I've been trying to put together a post on NASCAR, but I'm not sure what to say about it. A couple of months ago, I started a journey of trying to figure out why it's so popular and have found that it's starting to grow on me. Translating that into a post, however, is proving difficult. There are sports like football or baseball that allow for underdogs to come from way behind and win it in the end. This makes for exciting, tear-inducing movies, but NASCAR is more like tennis. You win by avoiding disaster and making your move when it counts. You have to develop an appreciation by understanding the rules and learning the strategies. But I don't want to write a blog entry that makes NASCAR sound like it's a fine wine that you have to develop a palette for. I mean, come on, it's a bunch of guys driving around in circles.
Maybe I just haven't been watching NASCAR long enough to get my head around exactly how I feel about it. Right now, the only thing I can think of is how much NASCAR reminds me of Twilight. That may seem far-fetched, but I think the comparison is sound. For starters, there's the drama. Of course NASCAR is dramatic. There are cars going close to 200 miles an hour with mere inches between them. There is the constant threat of contact and crashes, the pressure on pit crews to shave seconds off their time, and the grudges that can form between drivers over the course of the season. As for Twilight, that story is just oozing with drama. Not drama over anything that people seriously have to worry about though. It's drama about things like whether a young girl should go to the prom with a vampire or how to keep her father from finding out that her best friend is a werewolf. I don't remember having to worry about that stuff when I was in high school.
Another reason NASCAR reminds me of Twilight is people's reactions. While there are people who seem to hate each one, I’m thinking more of the fans. Fans of Twilight, and I'm talking the hardcore fans here, feel very strongly about it. They have picked a side and they root for Jacob or Edward, regardless of the fact that they already know who "wins" in the end. Then there are NASCAR fans. They have their favorite drivers, their least favorite drivers, and given the chance, they'll pack up an RV and spend the weekend camped out on the infield of the Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR and Twilight also have crazy merchandising. In NASCAR, this is obviously evidenced by the cars and drivers themselves, which look like are moving billboards. Every inch is covered in a logo or slogan. You can tell a car a mile away just by seeing the huge M&Ms characters or the Miller Lite logo. And if you think the sponsors are all major corporations and beer companies, you might want to talk to this guy:
That’s Mike Bliss next to the Kim Kardashian car. But NASCAR doesn’t stop there…they’ll sell you anything they can put a logo on. Twilight is the same way. Let's see how they stack up:
NASCAR | Twilight | |
| Lunch boxes |
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| Figurines |  |  |
| Jewelry |  |  |
| Underwear |  |  |
So there you have it. I can’t really explain why I’m starting to like NASCAR except by comparing it to one of my other inexplicable likes. I don’t have a favorite driver, and I certainly don’t plan on ordering any of the merchandise seen above, but I did add Days of Thunder and Talledega Nights to my Netflix queue, and come the weekend, I’ll tune in to see who takes the checkered flag.
7 comments:
You forgot the strongest similarity. They are both stupid. ;P
I think you should be bonus points for most original blog posts. No one else could think up this stuff!
I meant to say "get" bonus points. oops!
I'm hoping that "original" translates into "interesting" at least half the time!
You're right that they are both fairly stupid. I read and enjoyed the entire Twilight series, but if you sit down and write out the plot, it's obviously adsurd. As for NASCAR, Sometimes I think it must only exist because a couple of guys got drunk 40 years ago, made a bet, and it just kind of took off. I mean, I don't know the history of it, but that can't be far off, right? Oh well. I think "stupid" can also sometimes be utterly delightful. Life wouldn't be nearly as much fun without all the "stupid".
In other news, your comment made me think of this shirt from busted tees.
You can't camp out in the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway. It's too small. Barely enough room for the 18 wheelers to park. I think Bristol's so small it has 2 short Pit Rows instead of one long one. By the way, if you only ever get to go to one race in your life, I recommend Bristol. It made me not hate NASCAR anymore. But then "the Chase" made me hate it again.
Also, NASCAR started b/c 'racing cars' is a good cover for running moonshine. No lie.
PS. The captcha for this comment is 'copwind'. Not sure why that made me giggle.
Ok, I'm guessing you knew that about Bristol off the top of your head, which I think is both hilarious and wonderful.
I have heard that NASCAR really comes alive when you see it in person, but considering how far I'd have to travel to get to a track, I'm not sure I'll ever bother. But if I do, I'll be sure and make it Bristol. =)
There is so much I don't know about NASCAR that the second week I watched a race, I got really confused because some of the drivers had different decals on their car and I didn't recognize them anymore. I've gotten better at that.
Perhaps you can share some of your wisdom with me...do you think most NASCAR fans realize how silly the "sport" is?
Joe and I went to a race with Mandy and Jared in Ft. Worth and it was really incredible. I don't watch it and could care less about Nascar but seeing it live is something I totally recommend.
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