Racin\' \'Round:

NASCAR fans, are they for real?  Anyone that follows the top series in NASCAR racing considers themselves a fan, each to a certain extent of course. There are the casual fans. That’s the guy that watches the race if there is no stick and ball games on television. The moderate fan is the guy that watches every Saturday or Sunday. Then there are the die hard fan, these are the ones that go to as many races as possible and still go home to watch the race after they taped it on their TV then watch it again Thursday on the Speed Channel rebroadcast, just in case they missed something the first time. These fans enjoy the sport all over the world, it has truly become an international affair.  All of these fans are strong for the sport, they support and enjoy every aspect of it, and they talk the talk, and walk the walk. Then there are the ridiculous, overbearing, obsessed, belligerent fans. These are the ones that NASCAR can do without. These fanatics cause others to leave the sport and drive drivers, owners and crew-members crazy. They also make it very clear that they have the only opinion that counts and are very closed minded about what happens on and off the track. They have a one sided view of a very complex sport. Every sport has them, but NASCAR is the only professional sport that allows these fans into the workplace, well, NHRA does also, but that is still motorsports. I don’t think that you can walk on to the football field when the offense is off the field and ask the star quarterback for his autograph, or wait until A-Rod comes in after a home run and poke a program in his face to sign. It can’t happen. Why then do some fans think it is OK to have driver sign their shirt as he walks onto pit road to get in his car, or while he is discussing his cars set up with his crew chief sitting on pit road. Here is a short scenario that happened at Bristol this last week. Kasey Kahne had just finished his qualifying run, and was standing between his pit box and Tony Stewart’s which was right next to his. A fan, seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr. on pit road, runs between the boxes, tells Kahne to “move it mate” and pushes him aside. The fan doesn’t get anywhere close to Earnhardt, comes back through the pit again, not excusing himself, and moves Kahne aside again. He then goes on to the next driver he wants to badger. Kahne never said a word to him. This certainly wasn’t the only “stupid fan trick” that I observed, but it was one of the most amazing. You may ask, how do these people get in the pits? That was one of my questions to two young women that were badgering Earnhardt Jr. over by the technical inspection area. They told me they purchased passes from the company they work for, for a considerable amount I might add. NASCAR fans have always had great exposure to drivers. For the most part they are very accommodating to whatever request the fan may have, but fans like this cause the drivers to get where they are today. The drivers actually run from their car to the drivers lounge, their only sanctity in the pits at Bristol. They move as quick as possible from their transporters to the cars and sometimes are very short with fans, press and anyone that may get in their way. I wonder why? No, I don’t Till next time, keep turning left