How I Became a NASCAR Fan

Now that the Daytona 500 has rejuvenated the world’s love of stock car racing for another year, I started thinking about this day, 12 years ago when I became a fan.

The 2001 Daytona 500 was one the world will never forget. A sport lost its hero that day when Dale Earnhardt was involved in a last lap crash that ended his life.

That day, I was on my way back from Legion Field after watching an XFL football game as the Birmingham Bolts hosted the Chicago Enforcers. We were listening to a radio station and heard the dreadful news. To this point, I had not been a fan of stock car racing. Regardless of the fact that I grew up living next to the Rickman family, Columbus, MS dirt track legends. Little did I know this news was to be a pivotal point in my life.

I was working an afternoon radio job in Mississippi at the time and each Monday morning we had a call with our companies’ format captain. He told us to make Dale Earnhardt the subject of our shows for the next few days. Take calls, play tribute songs, etc. So I did and was not prepared for what followed. I had grown men calling the station and crying. I realized that not only had the sport lost a legend and hero but for devoted fans of the black #3 car, they had lost a family member.

The only thing running through my mind was how I wished I would have paid attention before now and got a chance to see him race. It was then that I made the decision to watch the following week’s running of the Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway.

The winner of that race was Steve Park driving the #1 Earnhardt, Inc. owned Chevy. With my co-workers telling me I had to pick a driver, I decided to start following Park, seeing as how he had just won. That was sadly his last win, so as a fan, I celebrated no more. In 2003, Park was traded to Richard Childress Racing for Jeff Green who took over the #1 car.

I somehow made it through that season and randomly picked the #97 Sharpie/Rubermaid Ford piloted by Kurt Busch at the start of 2004. So began my run as a happy NASCAR fan due to the fact that Busch won the Sprint Cup Championship that year. I also loved the fact that he was not the driver of choice for most fans, better yet; he was booed at drive introductions. Perfect for me and my love for the underdog.

Over the years following Kurt Busch has not been the easiest thing to do but as he settles into the #78 Furniture Row Chevy I am finding new love for the sport and for my driver. With the insurgence of new blood like Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Austin Dillon, the new cars which show separations among the auto brands and my driver’s new found stability; the year ahead looks exciting and promising.