I grew up watching NASCAR. Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sr., were all cultural icons in my family. For me, it's not just a dying sport with cars going around in circles, it's a lifestyle.
For the purpose of this article, you're going to have to accept one fact: NASCAR is a sport. No, it's not the same as contact sports like football. Instead, NASCAR is a sport that requires immense mental concentration and risks no other athlete takes. Going upwards of 200MPH inches from other cars, at a constant force of 2G's, for four hours, with no bathroom breaks, air conditioners, or food and water, qualifies at the minimum as a sport and at most as crazy.
That being said, NASCAR's glory days are unfortunately over. Stars like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have retired, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. now in his final season. Attendance and TV ratings are down, it's a dying industry. I've struggled to swallow that fact, but now that I have, I realize it doesn't matter.
NASCAR will go on, and on, and on. It's the world's most popular motorsport, and even though it's continuing to suffer, it's continually in the top three sporting events every week in television ratings. Tracks feature the largest seating capacities of any U.S. sporting venues, making NASCAR America's largest spectator sport, even today.
So why am I still faithful to NASCAR despite the bickering, rule changes, and the retiring of America's most iconic drivers? The answer is simple: no two races are the same.
Every week features a different winner, every year a different champion. NASCAR rarely features consistently dominating teams like you see in the NFL or MLB. There's exceptions, like the King Richard Petty, or the Intimidator Dale Earnhardt, but NASCAR frequently features more cinderella, underdog stories than any other sport.
On top of that, NASCAR rotates it's playing field every week. One week, NASCAR may race on a half mile track, another it may race on a two and a half miler, and another, a road course (yes, NASCAR makes right turns too.) Imagine if the NFL changed it's football field every week, from 100 yards, to 300 yards. Wouldn't that be even more exciting?
NASCAR features continued play and strategy the entire length of the event. Unlike the NFL or MLB, there's no long and annoying between play periods, innings, or halftimes. Instead, it's all racing, all the time, only to be interrupted in the event of a fiery crash. What's better than that?
The answer is nothing. People give a bad rap to NASCAR because they see it as a boring traffic circle with the occasional crash. However, if you haven't ever watched, or been to a race, give it a shot before you bad mouth it. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised. Plus, there's a chance you may just get a peek of the infamous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Girls.