Racing fans, start your engines

Southern Living, Feb 1997 by Rada, Joe

Revved-up fans are steering this Southern-bred sport into the mainstream.

Floor the gas pedal, turn left, and don't hit the wall." This sound advice crossed my back fence when I told a neighbor who competes at local speedways that, for fun, I was taking a rookie course at a driving school owned by Richard Petty, the King of stock car racing.

Count me among the multitudes discovering a highoctane sport of fast cars, flashy drivers, and horrific crashes once reserved for a small but avid core of fans.

First came Sundays watching Winston Cup races on TV. Next I joined throngs in Talladega, Alabama, and Daytona Beach, florida. Soon I was browsing racing magazines and recognizing drivers by names, faces, cars, numbers, and sponsors. Now I can even decipher such bumper stickers as the crossed-out 3 (anti-Dale Earnhardt) and the rainbow 24 (Jeff Gordon backer).

Eventually, like other spectators, I itched to don a crash helmet and a fireproof jumpsuit myself, climb into a Chevy or Ford or Pontiac, rev a powerful V-8 engine, and drive two to three times the legal speed limit.

The ultimate passing lane: Auto racing has come a long way since moonshine runners souped up cars to out-horsepower sheriffs, and grease monkeys tore around dirt ovals in small towns. Led by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), a new form of traveling circus has roared into being.

From February to November a fast and flashy show parades to speedways. Mechanics unload jelly beanbright race cars. Pit crews prepare lug nuts for 16second tire changes. Drivers-a majority of them Southerners-take practice laps or mingle with fans. Drivers once raised money for parts by letting fans sign their cars for pocket change. Now corporations lay out millions to splash logos across hoods or thousands just for small patches of side panels. Longtime advertisers include the expected motor oil, tool, beer, and tobacco firms. Yet a new breed of sponsors making computers, cereal, paint, detergent, cartoons, and even Spam recognize a growing audience and buy space on these zooming billboards. Drivers dutifully mention these products by name at every opportunity, whether gulping Gatorade in the winner's circle, climbing from wrecked heaps, or signing autographs at benefits for children's hospitals and stay-in-school campaigns.

Join the pack: Keeping up with NASCAR is like a cross between joining a secret society and following a daily soap opera. There's no secret handshake, but once you master the lingo, you might talk of Jeff Gordon in the No 24 DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo of Rick Hendrick Motorsports or Dale Jarrett in the No. 88 Ford Quality Care Thunderbird of Robert Yates Racing.

Soon you're slinging slang about the "World's Fastest Half-Mile Speedway" (Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee), the "Lady in Black" (Darlington Raceway in South Carolina), and other legendary ovals from 0.5 to 2.66 miles around. You become familiar with rules that change almost weekly, turns banked up to 36 degrees, and mechanical terms such as the tire stagger.

Fans love to drop names: Ray Evernham (Gordon's crew chief); Chocolate Myers (who refuels Earnhardt's No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet); Runt Pittman (enginebuilding genius); or Brooke (Gordon's ever-present bride, a former Miss Winston beauty queen) .

True insiders keep up with which drivers bump each other in grudge matches, who hires away whose best mechanic, who set a speed record, and which wives dress glamorously.

All this makes for great spectacle. During the 1996 season a number of story lines held people's interest.

* Would Earnhardt take a record eighth championship? No, but he stayed near the front, rebounded from a huge crash, and 1997 is young.

* Would rising star Gordon win back-to-back championships at age 25? No, but he was a close second.

* Would Terry Labonte become the Iron Man of consecutive starts? Yes. He's well past that 514th start now and is the reigning champion.

* Would any of the older, smaller tracks lose race dates to big new speedways? Yes, sentiment couldn't save North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina from that fate.

* Would anyone crash? Sure. Bill Elliott broke a leg, Ricky Craven compressed a vertebra, Earnhardt fractured a collarbone, and many suffered bruises. But thanks to roll cages and other safety measures, all soon returned to racing.

Speeding ahead: Developments both on and off the tracks testify to NASCAR's popularity. Giant speedways debut in Texas and California this year. Attendance is up dramatically. TV networks vie for rights to show entire events that once barely made the evening news.

The sport clearly has grown beyond a regional appeal, shedding much of its redneck profile as well. Statistics show a higher income among fans, with more women tuning in than ever. An exhibition race in Japan suggests global potential.

NASCAR Online provides trivia to Internet surfers. Motorsportsthemed restaurants in Orlando (Race Rock cafe) and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, (NASCAR Cafe) boast real race cars overhead and video monitors showing dramatic crashes. NASCAR Thunder stores sell extensive lines of clothing and souvenirs.