April 25, 2008
By Rebecca Gladden
A few weeks ago when the NASCAR race was in Phoenix, a local sports writer described his experience attending the race.
In the April 13th edition of the East Valley Tribune newspaper "NASCAR still a mystery after story lines fall flat", columnist Scott Bordow wrote:
Every year I make my way out to Phoenix International Raceway to see the Subway Valvoline Checker Auto Parts Miller Lite 500.
Every year I leave the track saying the same thing:
"I don't get it."
I don't understand what's so exciting about a bunch of guys making left turns for three hours.
I don't understand fans who arrive on Monday in their motor homes and live in the parking lot.
(What, the rest stop area along Interstate 10 was full?)
And I particularly don't understand why drivers talk the way they do.
Is there some sort of requirement in NASCAR that you have to refer to your ride by its number - "the No. 99 car just didn't have it in the corners today," - and mention your sponsor every time you open your mouth?
"I was on my way to lunch at Hooters when I saw The Bass Pro Shops Tracker Boats Chevrolet and I thought, 'That No. 1 car could be tough to beat.' "
It's ridiculous. I mean, can you imagine Steve Nash saying, "No. 13 hit his open 3-pointers today because he got a good night's sleep on his RoomStore bed?"
Okay - that last part shows a complete lack of understanding of the nature of team sponsorships in NASCAR, and how they differ from corporate involvement in stick-and-ball sports.
And no, I can't imagine Steve Nash saying that, because he's an NBA player, not a NASCAR driver.
Every sport has its own vernacular that is unique to its participants. I'm sure there are plenty of things an NFL or NBA player might say that would sound equally strange coming out of a NASCAR driver's mouth.
But beyond that, the writer's tired old complaints that NASCAR is nothing but "a bunch of guys making left turns for three hours" (gee, we've never heard that one before), just goes to show that when it comes to NASCAR, you either get it or you don't.
Bordow, who said he's as "mystified" by NASCAR as one might be seeing a foreign film for the first time, clearly doesn't get it.
I suspect that's because he doesn't really want to.
And that's fine. There are plenty of things I don't get - ear coning, hookah bars, slasher movies, raw sushi, cage fighting, bungee jumping, body piercing - but I try not to be too harsh on folks with different tastes or interests than mine.
It seems that those who claim not to "get" NASCAR wear their disdain for it as a badge of honor, particularly if they are fans of any of the Big Four sports.
There is an elitism involved that apparently makes it okay for them to denigrate NASCAR and its fans with impunity.
As to "getting" NASCAR, there's an old saying that the first auto race happened when they finished building the second car. It's a simple concept that some people instinctively understand, while others, apparently, never will.
Clearly, there are millions of people who not only follow NASCAR as a sport, but who've made it an integral part of their lives.
It was in Phoenix, in fact - at the same race Mr. Bordow found so distasteful - that 15-year-old Joshua from New York met his hero Jeff Gordon as part of a Make-A-Wish VIP weekend.
Josh has battled Hodgkin's lymphoma for the past year, including seven months of grueling chemotherapy and three straight weeks of daily radiation treatments. He's been in remission since the end of 2007.
Of all the wishes in the world Josh could have made through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his was to meet a NASCAR driver.
Notably, this was Gordon's 200th Make-A-Wish fulfillment dating back to 1995. And he's certainly not alone. Most NASCAR drivers have granted wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.
"It's humbling to know that these kids choose to spend time with me," said Gordon in Phoenix. "They face tremendous challenges every day because of their conditions, and the strength and determination they show is really inspiring to me."
It seems a lot of kids "get" NASCAR.
Just this week, I got an email from proud grandma Susan Dugas of Houston, Texas, who simply wanted to share a photo of her 2˝-year grandson, Gabriel.
"He's Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s youngest fan," said Susan. "Gabriel lives, eats, and breathes NASCAR. He will sit and watch an entire NASCAR race. He built a little track on top of a plastic storage container and he will tell the cars, 'Get out of the way, here comes Junior!'"
At the other end of life's continuum is the story of "Big George," a 54-year-old Oregon logger and devoted NASCAR fan.
In March, the AP reported that Big George had purchased tickets to attend the NASCAR race in Las Vegas, but died of a heart attack just weeks before the event. Friends brought his ashes to the race anyway and arranged for driver Mike Harmon to give Big George one final lap around the track before they spread some of his ashes on the speedway.
"It put tears in my eyes," said George's brother.
I know stories like these are not unique to NASCAR. Devotees of other sports no doubt share similar experiences, though NASCAR does go out of its way to make its stars accessible to the fans. And while I might not be a fan of another person's chosen activity, I wouldn't go out of my way to belittle it, either.
As for the East Valley Tribune columnist, he says he's planning to attend the Phoenix race again in November, though he doubts he'll understand it any better.
That's his loss.
Perhaps when he's suffering through another boring day at the track, Bordow might recall the story of an Idaho man who recently lost his battle with a rare illness.
An avid NASCAR fan, this fellow asked to spend his final days in his "NASCAR room" (true NASCAR fans will know what that is), surrounded by the memorabilia of his favorite driver.
"He was really restless," a family member said of his last moments. "We moved his bed in there, and he went to sleep - just drifted off."
Somehow, NASCAR brought peace to a dying man.
But then, it's just "a bunch of guys making left turns for three hours" - isn't it?
(If NASCAR has had a life-changing impact on you or someone you know, please email me and tell me your story. I may include your submissions in a future article. Thanks!)
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