I was twelve when I watched stock car racing for the first time. Back then I really didn't have a choice. We lived in an area where there was no cable television, and that meant we only had three stations. My stepfather was and still is a racing junkie, so it wouldnít have matter how many channels may have or may not have been on my television, there was going to be a NASCAR race on in my house. Not that I didnít like it, but it took me a while to warm up to it.

If you don't watch stock car racing, you may wonder what all of the fuss is about. What could be so exciting about forty cars driving around and around in circles for four hours? I guess it depends on what you like. There is much more to it than that, of course, or no one would watch it. It becomes a matter of rooting for your favorite driver, and watching the strategy that is unique to stock car racing. The cars are made to be the same, but the drivers are not. This is where it becomes interesting. There's always a hint of human drama involved in racing, no matter what the racers may say. We are drawn to it no matter where it appears, and that means even in stock car racing.

Perhaps one of the most perplexing things to me is the loyalty of fans of stock car racing. I don't mean loyalty to the sport; I mean the loyalty to the drivers. Not only is my stepfather into watching NASCAR, so is his entire family. I remember on one horrendous Thanksgiving, a fight broke out at the table. My stepfather and his brother got into a huge argument because one called a driver a crybaby. Someone took offense, and dinner was over. Believe it or not, my stepfather and his brother did not speak for two years after that, and the rift was over stock car racing. Unreal.

If you enjoy NASCAR, or any other type of stock car racing, I hope you are smarter than my stepfather and his brother. Have fun and support your favorite drivers, but remember that being overly fanatical can cause problems. Always keep the competition friendly, and have fun watching it with friends, no matter who you are rooting for. I really don't have a favorite any longer, because I just don't watch it. My husband insists on football on Sunday.