Why Do We Race?

I was sitting in a café the other day, (Ok, it was a bar) and I overheard a conversation as two men and a lady watching highlights on ESPN noticed Nascar footage from Charlotte. Although one guy seemed interested, the other two seemed puzzled by his interest. So, as I suspected, there are those out there, as strange as it may seem, who look at a racecar, and don't see anything special. If these people are puzzled by the "upper" forms of racing, they are probably shocked and awed by "our" form. I know, I know. Weird. But it's ok. They see a bunch of grown men driving around in a circle, and they simply don't get it. When they see a bunch of grown men driving around in circles on a dirt track they are shocked. Why would grown men do that? Hmm…. Strangely though, they do understand why a bunch of grown men try to hit a little white ball in a tiny hole in the ground, or even why thousands of people would gather to see someone else's Barbie doll collection, or, well, you get the point. Don't get me wrong; if Barbie was real, I'd certainly like to meet her. Then I'd ask her if I could drive her racecar! (Note to wife: just kidding!) And as for the other sports; Basketball, Football, Soccer, Hockey, etc I love them too. Great sports all of them. But I too have wondered at times, why I was watching? It can seem silly if you think about it. It's competition in its purist form. Well ok, you take away the million dollar contracts, the police records, the video game commercials, the players spitting on coaches, and so on, and THEN it is competition at it's purist form. It used to be, to survive in the world, you had to be the strongest, and the fittest. Well, life is different these days, and no one is fighting cavemen anymore. So if you have an urge to compete on a pure physical level, the only antidote left, is sport. And Americans love their sports. But why do so many people LOVE racing? Well, I can do my best to explain, but maybe, just maybe, you either get it, or you don't…

In racing, as with everything in life, once and a while a driver comes along that is one second up the road from everyone else. That person, is an instant hero. Michael Jordan reached that status in basketball, Tiger Woods is doing it for golf, and the late Dale Earnhardt, among others, did it in racing. If you compete at something long enough, you will eventually have "The Dream." These champions had "The Dream" You read their interviews and they always mention "The Dream" they had as a kid. What little kid didn't dream about jumping up and making the winning catch to win the world championship for his favorite home team, or skiing his or her way to a gold medal in the Olympics. I personally won the World Of Outlaws Championship from my bedroom at the age of 10. We all long for recognition. Does it really matter if your neighbor is the one telling you your lawn looks great, your lawn still looks great. Ok, bad example. But recognition is recognition. It doesn't matter you are winning races on Saturday nights at Riverside Speedway or every Sunday all over the world. You are racing against your peers, and when you beat them, you've earned their respect. You have also earned the respect of the fans in the stands. Isn't that why we work hard every day at whatever we do? The respect and admiration of our peers? OK, right now you racers are saying to yourself "This guy is full of manure. I race because I want to beat my competitors. It's all about the competition" Nope. Or how about this one: "I race for the money" Yea, right. I'm sure you are still trying to fiqure out how to spend that $300 you earned last Saturday night! You guys would race for free if need be.

To a racecar driver, there is no better place than in the driver's seat of your racecar. You hold your breath as you barrel into turn one. The muffled screams of your motor echo inside your helmet. The dirt bounces off your helmet. The steering wheel shakes and darts in your hands. You tilt your head to deal with the forces of a turn. You constantly change the way you are driving the car, trying to get a little faster. Your eyes are fixed on the cars in front. You try to guess when and where you will strike next. You even try to sneak a peek at the grandstand to see if anyone is cheering you on. And of course, you hold on tightly as the wind tries to rip the checkered flag out of your hands on that last trip around the track at the end of a long night. You smile ear to ear as you pose with family, friends and crew for that priceless victory lane photograph! You couldn't care less if those people in that café (bar) understand why you do it.

This, to a racecar driver, is what life is lived for. This is OUR dream. This is why we race. Monday through Friday are just a necessary evil.

Next Week: Why Are We Race Fans?