NASCAR Season Getting Revved Up

By Karen McNew
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: February 8, 2008

WSLS Sports Director John Appicello calls your name across the newsroom to give you the latest drama leading up to the Bud Shoot Out.

John tells me that Tony Stewart wrecked Kurt Busch and then Busch rams Stewart on the way to the garage.  What did I like most about the story?
When John followed up by saying Junior called it quits before getting involved in the drama because he has a good car and doesn’t want to take any chances.

So I log on to NASCAR.com to watch the clip and it shows the season has started and the drama has already started.  I have been a NASCAR fan for about nine years now.  Some members of my family have always watched it but I only got into it when my boyfriend… now husband revealed to me one Sunday early in our relationship that he was a major NASCAR fan and he was going to have to watch the race on that day… the way he prefaced the conversation I would have thought that he was going to break up with me or something… he was very serious about it.

I recall saying something like sure we can watch the race.  In the back of my mind I was thinking… guess I’ll be taking a nap this afternoon.  Matt explained to me that he was an Earnhardt fan.  I’m talking about the late Dale Earnhardt not his ultra popular son “Junior.” It took me a while to really “get it” but once you do you are hooked.

I dare say there are some races I enjoy almost as much as my husband and our friend Mark.  They can recall racing memories like the event was yesterday… I mean they do track play by play… who bumped who… who nudged who out for the win… who pitted poorly… there is a whole NASCAR language out there that is really fun to use when you understand what is going on during the races.

Bottom line for me was understanding that everyone is trying to get points by leading laps… and winning races or at least finishing high and picking a favorite driver to pull for.

After Dale Earnhardt passed away… the logical person to pull for was his son… Dale Earnhardt Junior who I think is fun to watch… he almost always has a smile on his face and even though he has had some tough times on the track he remains positive about the future.

He’s gone from the Budweiser 8 car to the 88 Amp… yes we have already started stocking up on “Amp” gear.  I don’t have any interest in the beverage but it is essential to show support for “your” driver on race day or at the track.  The louder the shirt or hat the better.  My husband has a great T-shirt.  I don’t have my new Junior gear yet but after all this NASCAR activity tonight I am excited about the start of the season and am going to have to make sure I have something “showy” to wear for the Daytona 500 February 17th.