Leaving NASCAR

     Stepping away from the sport I once loved with a passion is difficult. For the past eight years we devoted much of our time and resources to watching or attending NASCAR races. In that time we attended over 50 Sprint Cup races and many companion races at all but three of the current tracks. We also made trips to Gateway, Milwaukee Mile, Rockingham, IRP/ORP, and Road America for non-Cup races.

     Various reasons contributed to the decision to drastically scale back with health concerns being a significant factor. As an infant in 1952 I contracted the polio virus in the last major outbreak in the United States. Three years later the first polio vaccine was implemented saving millions from the effects of this oft-time crippling disease. I had several surgeries almost 50 years ago to repair some of the damage. Four of those surgeries moved tendons around and fused bones in my right foot. One removed 1-1/2 inches of my left femur to try to make the leg differences better but not equal. Bones in my left hip were also fused together. The joints don’t line up well in those areas and in my right knee. My back usually hurts because of the difference in leg lengths and limping. Arthritis is a real problem. Years later we survivors are now dealing with post-polio syndrome. Overworked muscles in previously thought unaffected areas are worn out. My left leg almost never is my trusted friend anymore; I always have pain in my calf. It has become difficult to maintain the “I can do anything that others do” attitude. Race weekends have become increasingly harder for me. Standing on hard surfaces for even a short period is not easy. If you have seen me shifting positions or leaving a tweetup early it isn’t because I don’t want to be there. I was in pain. Long road trips also take a great toll. Sometimes after being in the truck all day on the way to/from a race my right knee has swollen to over twice the normal size.

     Since becoming a fan I have been diagnosed with celiac disease. I MUST avoid gluten from wheat, rye and barley. There is virtually nothing I can eat at the track. Of course I can have a Martinsville hotdog without the bun but wheat is everywhere. Is it used as a filler in the hot dog? Don’t know and don’t want to risk it. Even a miniscule amount of wheat can result in a few days of great discomfort as well as damage to my body. So I take my own food which can be no different than anyone else but if I forget something it is not always easy to find gluten-free items in a small town.

     Health issues aside, I have become disenchanted with some aspects of the sport. I no longer watch Nationwide races. I want to watch young drivers trying to become the next great driver. They have devoted so much time and effort to become the best in a sport that is very competitive. It truly bothers me when part of that competition is several Sprint Cup drivers that have years of experience and far better funding than the teams that compete in Nationwide only. Often those drivers are pitted by elite crews members brought over from Cup. Naturally the outcome is the Cup driver taking home the trophy and the money at the end of the day. In 2013 only a few Nationwide races were won by Nationwide regular drivers and virtually no second level regular is covered when Cup drivers are in the race. I no longer want to watch.

     Watching any race on television is very difficult and ultimately very frustrating. A constant barrage of commercials totally interrupts the flow of the race. Also artsy camera angles may excite the producers but do nothing to enhance the product. Race coverage suffers. It often seems that storylines to follow are developed before the race and are doggedly adhered to during race. Blind devotion to coverage of only a few drivers during a race is a disservice to fans of other drivers. Many never see their driver on the screen. This is bad during the Cup race but downright appalling in a Nationwide race. Cup drivers are the ones getting 95% of the coverage during the race and in post-race interviews. When I became a fan of NASCAR in Feb of 2006 I also became a fan of Jimmie Johnson. I certainly picked a winner! Of course that also means I am fortunate to see him on television a lot and for that I am lucky.

     On race day now we have the television on during a Cup race but no longer make it a must-see event. Television audio is muted during the FOX and TNT coverage while we listen to PRN or MRN. I am on Twitter to read the media comments and interact with fans. I believe watching any race in the future is going to involve even more commercials. FoxSports1 and NBCSports paid an exorbitant amount of money to NASCAR for the rights to show the races. The fans will suffer for that by seeing even less coverage and more commercials. Someone has to pay the bills.

     As a senior citizen I am not the current NASCAR targeted audience. Pursuing the young men who are not presently fans makes sense for the future of the sport but I cannot help but feel used. Our money and support currently sustains NASCAR but I feel unappreciated.

     All things considered it may be time to move on to the next phase of our retirement. Racing will still be there but it will not be given the same importance as it has the last eight years. Most of all I will miss seeing the many great acquaintances we made at the tracks.