No matter who you ask It is almost a guarantee that each and every person will answer this question differently. What is America’s sport? Your passionate MLB guys will say baseball and likewise with your American football people. They are both wrong though because stock car racing is by far America’s sport. NASCAR has just as deep of ties to this country as baseball and football combined. Stock car racing is the epitome of the American dream and America’s sport.
America’s Sport in the Beginning.
If you a true fan of the racing then you can pretty much disregard this area of the article. For those passionate MLB or NFL fans though pay close attention. The “moonrunners” which was a guy with a modified car, who you guessed it ran moonshine. That’s not all he did though he would drive that car through some of the curviest mountain roads at what some would call dangerous speeds. With one goal in mind to deliver his product to his customers, and elude the law enforcement that awaited him.
Those guys are the most instrumental parts of the beginning of NASCAR as we know today. Reasoning behind that is they had the means, and knowledge to mechanically speed their cars up. Or at least knew someone who could complete that for them. The real instrumental part though was a man by the name of Bill France. Who seen first hand the way all the multitudes of amateur races were being held. Bill then decided that a governing body was needed. He was able to in February of 1921, have the first incorporation of NASCAR be born. Bill went onto serve as president and was really the reason the sport developed like it did in the early decades.
So, lets just briefly go over this, the initial racers were illegal moonshine runners. Who go honed their skill from driving as fast as humanly possible on sketchy dirt roads, running from the law. Not only that but they learned to add speed and handling to these cars on their own or at the hands of mechanics which they trusted. Your racers where hard-working blue-collar Americans. They had to make a living whether it was legal or not they had to feed themselves and family. Then came along a man who had a dream of building a legacy based on those drivers. He went onto build arguably the headquarters for all stock car racing in the “Sunshine State”, and turned racing into a multi-billion dollar industry. What scream’s America’s sport more than those simple facts. Just wait though there’s more!
Pricing
Have you ever looked up good seat ticket prices for a primetime NFL game? Maybe even a couple of ranked college football teams playing? I’ll give you a quick example of this Saturday’s matchup between LSU and Alabama. The cheapest seats available for that game as of today are around two hundred and forty dollars apiece and your view is above. Maybe even you would like to attend an NFL game this weekend between Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. The cheapest tickets for that game right now on Stub hub are going for approximately one hundred and seventy-six dollars with your approximate view from the seats seen below. That’s can be a hefty price for middle-class families who might want to take their kids with them to a sporting event.
So, on the other end of the spectrum let me tell you first hand what I was able to get as a fan of America’s real sport. One of the prime races of the year in NASCAR is the Bristol Motor Speedway night race which is held in early August. My family was able to attend it this past August which I highly recommend. Anywho here’s what it would cost myself to go again and set in the same spot for that trip not including the hotel or food. It would cost me a whopping five hundred and twenty-seven dollars.
Yes, I know that sounds like a lot of money and don’t let me downplay it for you it is a good bit of money. This is what is included in those five hundred plus dollars. I got tickets to the Friday night Xfinity Series race for two adults and two kids. Might I add that both kid’s tickets didn’t cost me any more than ten dollars. As well as two adult and two kids tickets for the Saturday night prime time race. Once again the kid’s tickets didn’t cost me any more than ten dollars. Also was able to get track walk passes for the cup series race as well for all four of us attending.
Let’s figure that up subtract the forty total dollars for all four kids tickets. Whatever is left divide by four total tickets. That equals out to just a little over one hundred and twenty dollars apiece for all four adult tickets. That is at least fifty dollars cheaper than the NFL game and almost a solid one hundred and twenty dollars cheaper than the college game. America’s sport allows you to attend live events more often and for cheaper as you can see by the numbers.
Conclusion
The points could be argued for either side and maybe I’m a bit biased being a race fan. I, however, am not only a race fan. I love my college and pro football as well as my baseball. While we will discuss team preferences none the less. NASCAR is a sport built by an American on purely the American dream. Bill France proved that himself with the success of NASCAR.
However to make it even more American the original drivers in the sport where hard-working, blue-collar guys who did whatever was necessary to take care of themselves and their family. Sponsorship money can take horrible drivers and put them in quality rides there are still hard-working drivers. Drivers like Clint Bowyer who worked his way through to the series and even had to drive some not so good equipment and is now in top-notch equipment. Driver’s are still working hard in their pursuit of excellence in NASCAR.
Plus what is more American than burning rubber, race fuel, and high rates of speed. Not only that but the pre-race festivities at a NASCAR race are amazing. It consists of the singing of the national anthem, prayer, huge American flags, and AWESOME military flyovers. So, my argument for NASCAR being America’s sport is complete what do you think? Do you have a counter-argument? Let’s hear it!
