tommallett

It is easy for us, having grown up in Europe, to turn our noses up at oval racing. I for one won’t deny that I used to do just that. I think it is the inner snob within us all that makes us believe our way is better, probably unequivocally. I’ve been watching NASCAR for a while now, and the new season has just started, so this is why I’ll be watching.

Like any sport, oval racing takes some time to understand properly. Before you invest time learning where the skill lies it is easy to pigeon hole the sport as ‘just driving round in circles’, while claiming to anyone that will listen that these red neck Americans could learn a thing or two about ‘real’ racing from the European short circuit drivers. For a start, they won’t race on the ovals in the wet and half of the time they don’t even use the brake pedal for crying out loud!

Of course, this is just the kind of ignorance that we don’t associate ourselves with, as suave Europeans. There is plenty of skill on display, and it’s exciting too. NASCAR seems to me to be much more like a game of chess than we are used to, with the lead driver at the half way stage not necessarily being in a better position than the man in 10th. In fact, after a full hour of racing it is not unknown for someone to be a lap, or even two laps down and still claim the trophy at the end.

Then, there is drafting. The cars follow so closely that their engines will overheat from lack of airflow and it is now common place for drivers to ‘push’ the driver in front, physically, along the race track. They don’t even need to be team mates.

It’s a great ‘show’ too. NASCAR is unashamedly a spectator sport. There are pretty girls, lots of sponsors, access to the drivers and plenty of smoky doughnuts at the end of every race. On top of that, on the ovals at least, every spectator gets to see the whole race from the comfort of their seat, where they have settled in with a Budweiser and a hot dog. You can see why NASCAR appeals to the masses in America, as opposed to the traditional die-hard fans we get in Europe. Put simply, it is more of a ‘day out’.

I’ll be watching when I get the chance, and I won’t even be overly concerned by who wins, or what the championship table looks like. I’ll just enjoy the show and listen to the thunderous V8’s.

Europe has something to learn.

Photos: courtesy of NASCAR