The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is one of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Ever since I was old enough to remember, race weekends would mean that the Olshanski family would all root for the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and 2 (Brad Keselowski) cars. This all stopped after the 88’s retirement in 2017, but I picked up a new favorite driver. The 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series Champion Martin Truex Jr.
The then-Furniture Row driver would make the switch to Joe Gibbs Racing after his championship years. Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you this because this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my fascination with the sport.
This year, NASCAR celebrated its 76th season of racing after moonshine runners began racing stock cars in the 30s. Bill France met with 35 others to establish the future of stock car auto racing and established a set of rules and regulations to form NASCAR in 1947. In 1959, NASCAR’s most famous track, Daytona International Speedway, was introduced.
The first running of the Daytona 500, deemed as “The Great American Race,” occurred on February 22, 1959, and introduced a brand new era into modern racing. The speedway era. The Speedway era introduced many iconic tracks that laid the groundwork for the modern racing series, including Atlanta, Bristol, Pocono Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, and many other iconic tracks.
What makes NASCAR such a staple for me is the people behind the cars. Driver fights happen every once in a while and they are pretty entertaining.
Besides the fighting, the drivers themselves and the way the drivers talk about their cars is a cool bonus for the fans. Drivers like Kyle Bush, who grew up knowing everything about their cars, describe their cars in a way that even casual fans can learn a little.
The sport of NASCAR is different from every other American sport due to its fandom. Fans aren’t rooting for traditional rostered teams, but are rooting for teams that are at most 4 or 5 car operations. Most fans only root for a handful of drivers from different teams, and some are just fans of the sport.
I love the Xfinity and Truck Series, which serve as the lower main 2 divisions of NASCAR. These series’ showcase the rising ranks of the racing world and function as a minor league to the premier Cup Series. Often seen in these series’ are cup regulars, a far cry from other leagues. The Xfinity and Truck Series are impressive and drivers can make more than a decent living driving each week. Leagues like the MiLB, G League, and AHL are exclusively developmental. That means that players in the MLB, NBA, and NHL do not play in games, and the players make very little.
To start the season, a lackluster 500 is never a great start. Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron (24) and Alex Bowman (48) finished 1-2 and the race ended under caution. Fans were disappointed after the great American race had continued the tradition of strong runnings from 2021-23.
The best race of the next-gen era (2022-present) occurred just one week later at the famed Atlanta Motor Speedway. Crash on lap 2, 48 lead changes, and a photo finish. Daniel Suarez won his first career race at Atlanta, splitting hairs with 2 NASCAR champions. (Ryan Blaney, Kyle Bush)
What separates NASCAR for me, is the chaos of race day. I always imagined going to a track and so far I have not, but I imagine I will make my way in the future. I imagined a flurry of 200mph cars, with 5-600 people and families in the infield as I listened to the famed words, “Drivers Start Your Engines!”
