Steve Byrnes Guest Columnist
When I was a student at the University of Maryland, motorsports and NASCAR were not on my radar. Growing up near the campus, I had long been a fan of ACC football and basketball. I had heard of Richard Petty, David Pearson and the Daytona 500, but was much more interested in the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles, and of course, the Maryland Terrapins.
Early in my broadcasting career I covered a NASCAR race in Darlington, S.C. The comparison to the NFL was immediate and obvious. I won’t say I fell in love with the sport right away, but I left that weekend thinking, “That’s pretty cool. I think I’ll go back.” Football and NASCAR are colorful, fast and exciting, requiring skill and courage from the competitors.
I know some of you are thinking, “Dude, it’s just cars going in circles.” I won’t bore you with the nuances and subtleties of why NASCAR is exciting. Back to my “comparison” analogy, NASCAR is football on wheels. As an announcer for NASCAR on FOX and SPEED, I’m proud of the job we do bringing the sport to your home, dorm room or fraternity/sorority house. But watching NASCAR on television just doesn’t capture the power and excitement of the sport. Simply put, a NASCAR race is an event, a celebration.
SPEED takes what is already an event and makes it unforgettable at the SPEED Stage at every track. The stage will be set up outside Lowe’s Motor Speedway today through Saturday at the corner of Bruton Smith Boulevard and Hwy. 29, and everyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy being a part of some of the most entertaining television in sports. We’ll be on the air live throughout the weekend, one of our favorites of the year, because the Charlotte area is home to most of us in NASCAR.
Charlotte has been home for me since 1985. I’ve seen the Charlotte Motor Speedway expand from a race track to a showplace. I celebrated the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA arrival in 1988 and was a big Alonzo Mourning fan. I was angry when George Shinn bolted for New Orleans, and like many Charlotteans, I’ve been slow to embrace the Bobcats.
When Jerry Richardson secured an NFL franchise, I quickly bought two PSLs, and yes, I went to a couple games at Clemson in 1995 while the Panthers waited on their new stadium. I currently live a couple miles from Knights Castle and enjoy watching minor league baseball with my son. I can promise you that if 49er football comes to fruition, I’ll be there in some way.
I love college football and hope UNCC can weather this balky economic recovery like the rest of the country because 49er football would lend a great deal to the sports landscape in this community. The recession certainly has affected all sports, including NASCAR, and adding a college football program is an expensive proposition. But if you miss the atmosphere, color and pageantry of college football, I invite you to make the short trip up Hwy. 49/29 to Lowe’s Motor Speedway because a NASCAR race has the same “feel.”
The beauty of NASCAR is you don’t have to completely “get” the sport to enjoy it. I’ve always been fascinated by how new fans latch on to certain drivers. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon are some of the stars that generate intense loyalty. Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle fans support their drivers with face painting, colorful jackets and hats, car stickers, coolers and signs. Sound familiar?
In short, NASCAR races are loud, fast, and colorful. Who doesn’t love that?
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