Growing up in middle Tennessee racing was a popular topic of conversation. Dale Earnhardt was a god, Ford vs Chevy was an argument, and NASCAR was a right. In my house racing was not popular, but in school, church, and the neighborhood, it was. I began watching racing in the late 90’s and continued until 2015. I took a racing hiatus until the 2023 season. Over the 2024 season, I will be posting entries right here on BellyUpSports.com that I am calling the Diary of a Revived NASCAR Fan. I will be covering what I loved about racing in the late ’90s, who I cheered for, previewing and recapping races throughout the season, and walking you through picking my new favorite driver. Here is entry one.
The Good Old Days
Dear Diary,
Today I reminisce about what drew me to NASCAR. I was 12 years old when I saw my first race. It was a Saturday night in Nashville, I got to go with some older kids to watch a night of local races. I knew nothing about cars (I still do not), but I was excited because they were excited. Over the next several months I began to pay attention to what was going on in NASCAR. I had heard about Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but they were just names in the paper. As I got a little older I began to understand their legacy and prestige. I also began to understand the battle within the battle.
More Than the Racer
Arguing about car manufacturers was a regular in my neighborhood. My family owned a Ford, and my friend’s family had a Chevy. Nearly every day we would argue about whose truck was better. When I began to pay attention to NASCAR I began to see that the same argument my friend and I had, race fans had also. This was intriguing to me, I could cheer for an individual and for a manufacturer. I instantly became a Ford fan. And with that, my NASCAR fandom began. All I needed now was a favorite driver.
What Brought Me Back
After several years away from racing, the podcast world brought me back. The insightful analysis and stories from Dale Earnhardt Jr on his weekly show. The driver’s perspective was brought by Denny Hamlin throughout the 2023 season. The coverage from Belly Up Sports shows like Chairgatin’ and Ramblin about Racin. Great coverage is what brought me back, and my goal is to add to that coverage each week.
That’s all I have time for today, but in my next entry, I will talk about selecting a favorite driver back in the late 90’s and the process of picking a new favorite driver.
I will be covering the NASCAR season every Wednesday night on the Sports Stove Podcast throughout the season. Follow me on Twitter/X for more sports and racing opinions.
