When I was a kid growing up in Connecticut, I used to love watching Nascar racing; especially the Daytona 500. I liked the open-wheel Indianapolis 500, but the stock cars seemed more exciting. I dreamed of being at Daytona International Speedway. Like Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, it's a special place. I finally got to Daytona in 1995 and it was like being in Nascar heaven. It is not the same anymore, though. Daytona has become too commercialized. The Coke Zero 400?
The summer race under the lights is not the same any more. It's too much of a party atmosphere.
Is it really worth having the race at night for the sake of network Tv? If you can even call TNT a network.
I liked the afternoon races because it was all about families. Sure, there were the inebriated types, but it seems the later the evening, the more drunks and the foul language.
Plus everyone stands for the entire race. If Bubba in front of you has his sleeping toddler on his shoulder then you can't see regardless.
The quality of the racing has diminished as well. Let's face it. A race featuring Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon is far more exciting than some skinny guy who does a back flip from his driver's side window (Carl Edwards). Kyle Bush won his sixth race under the lights at Daytona, excuse me, I'm yawning.
And Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 in February, hold on, sorry, another yawn.
It was exciting for a while Saturday night in front of the big screen when Gordon and Earnhardt took their turns at the front of the pack. When I saw Tony Stewart get out of his car for a substitute driver, I changed the channel. Oops, I forgot to get back in time for the finish.
Kyle Busch had won. So what.
It could have been Kurt Busch for that matter or Jeff Burton or Kasey Kahne. Don't care!
Other than Gordon, Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Michael Waltrip, the rest of the drivers don't do much for me.
It's all watered down now with the emphasis on products over drivers. Even the car brand has become a product with Toyota mixed in with Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge.
Speaking of products, it would have been cool to see Gordon take the checkered flag so he could drink his sponsored Pepsi or Earnhardt Jr. drink his sponsored Mountain Dew.
Guaranteed, the fans would have loved to see either of them cross the line first.