Here we are again in Willits, California which is the beautiful “Gateway to the Redwoods”. Cephas and I traveled from Idaho to Oregon across highway 20 through Burns, southward through Klamath Falls into Mount Shasta, California. From here, we journeyed north a little ways into Medford crossing over to Highway 101, the Redwood Highway. On Highway 101, we headed south to Cephas’ family hometown of Willits and into the Nascar Rave.
Every Sunday, Mom heads home from work to watch the four to five hours of Nascar racing. It is the highlight of her week, these Nascar races. Being a big fan of Jeff Gordon and Dale Ernhardt, she follows them closely during the 500 mile event.
It amazes me how packed the racetrack in Texas is today. Cars pack the parking lots, the surrounding streets and along the highway sides. Today, it is hot in Texas, so Mom and Cephas are probably very glad to be sitting in the cool of the living room at home in Willits. Folks at the track aren’t so lucky. People pack the racing stadium to full capacity, sitting or standing elbow to elbow under the blaze of that Texas sun.
While racing is exciting, I still have to wonder, what would make people want to endure such conditions to watch cars race around an oval track at speeds of 175 to 190 miles an hour. The Nascar drivers circle that track over and over at high rates of speed for about three hundred laps. Do they meditate in some racing trance during all this circling? I wonder what the mind of a race car driver experiences.
While I can honestly admit that I know very little about Nascar racing, or any racing for that matter, I am willing to do a little research to share.
What I found for headlines on a google search was really amusing. I couldn’t resist sharing this one.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/bloggity/2008/apr/05/hillary-clinton-nascar/
“The Hillary Clinton of Nascar”
The punchline comes at the end of the article: “Unfortunately, Michael Waltrip may be developing a credibility problem and if he’s not careful he could end up becoming the Hillary Clinton of NASCAR.”
Now this article is not exactly what I had in mind for Nascar racing information, but it qualifies on the humor scale. Enjoy the read.
