Why Do People Watch NASCAR Racing?

As is the case in every sport, everyone has their favorite. NASCAR fans live and die by their favorite driver each and every weekend. Some wear the t-shirts, some hats, and some shave it into their body hair. Most NASCAR fans have opinions about the sport.... well, every NASCAR fan does, but almost all of them are happy to share it with anyone who will listen.

I, personally am a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, and, if you know much about NASCAR, you know that times have been tough for us JR fans. I became a JR fan when he started racing a few Nationwide Series races (then Busch Series). I had been a huge Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan.

When Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the Daytona 500, 2001, protecting the lead of the cars in front of him, I instantly became a huge Earnhardt Jr. fan. For those of you who don't know, two cars for whom Earnhardt was blocking were Michael Waltrip, who won, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished second.

A Brief History

Many people think that NASCAR was born out of moonshine haulers during prohibition. Although that period did have much to do with the early growth of the sport, speed demons have been flocking to the Southeast for much longer. 

Well before the moonshine runners were tuning up there v8's, people flocked to Daytona beach to attempt to break speed records. This, I believe, was the true birth of the sport. Although the moonshine-running crowd from North Carolina grew the sport into what it became in the '70s and '80s, Daytona gave it life. 

So Why The Massive Following?

Though the recession has taken it's tole on NASCAR viewership, it still ranks second only to the NFL. Races are viewed in over 120 countries and sales of merchandise is a staggering $3 billion worldwide. To say that NASCAR is only for rednecks is ignorant at best. Here are 10 more interesting facts about NASCAR: http://hubpages.com/_2m8vz2eriukbu/hub/10-Interesting-NASCAR-facts.

Part of the attachment people have to NASCAR is it's relatability to every human. Very few people that have ever driven have never imagined racing a car.

NASCAR also has a wide range of personalities for people to cheer for.

These aspects along with NASCAR's ability to produce great competition week after week keep NASCAR dominant in the world if professional sports.