The Great SportsChump NASCAR Giveaway

A friend of mine is about to celebrate his 1000th post.  I’m getting there, having put up around 860.

Of those 860 posts, I’ve written about NASCAR 17 times.  I take that back.  Of those 860 posts, I’ve referred to NASCAR 17 times.  After all, why would I write about a sport that I know nothing about and have absolutely no interest in?

daytona flagHaving lived in the South for quite some time, I’m obviously somewhat familiar with the sport.  It’s unavoidable.  I’ve been to the tracks at both Daytona and Charlotte AND I participate (against my will) in a NASCAR Fantasy League, just to trash talk the people I finish ahead of.

Also, thanks to my old friends over at Fox, I belong to two separate Facebook Groups that revolve primarily around talk of auto racing: the Lug-Nuts and Fan-Addicts Page and View from the Flagstand.

Every time I write a new article for SportsChump, I post the link in both of those groups with the hopes of generating conversation.  Many of the members are good friends, have been for some time and are interested in sports other than auto racing.  Others get ornery when I mention anything non-NASCAR-related, responding with comments like “What the fuck does that have to do with auto racing?” and “Stay the hell out of our forum!”

Well, here is my chance to make amends… by having them turn me on to auto-racing.  Heck, if I’m watching hockey these days, anything is possible.

I am hosting a contest specifically for racing fans but anyone who thinks they can present an argument is welcome to enter.  All I’m asking you to do is interest me in the sport.

In the comments section below, and in 250 words or less, I am asking you to explain to me why I should watch NASCAR, or Indy, or anything where cars other than the one I’m driving go fast.  Just ‘cause I drive like a maniac on the streets (but I don’t give a fuck ‘cause I got the beats) doesn’t mean I need to watch other cars do the same thing.

riverside racewayHere’s the kicker.  I’m going to make it worth your while.   The winning entry is going to receive a brand new copy of Riverside International Raceway: A Photographic Tour of the Historic Track, Its Legendary Races, and Unforgettable Drivers.  I’d keep it for myself but ahem, I don’t like auto racing.

But that’s all about to change thanks to you guys, right?

Participants, start your engines.  And let the convincing begin…. NOW!!!

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23 Replies to “The Great SportsChump NASCAR Giveaway”

  1. Well, out of the 996 posts I’ve written on Dubsism, exactly two were about NASCAR…so, you’re way ahead of me there.

    We both need to stay current on NASCAR because it’s part of the sports blogger’s oath. We have to at least be able to speak to popular sports because that’s what we do. And by “staying current,” I sure as shit don’t mean we have to like it…you have to have at least a working knowledge of that upon which you heap scorn and derision. You know, kind of like why you have somebody read my blog to you…

  2. And trust me, Dub, when there’s a NASCAR driver suspended for meth use or when Danica Patrick gets into a cat fight with another hot female driver, I’m on it.

  3. Why do I love NASCAR? Let me count the whys…
    First and foremost I love the loyalty fans show their favorite drivers and this is a loyalty that knows no bounds. Yeah we’re a bunch of hicks from the sticks in many peoples’ eyes but by golly we’re loyal hicks and there’s not one thing wrong with that. You wanna fight? Just bad mouth my driver.
    Second on the why list is the rivalries and they come and go on a weekly basis. If our driver is wronged we literally hope and pray they get even at some point, but it’s got to be good, clean racin’!
    Third, we’re all pretty much stuck on car brands and that makes it interesting too although it’s a problem when a driver you don’t like drives a car brand that you do like…
    Fourth, we’re all involved in the private lives of the owners, the drivers, the crew chiefs and the pit crews. We thirst for information about them and it all goes back to that love/hate deal.
    Lastly on the “Why do I love NASCAR” list is the fact that we all hate NASCAR itself. We hate that it’s a dictatorship run by a baby faced guy living off the hard work of his grandfather and father. The little twerp has changed the cars, the tracks and the rules. He’s led to everyone believing there are conspiracies all over the place and that’s especially true if your favorite driver loses.
    I know I went over your danged word limit but what the hey… Ya can’t cover it that way…
    And never forget Chris, we on the racing sites may not like all the sports subjects you write about but we all love the way you write…

