It has been said that I celebrate more High Holy Days than a Hassidic Jew.
Fair enough -- and one of them is almost upon us: Sunday, the NASCAR Seasons gets into gear with the running of The Daytona 500.
Mr. Four-Finger Wu, he of a Blog by that name and also of Saint Augustine Beach Fame, got me interested in NASCAR many, many Moons ago.
Those were the days before NASCAR went Corporate, when Richard Petty, Benny Parsons, the Yarboroughs, the Allisons -- even guys such as A.J. Foyt -- would show up at a local barber-shop ribbon-cutting to talk with Plain Folks about the arts & science of stock car racing.
Darrel Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, and Bill Elliott had yet to make their impact on the sport -- Carl Edwards was doing back-flips out of his crib; Joey Logano didn't even qualify as a spermatozoa.
Mr. Wu and a pal of his (we'll call him Mr. Foo) wrote a weekly newsletter for racing fans back then. They called it "The BS Report" and it was loaded with Pit Row info and other dirt about drivers, track conditions, and car engines, plus tons of other stuff from around the NASCAR Circuit as it existed at the time.
The BS Report introduced me to the NASCAR culture & nomenclature. It prepared me for fan-dom right about the time the Cable Channels started covering every race.
Take it from me: there is absolutely nothing like the NASCAR Experience if you enjoy Fast Cars, Rowdy Fans, and Loud Noise.
At this point, allow me to make a point: NASCAR has been viewed by some as being too Southern Red Neck, ergo too Lily-White. If I happened to be African-American, I, too, would be concerned by all of those Confederate Flags flapping out there on the Infield.
If you check it out, however, you'll find that NASCAR is well-aware of this perception. It's doing its best to promote Minority Participation -- through driver development programs and race team ownership -- and the sport is enjoying successes in this matter.
Former hoopster Brad Dougherty now calls races from the Broadcast Booth, and other athletes and former athletes such as Scotty Burrell are involved in Minority team development & ownership.
I think NASCAR surpassed a pivotal point back in the late 1990s, when the France Family and the George Family buried the "hatchet" about the future of auto racing in America. The "peace" led to the inaugural running of the Brickyard 400 on the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- Racing's Oldest, Most Sacred Ground.
If you recall, the Indy 500 happens in May around Memorial Day. For decades, more than 400,000 "Speed Freaks" descend upon Indianapolis for the show -- and hundreds find themselves on the Wrong Side of the Law by becoming "over-served" and otherwise disorderly.
NASCAR's first Brickyard 400 brought the same number of fans to the track -- to watch drivers test tires & setups. About 500,000 fans showed up to see the time trials. Even more crammed in to witness The King, Richard Petty, take one symbolic lap around the place.
In the days just prior to the inaugural race, the George Family estimated that more than a million NASCAR racing fans passed through The Brickyard's turn-stiles. News accounts mentioned that the George Family didn't charge admission...
PS: News accounts also mentioned that the Indianapolis Police Department made one arrest that inaugural week: they busted a guy for "taking a squirt" behind some bushes.
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