For those who know me, I'm an avid sports fan. I like most sports. Depending upon the event, I watch my share of baseball, football, golf, basketball, hockey, etc. To be very honest, though, I have never been a any kind of a NASCAR fan. I have tried but a race of 500 miles just can't hold my interest so I, usually, wait until about mile 495 to watch a major race. This applied to the past weekend's Daytona 500. I figured I would wait until about a couple of laps were remaining and, then, I would be there to see the finish.
Turns out I wound up seeing history and something, in my opinion, that can do nothing but good for NASCAR. Jeff Gordon was out.....Jimmy Johnson was deep in the pack......Junior wrecked just prior to my tuning in. So - up steps this 20-year old rookie who was only driving in his second NASCAR event and, in a thrilling finish, wins! What a story - best exemplified by his remark after the race while driving off the track ' "Where Do I Go Now - I've never been here before!" 20 years old....the youngest ever to win the Daytona 500. Trevor Bayne showed us that even NASCAR can come up with a great story. I noticed that the attention being paid to this win and Trevor himself stretched well beyond the normal NASCAR fan. Even my wife showed interest in the story and she is about as interested in NASCAR as our little dog (as a matter of fact, the pup did show some interest toward the end, waking from his nap to stare at the TV.). On a weekend when the NBA All-Stars were showing off (literally) their talents in LA; on a weekend when Major League Baseball Spring Training got underway in earnest; on a weekend, when the NFL owners and the Players Association started their negotitiation joust, NASCAR took center stage. Hats off to you, Trevor Bayne. Don't be a flash in the pan and this could be a year long story! Just what NASCAR needs to bet back into total prominence.
No comments:
Post a Comment