NASCAR....National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. I love it. I love everything about it. I love sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon with the TV on and the peace of mind I have knowing that I have no where to be, or have nothing to do for the next 3 to 4 hours. Even better is the opportunity to go to a race live, which I've done 5 times now.
You can't beat live and in person. 80,000 fans of all shapes, sizes, and colors (mostly favorite driver colors) existing together, feeding the atmosphere with an exhileration that gives you goosebumps. The cars fire up and once they go green, nothing can compare to the thunderous roar of the engines, 43 of them to be exact, hammered down, flying through the gears. I can honestly say that I'm a junkie at the moment.
I discovered the sport about 10 years ago. Went to my first race February 2002 and that was when I was truly hooked. From the get go I liked Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He drove the #8 Budweiser car back then. After the death of his father at the conclusion of the 2001 Daytona 500, he quickly became the most popular driver in NASCAR. Everyone was pulling for him to be the new version of his father.
I like Junior because he seems like the kind of guy that you would want to hang out with. He seemed like an average, fun loving, beer drinking guy that didn't take himself too seriously. He's cute, shy, and honest. He doesn't talk or act like it's rehearsed.
Fast forward to 2008. Junior has been over exposed over the past seven years, built up to be something he's not, nor will he ever be. The pressure to be as great as his father is always looming over his head. He signs on with Hendrick Motorsports and now has to content with teammates like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. He basically took an already crazy situation and magnified it. The pressure to perform is more intense than ever and guess what? He can't live up to those expectations still as of September 2010. He is his own worst enemy.
I love the man, trust me, I honestly do. I sit down to watch a race every week with a hopeful heart, praying that this will be the day that he pulls out a win for all his faithful fans. I've never wanted him to be just like his father. There will never be another driver like his father. But I want him to be successful. I crave it for him. We don't follow a football or baseball team and hope they just play well even if they don't win. We love that win. I think of the day when I can silence the critics and say, "Junior won!"
When you're as passionate about a sport as I am about NASCAR, or a fan of a team the way I am of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., you want to celebrate and be excited about it. It breaks your heart every week when you see them struggle and drop positions like I so often see with him. I don't so much want Dale to win for me, but for himself. I want him to realize that he has it in himself, not to beat himself up for not winning week in and week out. I want him to realize that there are people out there like me who stand behind him and believe in him. I've seen him win some amazing races where he has overcome a million different obstacles and it's those moments that make me keep the faith.