Tales From the Lighter Side of NASCAR

by: PattyKay Lilley

Over the course of the years, a NASCAR fan sees or hears many things to do with racing that have little or nothing to do with the sport itself, but are simply funny or strange. Ever since the beginning, NASCAR has had its share of characters, wild boys and just plain jokers, so it isn’t difficult at all to find many stories that might amuse the newer fans among us even if they don’t remember the particular person involved.

Many of these stories have been handed down through the generations and have been changed somewhat by constant retelling. In truth, if you hunt long enough and dig deep enough, you’ll probably be able to find several versions of the same basic story. Since word of mouth is about the poorest method of maintaining accuracy, I claim none here, but offer a scattering of some of the flavor behind the sport. As you’ll see, it was much more fun before it became politically correct.