by Kira Lane

Created on: July 24, 2007   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

A Sport Unlike Any Other

The roar of the engines, the smell of burning tires and exhaust, the thunder of a screaming crowd cheering on their favorite and that's even before you step onto the track. One sport has evolved from the moonshiner's outrunning the local law to a southern specialty', with the devoted either at the track or listening on a few select radio stations, to a nationally televised phenomenon stretching from coast to coast. NASCAR fever has swept up millions of fans from every walk of life, proving it's not just for the stereotypical redneck' fan base. But maybe you're sitting there having never watched a race before, or maybe you watched a couple of laps and are wondering what's so great about a bunch of brightly colored cars turning left for three or four hours, especially when you compare it to other sports like baseball or basketball which you understand better. However that train of thought, in a nutshell, is the basis for the nation's attraction to NASCAR. Whether you watch the trucks, Busch, or Nextel Cup (the highest racing series in the NASCAR world), its not like any other sport.

The first difference is in the tracks themselves. Just like other sports are held in different arenas or stadiums or courses for each game, NASCAR travels to different tracks all around the nation. But unlike other sports, where the playing fields are mostly the same due to the rules of the game, no racetrack is just like the other. You have your half-miles, your mile tracks, and your two mile tracks. There are oval tracks, D-shaped tracks, and even road courses. Some tracks are covered in asphalt and others covered in concrete and some covered in both. The corners can be high-banked, flat, or gradually banked. You can have anywhere from one to multiple grooves' (the safest line for a driver to follow around a track to keep from spinning out into the wall). Sometimes there's more grooves going down a straightaway (the long part of the track) than there are in the corner, creating a traffic jam that can take your breath away.
This arrangement makes every race different. There are night races under the lights, and day races, and some that stretch from day to night. Some, like Bristol (a short half-mile track), are known for creating short tempers and aggressive driving. Others like Daytona, a two mile track, are known for knuckle down side-by-side racing where the whole pack runs together flat out with first and last place often separated by only one or two seconds.

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