NASCAR from the perspective of a Phoenix feature columnist:
NASCAR lots of fun, if you know where to look
by Dan Bickley, columnist - Mar. 4, 2012 11:33 PM
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com
The day begins with a blood-curdling scream, from the woman in the media center who failed to lock the door on the unisex bathroom.
Sorry.
The day ends with Kevin Harvick running out of fuel ("I was a lap short."), Denny Hamlin botching his victory burnout ("New surfaces are not my particular forte."), and team owner Joe Gibbs brushing off questions about a man he once employed with the Redskins (Gregg Williams, the NFL's Most Wanted).
Welcome to just another day in NASCAR paradise, where the weather is mostly sensational, where drivers' wives happily disappear into Scottsdale with the charge card, where thousands of fans file in and out of their biannual race, happily resuming the rest of their lives.
NASCAR is not for everyone. Neither is golf. And yet thousands of Phoenicians enjoy the Waste Management Phoenix Open without savoring a putt. So why do so many of us scoff at this sport?
Russ Grimm loves this stuff. He has an RV in the parking lot. Randy Johnson is here, walking around the track, photographing whatever catches his eye.
Johnson is serious about his new endeavor, something Yankees fans will find highly amusing. He's about to travel to Afghanistan on a USO tour, and his work behind the lens has been well-received. Then again, he stands 6 feet 10, a significant boon to a man and his camera.
On the track, it's getting warm. A worker on pit road sprays Coca-Cola on his portion of track, helping the tires grip a little better. Down the way, a female fan hops over a barricade, pleading with Joey Logano to sign her shirt.
No one seems to care. In NASCAR, the relationship between fans and the competitors remains amazingly close, trusting and unpretentious, blowing away what you see in most other sports.
For those who don't appreciate racing, the key to enjoying NASCAR has little to do with the actual event. It's the experience . It's marveling at the kaleidoscope of vehicles. It's listening to them fire in and out of the garage during practice runs, when they snort and roar like angry dragons.
It's watching crewmembers stack sets of tires in neat rows, high-fiving each other with nervous tension. It's watching Tony Stewart's crew mobilize in crunch time, providing left tires, a splash of fuel and acting like it's a layup drill.
It's hearing the jarring thud of Paul Menard's car when he strikes the wall in front of us. And it's the courage he shows trying to rejoin the race, attempting a 3-point turn with a broken vehicle. Don't try that on the 101.
In NASCAR, the audience rarely is galvanized. Jimmie Johnson was treated with quiet civility, even though his crew chief might be a serial cheater. What to make of our five-time Cup champion now?
Our indifference provides an answer: Racing enthusiasts never cared about him before. Why start now?
Naturally, the only sign of unified voice came when one of the Busch brothers was introduced. Also, when the crowd screamed "Amen!" to conclude the prerace prayer. Down on the track, a race official added a caveat: "And please, Lord, help them miss the jet dryer," he said.
An improving economy would help most, but NASCAR seems to have a bit of wind at its back. Stewart closed last season with a spectacular title run. The Daytona 500 was thrust into prime time on a Monday night, featuring a careening car, a jet dryer and a fiery crash.
Before the encore there was also a remarkable decision from above. NASCAR decided it would not allow golfer Bubba Watson to drive a parade lap in a vehicle he purchased at a local auction.
The General Lee -- better known as the car from the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" -- features a confederate flag on its roof. It's the wrong symbol at the wrong time, when the sport wants to be inclusive and progressive, following a race in Florida where confused fans post real confederate flags on their pickup trucks.
NASCAR's decision commands respect. In return, it's a reminder for the rest of us not to stereotype them for being too redneck or for what might appear to be a pointless accumulation of left-hand turns.
Besides, the pace-car driver I care about is Kenny Lawson. He's a former racer who failed, sold his stuff and rejoined the real world. Then he returned to the track just to help a friend for the weekend. That was 17 years ago.
"It's been a long weekend," Lawson said.
A driver walks by, peeking in the window.
"Don't spin out," the driver says.
And away we go.
Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@ arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to "Bickley and MJ" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on KGME-AM (910).
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/04/20120304nascar-pir-phoenix-subway-fresh-fit-500-fun.html#ixzz1oHe2kd3a
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM