NASCAR!

Fans. They were neat.

I just got back from the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge in Charlotte. It was a fun weekend. I learned a lot about culture, racing, corporate stuff, and had an all-around good time.

WORK: I was doing survey work with a colleague from work who has Nextel as a client. It was a bit of work, but wow, racing is a lot of fun to work around. I pretty much asked fans to do fill out some surveys and answered questions/helped them whenever they had questions.

RACING: Those guys are GOOD. Wow. It is NOT just driving around in circles--they do some of the most precise driving I can imagine anyone ever doing. We checked out the truck races beforehand and the trucks were impressive (when it was not "caution lapping" at least--and that race in particular had a lot them)

FANS: In terms of social stuff, it was a world of contrasts. Racing is best appreciated when you look at the precision and skill. I am not sure how many fans were there for this reason though. Case: Most people enjoy looking at just one driver...unfortunately, this driver is most often Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was not doing very well during this race in particular but his fans (who are about 60% of the fans there) barely seem to notice his driving--they just notice his presence. I was impressed by how friendly the crowds were--for as "rowdy" as our stereotypes of NASCAR fans are, those people really were nice. The "rival" drivers' fans would have a tacit discussion over their beliefs over who will win and then slap each other on the back and settle their differences with a "wooooo buddy", a slap on the back, and by sharing a Bud Light and/or a cigarette. Seriously. This happened more than once. I determined that the fans were nice after seeing these interactions and after the realization that I would much rather lose my wallet at a NASCAR event than at a baseball (or some such) game. :)

Other contrasts: macho people who take erectile dysfunction medication; praying to Jesus Christ for the safety of the drivers but not for the fans (who are far more obvious in their desperate need); anti-smoking and anti-drinking slogans at a festival of smoking and drinking (yes, the series that was the Winston Cup two years ago has very large beer and hard-liquor sponsorships); calling it a "family" sport and then having PamelaAnderson as the Grand Marshall of the race. I will stop now...but it was worthy of a dozen social studies dissertations.

REALITY: Anyway, it is going to be really hard to get back to work after that weekend. I am worn out and ready to not see corporate logos (or smell beer and/or cigarettes) for a while (but I would go again in a second).