  4. I am 60 and have been a avid Stock car and Nascar fan for 50 of those years! I love the speed, the noise, the smell and the competition! I love the Fans and the Southern roots! I love the skill of the driver with awesome car control as much as a baseball fan loves a pitcher with a great curve ball! I love the innovation of the teams to improve every week! I love the fact that the drivers and crews are so passionate that if wronged they don’t mind fighting to make it right! I love that the teams and drivers are so accessible to the fans! I love that the Nascar community gives so much to many charities! What I love most about the racing community is the loyalty to the community itself! The teams want to beat each other very bad but will help another team prepare for the race if they are behind! Let any one in the community fall on hard times or get sick, the whole community rallies around and helps more than any other sport I have ever saw!

  5. Well, Dwindy kinda wrapped it up… very nicely, I might add.

    I suppose it depends on where/how you grew up. If your father could sit on a couch and watch some Fashion Don’ts hit a little white ball around a park, then, chances are, you have no trouble snoring through televised golf.
    On the other hand, if you grew up in a Southern community, with the closest pro sports franchise about 250 miles away, then race car drivers from the local short track may have become your larger-than-life heroes.
    I played, and watched (on tv), all the stick and ball sports throughout my youth. And, I’m probably more of an NFL fan today than I am of NASCAR’s current incarnation.
    Chris, if you’ve been to those racetracks, while they had live racing going on, and you’re not a fan… then there is no way you ever will be. Anyone that I’ve ever taken to a live race became a fan. No judgement, bro.
    As Dwindy pointed out, most fans are unhappy with NASCAR ‘s current ruling class (think Bud Selig, only worse).
    Bottom line, it’s not for everyone… and it can be a pain in the ass, but we always come back.

  6. (Okay I am 46 words over but my editor refuses to help…)

    My friend, its simple. We got everything you’ve got PLUS fast cars…

    BASEBALL – Pete Rose not in the HOF? What the hell? The NASCAR HOF is full of cheaters! In fact, if you don’t cheat, you can’t get in.

    FOOTBALL – Plagued by concussions? Yea, we got those, except when superstar Dale Jr. couldn’t remember his name he was forced to sit out AND do a concussion PSA. We handle concussions responsibly! DV too!

    BASKETBALL – Fans always reminiscing about the good ole days before the young playa’s? Let me tell you ‘bout Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson and and and!!

    HOCKEY – No one appreciates the skill of the game, fans want fights. We got the same problem. Forget the racing finesse, they’d rather just see the wrecks.

    BOXING – Okay, perhaps more comparable to 15 year old girls boxing, nonetheless see Ambrose v. Mears; Keslowski v. well, everyone; or the original 1979 Allison v. Yarborough.

    GOLF – Tiger lost his mojo? Yea, we got Jimmie Johnson a six-time champ who hasn’t won EVERY freakin’ race since 2013. Oh, and everyone hates him too.

    COLLEGE FOOTBALL – Got the dumbest Bowl Game names on the planet? You betcha! But we’ve got the “Hella Good Sour Dips At The Glen” and the “SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas.”

    COLLEGE HOOPS – March Madness eh? Yea, we got Chase brackets…16 drivers with four eliminations in three rounds and winner takes all. Duke would never win with this format!

    SOCCER – Much like the World Cup, sometimes you have to lose to get the most points to win it all. Really, it can be riveting…

    TENNIS – Always turning your head back and forth? Yea us too!

    Got it man? Its the best of all worlds, or as we like to say, its beyond a sport, its a LIFESTYLE.

  7. I am not a hockey fan. I could care less about the NHL or the Stanley Cup, but on a Friday night in February of 1980, I was glued to my television set watching a hockey game. It had been less than six months since I had buried my parents, and I had a million other things that needed to be done; however, on that Friday night, even the good Lord Himself could not have moved me from in front of that television set.

