Forty cars all in a bumper-to-bumper, wheel-to-wheel tightest of packs deadlock, all going left around a perhaps mile circle that is steeply banked toward the center. They’ll do this for about 500 laps. What is the objective again? Admittedly I am absolutely new to this car racing phenomenon. I have never been to a car race of any kind, had no understanding of what any objectives are. My limited understanding includes the fact that the Daytona 500 was started and promoted by a local man, Bill France, in 1936. At that time dirt track, or sandy beach racing took the form of a smash-em derby wrecko race. When drivers wrecked they would often charge out of their cars and fistfights would develop between drivers. France took that form and by 1959 developed it into the most important NASCAR race with much safety equipment, high berms that protect the spectators, and moving the race to dry weather, if still in February. This was important because other races across the country take place in the spring summer and fall leaving a racing void in the dead of winter. I am an old car restorer, of Model “A” Fords. Racing or damaging them has never been in my vocabulary.
Actually, this race reminds me of the daily trek on the streets and highways in Florida. I try to merge onto the highway and invariably there are two cars, one on each side of me, soaring past me at breakneck speeds on the berms. I’m traveling at 55-60 miles per hour to merge on the freeway and they’ve shot by me at at least 90-100 mph or more, driving like stock car drivers to get in front of me. As soon as they achieve that they begin badgering the next car swerving in and out on either sides of the car, still picking up speed to get ahead of the next five cars. What kind of driving is this? Oh, I’ve seen it before in Northern Ohio but not with this daily occurrence. This scares the hell out of me but I know this will be encountered several times more today. Back to the race where I guess this is supposed to happen!?? Is it the intention to wreck somebody, to pare down the number of racers? They’re going way too fast in this pack just inches apart, over 100 miles per says the announcer. Round and round they go at this breakneck speed, nobody giving an inch. You see them bumping the car in front of them, sometimes side to side bumping wheels, waiting for a tiny separation to try and squeeze in to get ahead. What exactly is the objective, to push one another forward or sideways so they can get ahead of the car in front? I’m reminded of the chariot race in Ben Hur where the racers whipped their horses and the competitors as well to get ahead. Talk about a blood thirsty event! Oh, surely there is going to be a spectacular wreck. I reason that it won’t be just one car, it will be a dozen cars because one slip and there will be a big bunch of cars going in all directions. Maybe one of the cars will develop engine trouble and somehow have to make it to the sidelines, Good luck with that. There goes a wheel headed straight to the spectator section—that is launched at about 100 miles per hour. I hope all the protective fencing catches it or it’s going to kill somebody. The crowd oooooohs and aaaaaaahs. Surely the people in front of that tire trajectory are gonna get showered with pieces, parts, and wheel rubber. Is this fun, lug nuts and shards of iron and steel being hurled at you?? They will go right through the chain link fence. Hopefully, the safety berms will stop the parts.
There is a crowd of maybe five hundred thousand spectators seated all around the circumference of this racetrack all cheering loudly for their favorite driver. That IS what they are cheering for, not so much the car. (The cars include Fords, Chevrolets, Toyotas and other makes that I’ve not heard of.) Of course, I don’t recognize any driver names but the crowd surely does. These drivers come from all over the United States to be in this race of races.
On and on it goes, cars being eliminated by breakdowns, by being forced aside spinning out of control, swerving to regain control but falling behind and out of contention. The original pack is now down to about 25 cars. But the competition is more fierce than ever. There is a lot more bumping and grinding of cars, each one trying to cripple the other. Suddenly, as predicted, there there is a car that goes airborne, caught by the wind, twirling over and over , cartwheeling then rolling over again and again coming to rest on it’s side. Oh My God, I think. Is this what they’ve come here for? I believe they have!!! The yellow flag is out so the emergency vehicles and tow vehicles can get to the remains of the car. Within a very short period the driver is pulled out of the wreck standing, if a bit wobbly, with one hand in the air as if to say,” I’ll race another day”! The video of the crash is run and re-run again and again on the jumbotron. This is what they came for!
