I take pleasure in watching most professional sports, because of their attention-grabbing and exhilarating performance. Yet, nothing is as thrilling as NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR racing is one of the most interesting and exciting sports in today's America. There are several well-known sports that people watch in America. They talk about how excellent and easier said than done that certain sport is or how much talent a professional in that sport has. Even though not all people in America would agree with me, I would say that NASCAR has all these qualities.
Most people don't know what it's like to dunk a basketball or hit a 100-mph fastball 500 feet for a home run, but almost everyone knows how to drive a car and that familiarity is the appeal of NASCAR and stock-car racing. Whether they admit it or not, lots of people speed down the highway and daydream about winning the Daytona 500 (the super bowl of races).
That daydreamer could be a 17-year-old high school student who just got a driver's license, a 35-year-old orthodontist, or a 70-year-old retired teacher. Driving is nearly universal.
In February 1948, two months after NASCAR was founded, more than 14,000 people showed up at a race course just south of Daytona Beach. The 150-mile event was held on a unique track that was half on the beach and half on the highway behind the sand, making it interesting for drivers and spectators alike, particularly when the tide came in and the beach narrowed. (Rassenfoss, 3) Today NASCAR authorizes several racing series. The top one is the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
NASCAR's appeal has grown in recent years because of its tremendous television exposure; the drivers' accessibility to their fans; and close, competitive racing. In 2003, nearly 7...