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 By Kaycee Nilson Mar. 13, 2011 It’s very rare that I get asked to do a special piece for someone and for me to do this piece for my BFF is going to be one of the special treats in my writing career. First off Angie, NASCAR isn’t simply 42 cars going in a circle to the left. It’s more, much more. It’s engine endurance, team endurance, endurance of the human spirit. Plus tons of money can be lost in a matter of mille-seconds. The races equal being on the road for 500 miles. Only, unlike us, these guys don’t have to play the “Are we there yet?” or “What’s that smell in the back seat” game. Instead they have a calm voice in their ear telling them exactly who’s around them, what’s ahead and if something happens right behind them that if they don’t have Zen, they’ll be in the wall or worse. Baby, you and I look at a 500 mile Sunday Drive and plan on stops, yes they have stops, but it’s for less than 15 seconds and during that time, they don’t run from bathroom stall to bathroom stall trying to find the one that has the toilet paper in it. Engine Endurance isn’t what we are used to. We don’t travel those 500 miles at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Even though we tried to push “The Tank” to speeds over 70, the NASCAR engines are put through tests before they even reach the tracks. I doubt it’s over 1,000 miles on that engine, but you run any, and I mean ANY engine for a bit over 500 miles at speeds close to 110 or 120 and see what the heads look like after. Team Endurance could be related by our fellow classmates that had “two-a-days” with Coach out in the hot Texas sun in full pads. Or us band geeks marching in the Contraband Days parade in swamp heat in full wool uniforms. The fire suits that the pit crew might be made of high tech fibers, but sweetie you can’t tell me that the Gas Man isn’t sweating bullets by lap 130. And I haven’t even talked about the drivers yet. Temps outside. OUTSIDE the car are reaching over 100, sometimes INSIDE the car the temps are baking those kids’ heads. And then those fire suits that they wear, complete with the new helmet is akin to the time I had to be “Good Luck Bear” for the American Greetings Corporation, remember that one? And I have yet to figure out what happens if they have to take HUGE feces. Catheters I can imagine for the one problem, but what about the other?
Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Dale Earnhardt, the sport has become safer for both driver and fan. But for me Angie, the beauty of the hum of the engines at that rate of speed, plus just the sheer poetry that the entire team works together is something to see. If every part of the race team didn’t work in harmony, then it would be just a stupid sport that I would probably not pay attention to.
Her website containing her writings can be viewed at http://www.kayceenilson.com
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