The spectacle of NASCAR is taking over America and it’s in a hurry, barreling around the final turn and closing in on competitors like the NFL, NBA and MLB that previously lapped lowly stock car racing without a fight. After the thrilling photo finish and incredible sight of cars traveling at upwards of 200 mph plowing into one another, the wall and anything else in last Sunday’s Daytona 500, it is obvious why NASCAR is America’s premiere up-and-coming sport.
NASCAR sensation coming fast
The spectacle of NASCAR is taking over America and it’s in a hurry, barreling around the final turn and closing in on competitors like the NFL, NBA and MLB that previously lapped lowly stock car racing without a fight.
After the thrilling photo finish and incredible sight of cars traveling at upwards of 200 mph plowing into one another, the wall and anything else in last Sunday’s Daytona 500, it is obvious why NASCAR is America’s premiere up-and-coming sport.
On the same afternoon as an NBA all-star game that was pass-out-on-your-couch boring by the end of player introductions, NASCAR offered some unrivaled excitement and competition. Where the game featuring the NBA’s best was a lopsided 153-132 affair with the West stomping the inferior East, Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line two hundredths of a second ahead of Mark Martin. That is about as long as it takes someone to blink.
Nose-to-nose finishes and likeable personalities like Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have made it increasingly apparent that NASCAR is no longer a sport fit just for beer-guzzling rednecks. The king of racing has opened its doors to a much larger, diverse crowd of sports fans, and based on the impressive response and packed speedways, fans have accepted the invitation with open arms.
Sports fans aren’t the only ones drawn to the potent smell of burning rubber and blazing fast speeds. NASCAR has shaken up the sports landscape by attracting many former athletes, coaches, famous hip-hop artists and now some of Hollywood’s finest.
Take last Sunday’s Daytona 500: Not only did pop-star princess and American Idol Kelly Clarkston perform before the race, but celebrity actor Nicolas Cage played a leading role by reciting the famous words, “Gentlemen, start your engines” prior to the start of the race.
In addition to the Hollywood star’s glitz and glamour, some of the greatest figures in the sports world looked like regulars at the track. On a typical race day, a stroll around the garage area would reveal team owners like Hall of Fame quarterbacks Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Dan Marino, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Kelly, Pistons center Dale Davis, Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs and Boston Red Sox executives in the newly established Fenway Sports Group.
A sport that was once considered solely for good ol’ country boys has found a place in a competitive mainstream America. Networks like FOX, NBC, TNT and ESPN are vying for exclusive broadcasting rights to America’s hottest ticket. The recent involvement of The Worldwide Leader in Sports has perked the interest of many. Over the past couple years, ESPN has gradually extended their NASCAR coverage and this season they have put the pedal to the metal, adding a nightly show NASCAR Now and broadcasting rights to all NASCAR Busch Series races.
With all the celebrities and attention from big-name networks, NASCAR is quickly becoming a more entertaining, competitive version of the NBA, or the NFL without the lull of the 40-second play clock. It’s full of more action-packed left turns than MLB players on the base pads. Move over big three. The future of sports includes crew chiefs, massive wrecks and good old-fashioned racing.
