sunday's nascar race...

i went to my first nascar race on sunday. it was a pretty remarkable event and although i was skeptical going into sunday, all my reservations vanished when i arrived at the new hampshire international speedway. the speedway was packed. easily 150,000 fans sold out the place and lined the stands- a mile of people.

nascar fans from all over the country came in for the race and for many it was a weekend, of camping, bar-be-queing, drinking and enjoying. many families showed up on friday and hung out around the speedway until raceday. on sunday the place was packed, people were everywhere, shopping, drinking, eating, smoking, sleeping, listening to frequencies of different race teams on scanners.

it was americana at its most brilliant. it was an america that people here on the island of manhattan, scoff at when they hear i attended a nascar race. but it's crazy, because, for all the stereotypes that new yorkers throw at nascar fans- tobacco chewing hillbillies, racists, warmongers, fat, ignorant, white... nascar fans would probably throw similar stereotypes right back at new yorkers- wealthy, draft dodgers, desk job pussies, hypocrites...

...and that is where all the problems lie. if some new yorkers went to a nascar race and some nascar fans came to new york city for yankee game, it would be an inmportant eye-opening learning experience for all. and certainly, some of these stereotypes would be turn out to be true, but a lot of them wouldn't. here in america, there is so much misunderstanding between peoples, that cross cultural exchanges like these would be beneficial for everyone.

the race itself was pretty cool too. there were two announcers for the track, a different announcer would excaim,

"and it's Harvick at the lead, Jeff Gordan is pushing up behind, Kasey Kahne and Sterling Martin rearing forward in the third and fourth postion!!!"

and then the cars would come whizzing by, "Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," and all other sounds would be drowned out until the cars passed and the announcer could be heard again.

my favorite quote at the track, "Sure beats the hell outta hockey, dunnit!"

love and health to all...