Auto Racing -- newfound respect

I've never been a fan of auto racing. I always thought it was "the sport of rednecks" who had nothing better to do on weekends than drink a beer and watch cars going in circles. I never considered them athletes because they well... just drove real fast. Heck, it was the car doing 70% of the work. I laughed at all the people that went to the races here in the DFW area thinking what kind of mental midgets they were for actually considering this some worthwhile sport.

Being a sports fan in general, I knew of Cale Yarbrough, the Petty family, the Andretti family, the Unsers, etc. I knew they were the Jim Browns, Wilt Chamberlains, and Hank Aarons of racing, but I still didn't care for the sport.

Then came yesterday's Daytona 500...

I was flipping through channels while waiting to go out and eat. I came across the Daytona 500 on its final 6 laps and paused because I saw Darrell Waltrip looking like he was about to burst into tears. His brother Michael was about to win his first race in 463 attempts. That's when the strategy of racing sunk in. He was talking his brother through the race even though he couldn't hear him. I watched as cars immediately trailing Waltrip jockeyed for position to keep rivals at bay because these cars immediately behind Waltrip were on the same team as Waltrip.

I saw people make moves at 170-180 MPH while kissing the bumper of the car in front of them and keeping an eye out for cars on either side of them. A reaction too late would cause them to crash into a car attempting to pass, a reaction too early could allow that pass. That's when it sunk in how incredibly awesome the skills these guys have are.

Then I saw the drama as Dale Earnhardt Jr. blocked others from running outside on Waltrip as he drafted behind Waltrip. This was a thing of beauty to watch. In less than 2 minutes I was absolutely engulfed in this "redneck sport". I continued to listen as Darrell Waltrip continued to tell Michael Waltrip what to do and what not to do even though Michael couldn't hear him, and it was so incredibly cool as I could understand the strategy among teammates, why passing moves aren't made more often, why one unsuccessful move to pass may be the last...

As the race ended with Waltrip winning, I saw the tear coming down the guys face as he went around for the victory lap. I saw Darrell Waltrip on the verge of tears. I saw the crash on the last lap...

I woke up this morning and found out one of the sports' legends eventually died in that crash.

I don't care what anybody says about this sport, it's won over a new fan. Call it a "redneck sport", say it's not really a sport, call it stupid, or tell me that the car is doing most of the work... it won't matter. That race was just incredible; the last 10 minutes combined anxiety, thrill, disaster, love, relief, excitement, joy, and tragedy. I saw Michael Waltrip show genuine appreciation for winning something. I saw genuine appreciation for earning something. I saw him basically act like a kid and be so damn genuinely thankful I felt like shaking his hand and saying something like "I don't know you, and I don't know your sport, but man that was just awesome..." I saw emotion in him that I don't see in the NBA. You rarely see that kind of emotion in professional sports after a victory. No going to endzones and pointing up to the sky. No banging on your chest like you've got heartburn from Hell. No staring down the opposition after defeating them. Just thankful joy that he had won something finally. The theme of family, the element of friendship, the notion of teamwork in that the good of the team was greater than the good of the individual... this was sport at its greatest.

God that was awesome. I love this sport...

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"Ive seen more class at a Pig Humpin Contest ." -- moestavern19 makes headlines again, and in the process leaves little doubt as to what Saturday nights in his hometown of Lompoc, California are like.