I’ve stated many a time that I live in Manchester, New Hampshire. We’re a smallish city, with about 110,000 people, but that represents roughly 1 out of 10 New Hampshirites. We are the biggest single community in the Granite State.
Well, for 364 days of the year, we are. Today, though, we’re number 2.
Little Loudon, New Hampshire is a town a little ways outside of Concord, with a population of less than five thousand people. It was most famous for its motorcycle races, until a family bought that track and turned it into this. And as a result, when the NASCAR New England 300 race is run later today, little Loudon will outnumber those of us who call the Queen City home.
I gotta confess I don’t “get” auto racing, and I’m not overly interested in “getting” it. A bunch of guys (and the occasional gal) get into a car that bears a passing cosmetic resemblance to a real car (but shares not a single element with one) spend a couple hours going around in countercockwise circles, trying to avoid the one thing nearly everyone wants to see but won’t admit: a crash. It’s a big, loud, stinky, extravagant waste of time, energy, and resources.
But what the hell. People seem to like it. Besides, it brings money into the state in great heaping buckets.
I just dread dealing with the traffic on the highways this weekend.
You get early to talk about traffic, I get up so I can see how much longer before I have to close the storm shutters to ride out Emily. Right now it looks like the ey is going to pass within 30 miles of me. I’m willing to trade. Wouldn’t you rather be right on the beach where they film those Corona commercials this weekend?
“trying to avoid the one thing nearly everyone wants to see but won’t admit: a crash.”
People who “don’t get” auto racing often make that assertion. Which does, in fact, prove they don’t.
NASCAR fans are among the funniest, kindest, most polite people you’ll meet. Yes, the crowds may be a pain, but at least they’ll be nice.
NASCAR is not auto racing. It’s a bunch of crap cars from the 1980’s with new skins on and highpowered engines dropped in. I have to disagree with Craig here, at least if you watch NASCAR on TV. There really is no excitement other than crashes.
Hmmmm.
“There really is no excitement other than crashes.”
Maybe that’s why they GO to the NASCAR races rather than watching them on tv?
Well I enjoy NASCAR and have to say it isn’t about waiting for the crashes.
I generally avoid going anywhere outside of my town today (we are close enough to Louden that we can’t go anywhere without catching the traffic). I have to say that when it comes to NASCAR racing though-Louden is not that exciting a track-and it is one I would rather watch on TV than go to see live (we did it live once).
One thing I must say for NASCAR is that it is truly American through and through.
Yeeeeeeeee-HAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
Forty years ago, when I was a wee ‘un, I knew a Jay in Manchester who lived just off Jewett St. near Hallsville School. It’s an uncommon name – any relation? 🙂
“..waste of time, energy and resources”??? You mean like football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, golf, ect. ect.
If you don’t “get” auto racing…you don’t get to criticize.
“Racing is life, everything else is waiting.”
Steve McQueen