NASCAR Nation (16 page)

The pre-race pageantry is what a lot of the fans come to the races for. Some tradition-oriented fans prefer the sound of country bluegrass over modern rock music. For them the races may get a bit too rowdy at times, but for others, it's that exact excitement that draws them to the event. As in so many other areas, NASCAR has to strike a balance.

In the past it was easier for fans to see the drivers and their teams before they got out on the track. This really added something special for fans going to the races. Fans still have opportunities to see their favorite drivers and teams, but they're limited on
race days when crew chiefs are too busy working in the garage and the drivers are most likely with their families in a separate area preparing for the race. Even though their time is often filled with race prep and sponsor obligations, the NASCAR drivers and crews are renowned for their accessibility to their fans in general.

If you really want a good show, access to the crew chiefs, detailed commentary on car technology and race strategy, and an overall deeper and fuller inside look, you need a good sports broadcast. Some fans have access to the teams, the garage area, and the pits through tours and different types of credentials where they are able to converse with the crew members. For all the other fans who don't make it this far, sports broadcasts fill in the gaps by showing them what they can't see. For example, our pit reporters can catch the crew chief and driver talking after a crash. The driver will say, “He came out of nowhere,” or, “I don't know what happened.” Later, we'll show him the replay and he'll say, “Oh, that was me,” and he may even apologize to the other driver. The broadcast is another show and has pageantry itself. From our graphics, to the energy and commentary the announcers bring to the race, to the full-track camera coverage that our broadcast provides, we take our fans to the race and make sure they don't miss a rubber-burning second of it.

My brothers might disagree with me. They were always in the stands at the races. They'd be the first to say that experiencing a race at home on the couch isn't nearly the same as experiencing it at the race track. They'd point out that fans at the races can listen to crew chief-driver radio transmissions just like fans at home, except they can tune into whichever team they want. They may switch to the driver in the lead, and then back to their favorite driver to see how he's doing. If you're on the track, you may not have the benefit of instant replay, but you have the real sound of the cars zooming by, and the smell of the gasoline and all the other industrial fumes that induce a hazy wonder and awe that can only be experienced live.

I'll give it to my brothers: the thrill of seeing a race up close and personal is impossible to recreate, not to mention the excitement of the pre-race show and atmosphere. Fans can say, “I was there. I saw it happen!” It's an unforgettable life experience. However, going to the races in person every week simply isn't a reality for most NASCAR fans. That's why we make the race real on FOX. Through replay, fans are able to analyze the race even before people on the track have a good sense of why a driver crashed or how someone was able to steal the win. We get the best footage and put cameras in every corner. Fans at home get to see the race from every possible angle.

It can also be nice to be at home during inclement weather. Rain, humidity, heat, and cold can't push away the most loyal fan, but it's a lot easier to enjoy the race if you can enjoy the weather, too. At home, these concerns don't apply. However, come rain or shine, the fans do show up with dedication week after week. They are a vital part of the pageantry, standing and cheering each time their drivers race by and singing along to the national anthem. It's these fans who make the sport. It may be an un-choreographed part of the show, but it's the most important.

But before the fans fill the stands, when everyone is still on the road or barbequing at their motor homes, in the moments when I arrive early and revel in the calm before the storm, the track is relatively empty. The teams are off in the garage, and the track, in all its greatness, filled with steel, asphalt or concrete, and history, unfolds before me. I wait for the planes to fly overhead once again and for the air to fill, first with the solemn, sweet sound of the national anthem, then with the uproarious cheer of the crowd and the hearty revving of engines. Those are the sounds of the spectacle that still has the power to take my breath away.

No matter how modern the sport becomes, there are some things that will never change. The vendors will never run out of food, the grills at the campground barbeques will never go cold, and somewhere
in America, a race track official will grip a green flag as a robust voice calls out, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” The pageantry, the wonder, and the awe that accompanies every race will always be right there, waiting.

W
ho are the real heroes in America?

Ask different people and you'll get different answers. But if we describe a hero as a person with commitment, steadfast dedication, and unfailing courage, I think we'd agree that the real American heroes are the farmers, mechanics, teachers, and everyday people who keep our country strong. They're the ones who work for the greater good – the ones who, although they deserve more
praise and more pay, are willing to go to work every day and make this country the great place that it is.

And yet, as we all know, these people aren't typically the first to spring to mind when we think of the word
hero
. It's far more likely that the word conjures up images of stars like Michael Jordan or Jeff Gordon. Why are we more likely to attribute heroism to pro athletes and other people we've put on a pedestal in our society?

The reason is simple: because they make our impossible possible. Pushing the human body and mind to its farthest limits, these heroes show us the greatness of which we are all capable.

NASCAR drivers, sitting behind the wheel of some of the country's fastest, most capable vehicles, with sharp minds and uncanny reflexes, are literally unstoppable. What woman wouldn't want to get in the passenger seat beside these men and drive away from everything? Together, nothing could stop them. One second they're at the office drowning in papers or at home up to their elbows in dishes and busy with the kids, and the next second they're sitting beside a NASCAR driver, speeding down the open road, windows down, with the wind blowing in their hair.

No, these aren't my fantasies. They're the daydreams of a few of the female sports fans who have been bold enough to fill me in on who their sports heroes are and what draws them to these NASCAR
drivers. They've told me they like the tough-yet-touchable look these drivers have. They often compare them to firemen. It's no wonder – with their gear and uniform, they look like they could easily burst through the door of a house on fire. Their uniforms are, in fact, fireproof.

