Wednesday, February 21, 2007

As the car crossed the finish upside down and on fire...

...it became clear to me that every now and then NASCAR can be entertaining. If I put aside all my stereotypes and prejudices for just a moment, and reach for that zen place of being as pure a fan of racing as possible, it is possible to derive some pleasure from NASCAR.

When all was said and done, I realized that my attitude towards NASCAR form this point forwards will be very much like my approach to Formula 1. Both sports are undeniably huge, and both feature elements that I look for in any motorsport (close competition in NASCAR's case, and trailblazing technology in F1). However, both leave me a little cold. The difference between me as a racing fan this time two weeks ago and now is that I've added a form of racing to my list of genres that I understand but won't cancel things in order to watch.

For example, on Saturday March 17th, I will not be making any plans to do anything, because the Sebring 12 Hours in on. It's a "must-see" event for me. However, the weekend before, I won't be making time for the NASCAR race at Atlanta, and the day after I won't be looking to stay home to watch the Australian Grand Prix. But if I happened to be home doing nothing, and either of those races were on the TV, I could happily watch them and know who the drivers were and what was going on. I believe that makes me more of a well-rounded motorsport follower than I was before. My path to self-betterment continues....

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