daytona 500

I'm not a NASCAR guy. Have always been around people who raced and at one time, owned an old Dodge Polaris that we took to the track and sacrificed. Needless to say, my high school years were filled with Saturday nights at Quad City Raceway right down the street from where I used to live. Hanging out in the pits and rooting against the Antons (inside joke, huh sis) ? Witnessing (or participating in) a bit of fisticuffs was the highlight, as the cheap beer and cheaper insults flowed freely. On Saturday night, anyone within a two mile distance knew when each race had started. I could hear them when I worked at the Drive In, so hearing the dialogue from the movie and the dull roar of the engines made for a memorable mix.

That being said, I have followed NASCAR half assed throughout the years. Some of my favorite drivers have long since gone and I think this some of the current crop of drivers risk turning NASCAR into professional wrestling. Public feuding with rivalries, posing and pushing in public is getting to be bit much. They should settle outside of the cameras like they used to. I watched the Daytona 500 today and while I was very riveted by the race and the plotlines, I think some of these drivers are absolute whores. I have never seen a sport where just about every driver was shilling something all race long. Every commercial break had at least three drivers pitching something. I, as a guy who gets a check due to advertising, can understand the bottom line but Fox interrupted the race approximately every 11 minutes. For the entire broadcast, at no time was the screen free of advertising. In the upper right hand corner, all day, someone bought that space. It would have really been disappointing had not the race been incredible. Down the stretch they come and the winner is...some guy who has never won it before....YEAH!

An outsiders observations...Junior is never going to be even in the same breath as his dad. I am a bit confused about all of the drivers after the race saying they didn't get any help. Help doing what? Stand on it, son. It used to be where the fastest guy won, now it's the guy who makes the best use of his team mates. I don't get that. Great race though.