Cars, speed, racing and the action of wreckage have always brought the masculine kind to speedways and race tracks. The feminine kind is not far behind in taking interest in this brawny sport. It’s where speed demons, engines and machinery converge and the rumbling beneath their feet takes everyone for a thrilling ride. Racing Nascar has been here for more than half a century and NASCAR will remain as long as we all fuel it.
NASCAR stand for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing; a family-owned and operated business venture that started in 1947-1948 by Bill France Sr. NASCAR manages multiple auto racing events across the US and even Canada. Its three most popular events are the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Craftsman Truck series. There were three divisions when this was initially introduced: Modifieds, Roadsters and Strictly Stock. NASCAR has had over 1,500 endorsed races in more than 100 tracks in 39 states and in Canada. They have presence in Japan, Mexico and Australia with their exhibition races.
It’s basically a start to finish race around an oval track where points are allocated to every driver/ car as he completes a lap. However, it is more than just the race. It is about the cars themselves. NASCAR uses stock cars. Originally, stock cars were meant to be automobiles manufactured by American car makers. They would be raced without modifying the car manufacturer’s configuration. Eventually, the call for speed changed things. Nowadays, stock cars mean automobiles built from the ground up exclusive for racing purposes. You won’t see them commercially manufactured for use in our freeways (that would be too dangerous).
NASCAR may superficially resemble a regular American sedan. Indeed it does because it is based on the four-door models like the Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Toyota Camry. However, there have been sanctioned modifications in chassis, suspension and engine. Example, the ordinary sedan has a fuel-injected engine while racing NASCAR vehicles have carbureted engines.
I noted the difference in body design of NASCAR stock cars versus the ones in the Formula One, CART or IRL series. The latter is sleek, pointed-nose and open wheel cars. Racing NASCAR vehicles on the other hand have fenders which somewhat protects the car’s wheel to hook up with another car’s just in case they came in contact. Cars in contact are almost equal to a huge wreck: which is a bonus for the crowd. It’s the part of the action.
My friends told me that being in the race ground itself is a thrilling experience because it calls for all your five-senses to work. I was skeptical about it until I actually went. The colors of these cars are so vivid with sponsors blaring their own hues. Then the sound of the engines revving up and as they speed through the oval, fans would be screaming like there was no tomorrow. The air will be dusty bringing with it the smell of burnt rubber and fuel. You take a whiff of it as you drink from your cold beverage. The sun on your face wouldn’t bother you as much as the reverberation of the ground beneath your seat. Some folks just got hooked to it. I still ain’t.
This million-dollar sport is still a game for big boys. Racing Nascar brings thousands of testosterone-induced bodies to the tracks and along with them their raving female counterparts. But in the end, NASCAR is about who built the fastest car and drove it with excellent precision.
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