My Redneck is showing - Part II

Well, my previous post sparked quite a number of questions from one of my followers and I will try to answer them here.

Where did my love of NASCAR come from?  I don't really know!  My dad sold Chrysler vehicles when I was younger and they made some of the muscle cars that were the original "Stock Cars"of NASCAR.  And I remember hearing some of the legendary racing names such as Petty, Unser, Allison and Yarborough in association with the Chrysler name.  So maybe it was a tiny connection to my childhood that sparked my interest later in life while watching a NASCAR race on TV one day because there was absolutely nothing else to do! 

As to the southern men's names ending in "Y" - I don't really know the answer to that either! (How am I doing with the information so far?) But, they are definitely prevalent, Ricky, Rusty, Bobby, Mikey, Larry, Davey, etc. And then of course, there is the Talledega Nights movie that is such a spoof of NASCAR with the title character " Ricky Bobby" - now that was a funny movie!

Courtesy of Filmania.com

Yes, I wear earplugs, no I will not wear the signed hat (although other people probably wear theirs), yes there are racing groupies and I guess I would be considered a Labonte groupie!  I am not a dirt track fan, but I would go again to see a favorite personality.

I was to one NASCAR race in Michigan and I was impressed with the event.  There are 43 drivers in the race, and fans for each one of them, sitting side by side talking about their favorite driver or drivers, getting along with everyone, no matter who you were cheering for.   The stands seat over 100,000 people and unlike going to a Buffalo Bills football game, we saw not one fight, not one drunk bothering anyone and we didn't even notice the Security presence  once we had come in through the gate.  Not bad behavior for a bunch of so- called rednecks!

This is a picture of the front straightaway and the stands, taken from our seats at the 4th turn in Michigan.

As to food, some tracks have a speciality, often related to their geographical location.  Having only been to one, I can't speak from personal experience, only from what I have heard.  Martinsville has a famous hotdog and at the Southern tracks, BBQ (which is pulled pork) is a big item as well as  the usual burgers, pizza, fries, etc.   And then there's tailgating - not just for football you know!

And with NASCAR, going to a race doesn't necessarily mean just going to the race.  Many people make a week of it - camping right at the track and watching the qualifying laps and sometimes another race, which all start a couple of days ahead of the actual NASCAR race, plus practices, etc.  I have a friend who does that and it sounds like one big non-stop party.  I think I'm too old to handle that! I'm not sure how some people ever do manage to see the race! 

This shows part of the infield and some campers.

A car on display outside the track for viewing and just an idea of the varied driver apparel you see people wearing.

Apparel - you see some of everything.  And as I mentioned earlier, you see fans of 43 different drivers, and of course the way to tell who is their favorite is by the T-shirt or hat they are wearing.  It is not mandatory, but I would estimate that more than 75% and probably closer to 90% of the people at the race are wearing "someone's" shirt or hat!  And of course, many drivers change teams and sponsors so when that happens you have to buy a new shirt with the new number and sponsor on it!  I personally have Bobby Labonte apparel from when he was the #18 car with the Interstate Batteries sponsor and also the #43 Cheerios hat and shirt that I pictured in my previous post. 

For whatever the reason, I did become a fan.   It is difficult for many people to understand the attraction of watching cars go around in circles (ovals) for 500 laps or 500 miles.  And I can understand that because I find it difficult to watch a Baseball game on TV myself.  Part of what I like are the personalities - there are the really nice guys, there are the guys with such a thick southern drawl that you can barely understand a word they say, and there are the guys that you love to hate.  When a driver drops out of a race due to mechancial failure, I love it when the track reporter asks him what happened and his answer is "My motor broke"!  I love the ceremony of the start of the race - the drivers standing by their cars with their crew and families while there is an invocation, the national anthem is sung and there is usually a flyby of military aircraft - the one at Michigan was amazing!    They really know how to put on not only a race, but a show. 

Hope I covered all those questions!

Y'all have a nice day now!