I Am A NASCAR Fan
3/07/2014
Robyn Vandenberg
Those four words, “I’m a NASCAR Fan,” immediately bring with them a false conclusion of who I am. Nine out of ten times, the conclusions are from NASCAR fans themselves. We tend to be our own worst enemy and revel it, especially after a race. Did you ever see a Jimmie Johnson fan and a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan go at it after a wreck where one of the aforementioned drivers was at fault? That’s a sport all unto itself. It’s quite amusing, actually, and if you have your popcorn ready, sit back and enjoy.
Conclusion No.1
You Must Be From The South
Nope , sorry. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Oh, my goodness, guess what else. People race in New England! I’m not kidding! We have local tracks all throughout the North East. I have family members that used to race with the best of them. In fact Humpy Wheeler and I talked at length about Thompson Speedway that is located in Connecticut. That’s a great track with a lot of memories of young Dale Sr , Rusty Wallace and Darrel Waltrip. So, no – No twang here.
Conclusion No.2
I own a gun, drive a truck, and listen to Country Music!
Yeah....Ummmm...No! I don’t have a gun, don’t want a gun and hopefully, would never be in a position in which I would need a gun. I live in a crime-ridden neighborhood and I have been robbed. I still I don’t want a gun. It’s a personal choice and that’s that, end of discussion.
Trucks are cool. I don’t have a problem with a truck and I would drive one. I especially like Jeeps and would love to own one. My issue is space. I need space for kids and their stuff. That does not mean I drive a Mini-van (someone with a gun please shoot me if I ever buy one!) however, I am practical and a truck is practical ...right now. Country Music...Okay, this is where things get tricky. I do like some country music however I don’t have my local country station set on my car radio. Last night I purchased two VIP packages for a concert with Linkin Park and one of my favorite bands , 30 Seconds to Mars (look them up). I cannot wait to possibly end up in a mosh pit! I’m a rocker girl and Country music does not necessarily scratch that itch.
Conclusion No 3.
You must be a card-carrying member of The GOP and Racist!
These are the most controversial conclusions so I chose them as last. NEVER assume my politics. I don’t like politics in my sports or sports in my politics. Whomever I vote for, or against, is between myself and God. By the way, yes I do believe in God (another conclusion), however, like politics I will choose whether I want to reveal any religious organization to which I belong. I don’t belong to any as I believe “Organized Religion” is so far removed from God that I am better off having a spiritual relationship with Him. He knows and we are cool about it. Now back to the GOP. If the talking heads on FOX News are those which I choose to speak for me, slap me silly and get the gun again. Same goes for the opposite side and CNN. The biggest problem with our Government, in my opinion is that we keep voting the same bastards into office. A LOT of people are apathetic and don’t vote at all, thus another issue altogether.
Racism is one of my least favorite subjects. NASCAR basically is to blame for this conclusion. Why? Well, some people back in the day never got over the Civil War as well as the passing of the Civil Rights Bill. The powers that be in NASCAR never really did anything to change this conclusion until they started their diversity program in 2004. Yes...2004. That’s a tad late for my liking. When you go to a race track, chances are you will see The Confederate flag flying from cars and RV's. Apparently it’s a symbol of “Southern Roots”. Yeah, I’m not buying it. Bill France, Sr. himself said in an interview with “60 Minutes” reporter Leslie Stahl that he cannot tell fans what flags to wave, however NASCAR stands by the American flag. Nice quote Bill, however, the American flag waves for all American citizens not just the lily white ones. Multi-time Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. once said during his Sirius XM radio program that the flag offended him and only ignorant “rednecks” flew it. I’m not condoning the use of the word redneck if used in a manner of racism and clearly this was and it caused quite a stir amongst his fans., and he was forced to explain himself. In a nutshell, all he was trying to say is that he is not part of this conclusion and chose the wrong way in which to convey his beliefs. When Colombian born Juan Pablo Montoya raced in NASCAR it was a nightmare to watch a race through social media. Avatars you can hide behind allow you say whatever you want, especially racist remarks. Montoya could not even make a quick appearance on TV without a NASCAR fan saying something very racist about him, and my heart would just cringe each and every time.
I’m going to wrap this up in a bow and try to make sense of all of this. My father was a huge sports guy. HUGE! He loved them all. Sadly, he had racial tendencies and we would get into heated arguments about this very subject. You see, my Dad loved any man, no matter what race IF that athlete did something wonderful for HIS favorite teams. BUT WAIT! He has a daughter. Why does that matter? Well, those players he rooted for were great for his teams BUT they were not allowed to even speak to, let alone touch his daughter. Needless to say, I wasn’t always honest about who I dated in my life as a single woman. Are you GASPING? Are you thinking “Oh My Gosh she dated out of her race?” YES , YES I DID! Many times actually. People are people, dammit, and if you can’t handle the truth ….See Ya! I will say it one more time. In 2004 the diversity program started ...2004.
My name is Robyn and I am a NASCAR fan. I love watching cars race on race tracks and that’s all...