by Trina L. Grant

Created on: June 23, 2008

The sound of roaring engines makes my blood rush. The screaming of thousands of fans makes my adrenaline go into overdrive. And, the site of the number nine Budweiser car on the first pole position nearly makes me faint with joy. I am a woman who loves NASCAR. Actually, this is a new development in my life. I was raised by a Daddy who watched college football exclusively, such viewing being limited to two teams, Alabama and Georgia. He hated NASCAR and certainly let anyone in the house know it on Sunday afternoons when there was "not a thing worth watching on TV". Boy did he miss out.

Now, I make no claims whatsoever that I am a NASCAR expert. I am a complete novice. Two months ago I couldn't have told you anything about the sport to save my life, except that it was a bunch of redneck men who spent way too much money on cars driving around and around while a much larger group of redneck men and women drank beer and screamed at them in temperatures hot enough to melt glass. Now I realize my mistake. Yes, there are plenty of redneck men (some of whom, I found, are really cute if you watch long enough to see their pictures), and plenty of redneck women (who have found some awesomely cute fan-wear), and plenty of beer (what else is going to keep you cool when it's hotter than the surface of Mars?). But there is also a strong sense of sportmanship, and events that encourage a family atmosphere, and patriotism, which I really like.

I am slowly learning the rules. I know what the pole position means. I know what each flag means now. I know about spinning tires, and turning the car off and still going (that one still baffles me somewhat), and I'm still learning. Better yet, I find it to be actually interesting. There are rules, and they actually make sense. And there are different playing fields, commonly referred to as tracks (really, I actually did know that already), that cause different driving conditions, all of which each driver is better suited to than others.

For my fellow beginner fans (this really applies mostly to women), here are some tips for choosing whose fan you will be. I chose Kasey Kahne because he is near my age, and he's cute, and he has brown hair like I do, and I like the color red, and my ninth birthday party was a really good one because I got the Tiffany and Debbie Gibson tapes I wanted, and I like Budweiser beer, and I like Avon which he did ads for. Also, I wanted to pick someone who didn't have quite the same following as say, Earnhardt, Jr. (you can't grow up in the South and not hear the Earnhardt name). I like to be original.

All of this has made my fiance, a long-time NASCAR fan, from a long line of NASCAR fans, start looking a little more alert when I talk about weddings and such. I swear I see this new look of appreciation in his eyes when he looks at his freshly-educated betrothed. I made his swear he will take me to a race as soon as he possibly can.

So, for all you die-hard NASCAR-ians out there, keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for this new fan. I'll be the screaming brunette, decked out in red, and probably covered in 9s, drinking a tall cup of Budweier beer, going crazy over Kasey Kahne. I'm sure I will stand out.

Learn more about this author, Trina L. Grant.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.