Are We There Yet? NASCAR Revs Up
At the risk of being branded as the ultimate homer, yes-woman, kiss-up or other pandering name of your choice, I’m just going to go ahead and say something up front so we can get it out of the way: This is one of my favorite weeks of the entire year.
It sounds like a line from a science fiction movie, but I am not alone. We’re everywhere. From drivers to fans to the press corps that covers the sport, I’m seeing and hearing grown men and women practically jumping out of their skin with anticipation. They’re almost vibrating they’re so excited, like an emergency generator that never shuts down. It’s as if everyone I know has imbibed a cocktail whose ingredients are a triple espresso latte, a couple cans of Full Throttle and a two-pound bag of M&M’s.
In other words, they’re showing telltale signs of over-caffeination. But it isn’t a few too many trips to Starbucks that has us all so jittery. It’s the 51st running of the Daytona 500, on February 15.
Is this year’s “Great American Race” really so different from any other year? The answer is yes. And no.
There is an impressive set of undeniable facts about the Daytona 500. It is the biggest, most prestigious race of the year. The phrase “Daytona 500 champion” carries a certain cachet that other events, however popular, just don’t have; think in terms of Wimbledon or The Masters.
Plus, the paycheck isn’t too shabby, either. The Daytona 500 winner will collect the biggest purse of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
I don’t expect to see any of these things change in my lifetime, and I plan to stick around for a very long time. But let’s be honest. NASCAR, along with every other big business in America, has been affected by the current economic downturn.
Racing’s off-season, despite the fact that it falls during the traditional holiday season, was far from festive. We’ve been hearing less about cars getting together on the track and more about teams merging off of it. Even the seasoned pros among us might need a scorecard for the first two or three weeks of this new season, just to keep track of who is driving what car bearing the logo of which sponsor.
You know how time seems to travel at a different, slower pace when you’re at your job, but seems to fly when you take that rare week off? The off-season has seemed an awful lot like work. But buckle up, friends. It’s time for our vacation to begin.
This year’s jaunt — and it is an ambitious one, spanning 10 months, 36 point races and two coastlines — has all us jumping up and down in our seats.
Even our beloved NASCAR superstars are getting into the act. As I was listening to Daytona 500 Media Day coverage on my radio, and the drivers were being systematically interviewed, one parroted the next almost word for word. “I can’t wait. We need something positive to talk about, like actual racecars and what’s happening on the track. I’m really excited.”
They sound like kids in the back seat, putting a new slant on the old phrases we have heard, and used, so many times during our travels.
“He’s looking at me.”
Well, of course he’s looking at you, son. Actually, he’s focused on you like a laser beam, trying to ascertain whether or not you and your crew chief have managed to find that elusive hundredth of a second that can mean the difference between the winner’s circle and a very bad day. Get used to it.
“Let’s play the alphabet game!”
Excellent suggestion. This is a staple of highway travel, uniquely suited to NASCAR, which when you think about it, is the supreme car trip. A: I see an Allmendinger! B: I see Kyle Busch! C: I see Carl Edwards, (and he’d better back off). D: I see a drafting partner … Oh, wait, maybe not. E: I see an Earnhardt. You get the drift.
Of course, the most popular letters of the day pop up toward the end of the alphabet. Everyone wants to be the driver who says, “V: I see Victory Lane”.
Of course, the most frequently asked questions center not around the journey, but the destination. “How much longer? Are we there yet?” And finally, we are able give the answer that is music to everyone’s ears.
Yes, we are.
