Snob Appeal

One of the most mysterious things about some race fans is their allegiance to one series or type of racing at the exclusion of all others. Whether it is a modified fan that won't watch stock cars, a asphalt fan that cannot stand dirt, or a late model racer that thinks enduro racing is a disgrace, it always puzzles me.

I like all kinds of racing. Cup, Busch, Busch North, Midgets, Modifieds, Super Modifieds, ASA, ARCA, ACT, PASS, IPSC, Formula One, IRL, CART, Indy Lights, Legends, Allison Legacy, MiniCups. I have seen them all at one point or another. Not to mention well over 200 events at Oxford just since I bought the place in 1998. When I can, I go to Beech Ridge for a Thursday Thunder event or a special there. I can watch it all and I have seen great races in all the divisions I named above. Sure, sometimes an event might not be the greatest, but why would a race fan write off a whole style of racing? This February at the RPM Promoters Workshop (for speedway owners and employees) a dirt track owner said he has never seen a good race on pavement. He said that one might have happened at some point but he never saw it. Is that the most ridiculously provincial statement you have heard?

Even at the short track level I hear the same thing. Guys who run on Saturday nights say that they won't come see the "junk" midweek divisions. Are you kidding me? Last week the top three in our 8 cylinder Outlaw division came screaming across the finish line three wide and all spun. Two of them wound up on a sand pile, the other wound up facing the wrong way. Do not tell me that is not a great race! When was the last time you saw three Cup cars come across the finish line dead even. And you know what happened after the finish, one of the guys could not get off the sand pile so one of the other guys pushed him off with his car. A good hard fought race where sportsmanship prevailed. Hey race snob, explain to me what kind of racing could possibly be better than that?