    The hockey game in question was the 1980 Olympic hockey game between the United States and the then Soviet Union. The Soviets had thoroughly decimated the US team in an exhibition match just two weeks earlier, and no one expected anything different from this game. Nevertheless, I stayed glued to the television set for the entire game. We all know how it ended. In what became known as the “Miracle on Ice”, the US beat the Soviet Union 4-3, possibly the greatest upset in sports history. After that, I became a hockey fan every four years.

    You will probably never be interested in racing the way the Lug Nuts are, but you can pick one or more specific races to follow. The Daytona and Talladega races are a good start. The unpredictability of races at these two tracks and the drivers’ emotions mean that anyone can win. Do you like underdogs? Look at the 2011 Daytona 500- a relatively unknown driver, Trevor Bayne, driving for one of NASCARS historic teams, wound up in Victory Lane when it was all said and done. Even Trevor himself could not believe that he had just won NASCAR’s premier event.

    So pick a couple of races to follow closely. If you have trouble deciding which ones, just ask the Lug Nuts. We’ll be more than happy to give you our opinions. Who knows? One day, we might just see a Sportschump.net decal circling a race track near you.

  8. So all it takes is a little yelling at to light a fire under everyone’s butt… or did it just so happen that all the Lug-Nuts were in front of their PCs on a NASCAR Sunday?

    First of all, thanks to all of those who participated and took the time to write a response. You rock. Thanks for also supporting the site.

    That being said, let’s get down to brass tacks.

    I’m currently reading and tabulating and may ask some anonymous readers to cast a vote.

    Best of luck. The winner is gonna love this book.

  9. Phil and Han, nicely done.

    And Han, I only saw a motorcycle race at Daytona and they were warming up in Charlotte. No actual race.

    My buddy’s been trying to get me to go to the Coca-Cola 600 for years now.

    Bourbon, bikinis and I haven’t gone yet? What am I thinking?

  10. Damn, Beag…

    Aren’t you tired of winning my contests?

    If only I had five books to give away.

    Ok…. tabulating.

    Entries are still being accepted by the way.

  11. Han may have a point…Headhunters and cannibals are that because it’s how and where they were raised.

    For a SoCal boy like me…Rollling billboards turning left…Who gives a shit?

  12. Bleed missed one important variable in his equation- it’s also what’s relevant to you. Beginning in 2002, I became a Sammy Sosa fan- not because of anything he did in baseball, but because he became relevant to my life. A beagle named Sammy Sosa was the sire of both my beagles. I even tried to get them Cubs jerseys with Sammy’s name and number(yes, there are companies that market fan gear for pets).

  13. Beagle,
    If all I missed was a variable, then I’m improving.

    Seriously, I have buddies that are SoCal born and bred that love NASCAR…I’ve given it plenty of opportunities…Watched more races than I care to recall just because it was what was on tv at a BBQ or party…My buddies are all gung ho about Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson because they’re Cali kids dominating a Southern “sport”. I personally could care less. A bunch of dudes driving in circles is what I call a commute…Not entertainment.

    No offense…Just one sarcastic assholes opinion.

  14. You gotta go to a race to be a fan, I am a strong believer in what Hanny says. Problem is on the West coast the LA race sucks, Sonoma is great but not fast, no one from LA wants to go to PHX and Vegas race is snoozer too. Part of the reason its a Southern Sport is the better tracks are here.

    TV does not really do it justice…the racing nor the crowd nor the circus that ensues

  15. Okay, gang, after much deliberation, I have declared a winner.

    While I wanted to show appreciation to all of you, thanking each of you for your readership by sending you each a t-shirt, I’ve decided against that because it might dissuade you from participating in future contests in which I’ll be giving some away. I’ve got lots more coming up so stay tuned. And as he points out, Han already has like five of ’em. I also wanted to give Dwin a shirt but I know he’s on the verge of winning one of them anyway. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut, right? he he.

    All entries were heartfelt and convincing. It’s you Lug-Nuts from back in the Fox days that inspired the post. But after asking a few unbiased readers their opinions, and to get me off the hook a little, I have declared Kristen Valus champion of SportsChump’s first NASCAR giveaway. Nice work as always, KValus. Email me your snail mail address and I’ll get the book out in the mail to ya’. And to all you guys, thanks again.

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