This week finds me on travel for business in the Central Time zone, which means my TV viewing is not only limited by the channels offered by this particular Sheraton, but by the one hour time change to my system. (Also, a lack of TV Guide so I have NO idea what there is out there to see without rolling through all the channels). Thankfully, ESPN is providing me with a pleasant diversion...and some educaiton to boot.
This week is "Ultimate NASCAR Week" on ESPN. The first hour tonight was a repeat of the 20 top NASCAR drivers hosted by Rusty Wallace and Jerry Punch. (Petty was #2, Earnhardt #1). Now, they have a history lesson on the roots of NASCAR in dirt...including interviews with the always entertaining and educational Junior Johnson. They talked about how Junior got into car racing via moonshining, and then moved on to the birth of NASCAR and Bill France Sr. For the new NASCAR fan, this is the kind of history that you ought to be watching. Learning about not just the drivers, but the history of NASCAR itself is always great learning...and the fact that ESPN has interviewed Rex White, Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, DW, #### Fleck, Jack Arute, Jerry Punch, David Poole, Buzz McKimm, Joe Menzer, even Tom Wolfe of "The Right Stuff" fame...all to discuss this sports roots, is awesome viewing. For a relative new fan like myself who missed out on this part of the sport (in my case 1: because I didn't care about NASCAR for the first 34 years of my life and 2: because I wasn't alive) this is almost as good as sitting down and playing 20 questions with the people who were there. (One dream interview I have is to sit across the table from Junior Johnson over one of his famous breakfasts and just talk to him about racing until the two of us can't take it any more...) They are talking about Lloyd Seay...a driver I had never heard of until tonight. Killed by his cousin in 1941 over Moonshine profits right before he was set to take the championship in stock car racing for that year.
If you have the chance to catch this show...or any of the episodes of "Ultimate NASCAR" that are on this week...it is worth your time to take the hour out of your evening to watch.
It was a good show. I had heard of most of the drivers - including Seay. He was in some book I read. It was a sad story. I like to read the obscure racing titles.
You being a fairly new fan of racing let me tell you the best and cheapest way to get a Nascar history lesson.
Buy tickets to a race at one of the older tracks.
IE Bristol,Charlotte,Darlington,Dayton a,Dega,etc.
Buy playmate cooler full of ice cold beer.
Get to the race early,drink a few beers,talk to
everyone,
Find an older true Nascar fan, easy to spot, local is also better. Share a few beers and memories- history lesson free of charge.
I was born and raised in south Florida, one of two daughters of a sports fanatic father. One of my first sports memories in life was wearing my Bob Griese jersey around the house when I was five. I grew up rooting on the Dolphins, and going to see the Dodgers in spring training when I could convince my dad to drive up to Vero Beach. That love of sports carried over to college, when I became a proud Florida Gator (back to back baby!) I have left Florida behind for an adult life in the DC area, but my love of sports remains. You can still find me cheering on the pigskin in the fall, but now I am a huge NASCAR fan as well, attending as many races as I can squeeze into my schedule. Nothing like the smell of high octane fuel in the morning!
Who says girls can't love sports just like a man?
