raysnascar

Ray loves Nascar. It's been one of his passions for many years and it's the only sport that he watches on TV. (Yes, I know that I'm blessed). Last year, after Dale Earnhardt was killed driving at Daytona, Ray took the news really hard. I'd never seen him react so emotionally about someone dying that he'd never even met. It made me decide to try to figure out what it is about Nascar that attracts so many fans and what it is that gets my husband so excited about watching the races.

    The very next week, I sat down to watch my first car race on television. Ray is usually working during the races so I record them and he tells people at work not to tell him anything about the race or who wins so that it will be a surprise and more exciting that way.
   . Luckily, I'm married to a very patient man who doesn't mind pausing the VCR and explaining anything I have questions about because it's pretty hard to get interested in something you know nothing about. I especially like hearing all the prerace stories and interviews with the drivers and their families. I'm learning alot with Ray's help and knowledge.
     And guess what??? The Stark family now has two Nascar fans. I can hardly wait to see the races.
     I wish I could say that Ray and I are fans of the same drivers but we're not. He really likes Mark Martin, John Andretti and Bill Elliott.. I like Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon.
I can't stand Jimmy "I never forget" Spencer.

So, now I'm trying to figure out what it is about Nascar that interests me...I've never been a big fan of any other sport. I've about decided that it's the people who are in Nascar that make me want to watch. It's hearing stories about Darrell Waltrip's wife giving little scripture scripts to some of the drivers who hang them in their cars before the races. Dale Earnhardt had one on his last day. It's the sense of family that the crews have in the pits. And it's the pride they are all quick to express in our country.

The driver's are athletes, don't be fooled into thinking that they're not. And I've yet to hear of one of them having to check into rehab for drug or alcohol addictions. You can't do what they do each week while indulging in drugs or booze.
They bring their families to the track and spend time with their wives and kids. Some like Mark Martin spend hours at the midget tracks helping their own kids participate in go kart and other sports.