You just might be a racer if

you dont need to see the video of Bobby Allisons 1987 Talladega crash. You watched it live.

you still refer to NASCARs Pro Series East division as Busch North.

you still refer to the Nationwide Series as the Busch Series. Or even better, the Sportsman Series.

you havent accepted a wedding invitation in years because they are always on race days.

and by the same token, cant attend birthday picnics or anniversary parties.

you never went to a prom. Same reason.

Junior always meant Junior Johnson.

you watched Thursday Night Thunder religiously on ESPN and remember a teenager with a lot of driving potential. His name was Jeff Gordon.

Dale Earnhardt and blue and yellow cars were synonymous.

you have attended a Grand National race.

you know who Larry Phillips is.

criticism of racing broadcasts is slightly reserved because you remember watching races two weeks later, edited between sumo wrestling, and girls gymnastics.

you think Linda Vaughn is still the queen of all trophy queens.

you understand it is impossible to accurately compare drivers from different eras. Racing and equipment has evolved. Drivers are born when they are and race in their given time period. Richard Petty accomplished his feats in his time. Jimmie Johnson accomplished his feats in his time. Comparing the two can be fun, but not realistic.

you know how much racing changed when we changed from bias-ply tires to radials.

you remember when professional drivers worked on their own cars.

you remember when open trailers were the norm and enclosed haulers were a luxury.

you never threw your helmet because you paid for it out of your own pocket.

you never purposely used your car to crash another driver because you paid for yours and he paid for his. Arguments were settled face-to-face.

dirt in your beer cup is good.

you wear mud on your shoes, skinned knuckles, and dirt under your fingernails as badges of honor.

you were at a racetrack on Sunday and have come into work Monday morning without having been to bed yet. So what if the speedway was 10 hours from home?

you dont make long range weekend commitments from April to November.

you feel Richard Childress was a decent race car driver.

you go Christmas shopping and count how many tires that money would have bought.

you channel surf for a race on Thanksgiving.

you dont know your mayors name but know the childrens names of your favorite drivers crew chief.

you dont know who won the last World Series but know who led halfway in the 1986 Daytona 500.

you would cherish having a conversation with Red Farmer or Jimmy Means.

you wonder how good Steve Kinser would have been in Cup, had he stayed.

your wife can plan her relaxing Saturday nights. She knows you will be out at a racetrack.