July 20, 2007

By Sharon Sherwood

What defines a true NASCAR fan? Is it watching every race decked out from head to toe in your favorite driver gear? Naming your pets (and yes, sometimes even your children) after your No. 1 track hero? Purchasing every imaginable product -- from t-shirts to breakfast cereal to bobble-head dolls -- that bears the smiling image of your driver of choice?

While these things may or may not be part of a NASCAR fan’s lifestyle, the dedicated race fan is defined not so much by outward display as by inner passion. Passion, and respect -- not just for their favorite driver or team but for the fine sport of stock car racing itself.

In the end it’s not for anyone else to decide what separates the real fans from the rest of the pack, but I think that the true racing enthusiasts will recognize themselves in most if not all of the descriptions below.

Are you a True Race Fan? Ways to tell:

~ You are more concerned with the integrity of the sport than blind loyalty to the sanctioning body known as NASCAR.

~ You can recite your favorite driver’s personal and career stats, and probably the names and positions of his pit crew members as well.

~ Whether attending in person or watching on TV, you rarely miss a race. If necessary you will tape the race to watch later. This offers the added benefit of fast-forwarding through endlessly intrusive commercial breaks as well as the ability to hit the handy pause button as needed: (bathroom breaks, ringing phones, snack attacks, etc.)

~ During the off season you watch video tapes of old races.

~ Upon each return to Daytona, Loudon and too many venues that have been shadowed by tragedy – you feel a tinge of sadness, and remember.

~ You enjoy racing for racing’s sake, and will continue to watch a race to its conclusion even if your favorite driver DNF’s.

~ Real race fans are always happy to see a first-time winner in victory lane.

~ You find it difficult to watch video clips of past (but all-to-recent) races and hear that genial voice of Benny Parsons, without feeling a hollow pang through the heart.

~ Wrecks may come with the territory, but to a real race fan waiting anxiously for the sight of that blessed window net to come out, they are neither welcome nor “exciting”.

~ No matter how ardently you support your favorite, you have respect for the sport and all the drivers, and know that trashing the track is not acceptable behavior under any circumstances.

~ If you are an old-school fan you are pretty darn proud of your vast wealth of knowledge from everything to NASCAR’s bootlegging roots to the pros and cons of the Car of Tomorrow. If you’re a newcomer to the sport, you have a sincere desire to soak up anything and everything there is to learn about stock car racing and its rich history.

~ On an annual basis you will endure several hours of incredibly bad TV in the form of the Nextel Cup Awards ceremony, just to see the top drivers and teams enjoy their well-deserved moment in the spotlight.

And if that’s not a true race fan, I don’t know what is.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.