NASCAR attracts a certain kind of driver. Imagine a quintessential NASCAR driver, like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt – essentially John Wayne on wheels. The car comes tearing down the track with full force. It stops, twirling in a half circle, steam rising from the asphalt. An arm appears through the open driver's side window, followed by a helmet and the rest of the body contorting itself to maneuver through the small opening, and out from the mist steps a superhero-like figure dressed in full uniform. The figure approaches, almost in slow motion. It removes its helmet to reveal … long, flowing, soft hair, and a sweet smile.

Wasn't quite what you were expecting, right? This image is, of course, contrary to the John Wayne–on-wheels image for which NASCAR has become known. Yet women are making their way into the sport. While women have never been hindered or denied entrance, drivers in NASCAR's circuits have predominately been men. The sport hasn't seen many successful female drivers. Even so, it would be good to see more women on the track. People in the sport may very well be thrown off by an increase in female
participation, a change that wouldn't come without a few raised eyebrows, but a female driver has the ability to bring more female fans to the sport. She would also serve as a good role model for young girls interested in NASCAR.

However, to find a talented female driver is difficult. The latest candidate people look toward now is Danica Patrick. She was named Rookie of the Year in the IndyCar Series, was the first woman to win an Indy car race, and has brought a wider awareness to open-wheel racing. Certainly these are notable achievements. There are skeptics who say that although she has accomplished a great deal, the reason why she gets as much attention as she does is simply because she is a woman.

But Patrick wouldn't be out there if she couldn't drive. Yes, she happens to have sex appeal and is maximizing her career. With all the commercials and shoots she does, she is getting very profitable publicity. But that doesn't in any way negate the fact that she is one of the first women to break into racing, which has remained a man's sport for years. Her work up to this point has been very praiseworthy. Whatever the case, now that she has raced a few races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports, I'm interested to see what she can accomplish over her next few seasons in NASCAR. NASCAR has had female drivers in the past, but they haven't been able
to compete regularly on a high level. If she's serious about NASCAR as a sport and devoted to it, despite her recent struggles in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, I wouldn't be surprised to see Danica Patrick leading the pack one day. As she prepares to compete in ten races in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in a car fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing, she could very well be at the top of the pack this coming year.

As much as NASCAR is a family-like community, it remains old-fashioned in many respects. With that family-oriented, down-to-earth, southern mentality comes an outlook that can be starkly conservative. Having more female role models like Patrick behind the wheel makes for a positive and refreshing change. The driver's seat is definitely the most visible spot in the sport, but it isn't the only place where women can start getting involved in NASCAR. Before Patrick became so popular, women had already been involved in different aspects of racing for years. Lesa France Kennedy is the chairman of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), which operates twelve of the tracks on which NASCAR's premier series races. There are women in all departments within NASCAR, and women at the track in capacities other than driving. Today, you'll see female officials and women pit-crew members working alongside men. They're still a minority, but the door is open, and in fact,
NASCAR is working hard on diversity programs. We've reached a point in American society – and NASCAR reflects that – where performance is what matters, not social categories.

NASCAR is about celebrating values like teamwork, courage, self-sacrifice, toughness, precision, skill, devotion, and good old-fashioned hard work – and none of those values are gender based. Anyone can join the club. No one's going to be interested in whether you're a man or a woman; they're going to be interested in whether or not you can get the job done. This is a sport that has some tough moments for everybody, from economic constraints to constant travel to working under extreme stress and in dangerous conditions. If you can handle that, you're in, no matter your race, creed, religion – or gender.

The great thing about NASCAR's diversity efforts is that they're extending into the sport's positive influence on children. It's a newer trend, so there aren't a lot of official statistics yet, but I can say for sure from my own observation that girls and young women are getting involved in go-karting in much higher numbers than in the past. Girls are feeling much more comfortable putting on a helmet and jumping behind the wheel. They're right there alongside boys learning all the extraordinary skills and values the sport has to offer. And whether or not they stay in it through the professional level isn't important – the real
benefit is that they'll carry what they learned into their lives and careers and families as they grow up. They've got a role model in Danica Patrick and in the many other women of racing – in NASCAR and in open-wheel, on the track and in support roles – and that's going to be a positive influence no matter what they decide to do with their lives.

Women aren't the only focus of NASCAR's search for new talent and fans right now. NASCAR is going after the younger generation, with younger fans who are attracted to younger drivers. While young fans are important, there are fans of all ages interested in the sport. Youth needs to be balanced with maturity, experience, and age. One of NASCAR's unique draws is that it's a sport for all ages, and if they focus too heavily on just the younger fans and drivers, they risk losing that advantage. Some of the greatest NASCAR heroes have been well into their prime when they really made their mark.

Jimmie Johnson won five straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, an accomplishment unparalleled in NASCAR history. He was the first NASCAR driver to be voted Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. As someone who has covered great runs like the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl or Phil Jackson's NBA coaching career, I consider Johnson's record, along with his crew, one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of sports. Johnson has won
the NASCAR Sprint Cup titles in a variety of ways, including carrying a points lead into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and also coming back from a deficit. Very impressive driving, to say the least.

At FOX Sports, to honor Johnson on our pre-race show, we interviewed some of the great athletes whose careers included great winning runs. These included Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, hockey's Wayne Gretzky, and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Gretzky had a beautiful comment. He said that what Johnson has done “is truly an amazing accomplishment. Jimmie, you truly are the Great One!”