend a race is like no other sporting event, anywhere. Fans don't just show up that morning, they show up that week. Often on Tuesday or Wednesday prior to a race so that they can get their RV's or trailers or tents in a good spot to spend the week with people they know and friends they haven't met yet.

The infields of the bigger tracks like Talladega in Alabama, or the Texas Motor Speedway become giant cities within cities for 5 solid days. They become so big that the sheriff or police departments from the area have complete police stations and have 24-hour law enforcement coverage as well as full fire and EMS services.

And whether it is the infield camping or the parking lot campsites, or the just a plain old parking lot, there are the two things that make NASCAR tailgaters the best - BBQ and alcohol, one by the ton, the other by the tank truck full.

A majority of the tracks are in the South, although more and more tracks have grown up throughout the country. And that means great food better than any restaurant. Grills are getting hot in the wee early hours, smokers have been smoking for two days, large tubs of corn and fried potatoes are standing by for heaps of ribs, chicken, brisket and crawfish.

There is no party like it in sports. Not the NFL, not college football (although loyal Buckeye fans are close) and certainly not those Perrier sipping Euros over in Formula One.

This is NASCAR, American born, American bred, and American raced. Over the next several months we'll take a look at racing from all aspects; the fans, the drivers, the owners, the media.

You'll be meeting people with names like "Smoke" and "Jr.", and you'll learn what a "Saidhead" is, and you'll learn why this is America's greatest sport.

Until next time, remember, "Rubbin's racin'!"