God, I Love it So...
Earl Wright at The American Thinker has absolutely nailed it.
He is a NASCAR fan like me. His words:
"NASCAR is a celebration of engineering and ingenuity, when we used to build great things and feel good about ourselves. So what if every racecar is covered with decals marketing everything from beer to floor coverings. Marketing is about capitalism and capitalism is one of the cornerstones of this great country.
Another cornerstone is our faith. Every NASCAR race opens with a prayer - to God. Yes, that God. And people actually remove their caps and are respectful. The prayer is followed by a collective "Amen."
Then it's the National Anthem, usually performed by a recording artist that we've actually heard of. The military personnel in attendance - NASCAR celebrates the military so there are always GIs on hand at every race - salute smartly during the anthem.
About the time the performer hits "...home of the brave," a formation of military aircraft performs a low flyover, sending the fans into a frenzy.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits adjacent to the runways of Nellis Air Force Base, home of the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force's Flight Demonstration Team. The Thunderbirds typically do the fly-over for Sunday's ceremonies at the speedway, but those fans who opt to spend the whole weekend at the track are apt to see a copy of every type of aircraft in the U.S. arsenal.
Despite seeing my first B-2 stealth bomber in person on Saturday two years ago while I was sitting in the stands at LVMS, my hands-down favorite aircraft for sheer audacity is the B-1B. Like Rosie, it's big and loud, but unlike the obnoxious TV host, the B1B manages to be beautiful at the same time. What makes it special is that the socialists in Congress tried to abort it, but it survived to fight for freedom.
Once the trappings of the pre-race events are stowed, the Grand Marshal of the event intones, "Gentlemen, start your engines." That and the green-flag start of the race are two of the most decibel straining events in the history of man. Television does not do it justice. It makes your hair stand on end. It really is that loud. As the 43 cars take the green flag and speed into turn one, I raise my fist and shout, "Up yours Al Gore."
The intellectuals on both the right and the left in America often look down their noses at NASCAR Nation, but as I discovered several years ago, these are my people. They are direct descendants of the dreamers, builders and warriors who let nothing stand in their way to offer me what I have today.
To borrow the words of Gen. George Patton, "God I love it so."
To that, I can only say "Hell Yeah!" Sex is good, and I have had a lot of it in my time, but it never felt as good as standing high above turn one when 43 snarling race cars go roaring by at the start of a race. It's absolutely electric, in fact it produces full body goosebumps on grownups. I've seen it, I've experienced it. There is nothing like it.
It's amazing.
When you see that little piece of steel hurtling by at such a high speed, you just think to yourself, "My God, there is a human being in that thing!" And they are on the edge of losing control all of the time. You just don't see it on TV.
The sounds, the flyovers, the people, the whole experience is sensory overload. God, I love it so.
He is a NASCAR fan like me. His words:
"NASCAR is a celebration of engineering and ingenuity, when we used to build great things and feel good about ourselves. So what if every racecar is covered with decals marketing everything from beer to floor coverings. Marketing is about capitalism and capitalism is one of the cornerstones of this great country.
Another cornerstone is our faith. Every NASCAR race opens with a prayer - to God. Yes, that God. And people actually remove their caps and are respectful. The prayer is followed by a collective "Amen."
Then it's the National Anthem, usually performed by a recording artist that we've actually heard of. The military personnel in attendance - NASCAR celebrates the military so there are always GIs on hand at every race - salute smartly during the anthem.
About the time the performer hits "...home of the brave," a formation of military aircraft performs a low flyover, sending the fans into a frenzy.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits adjacent to the runways of Nellis Air Force Base, home of the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force's Flight Demonstration Team. The Thunderbirds typically do the fly-over for Sunday's ceremonies at the speedway, but those fans who opt to spend the whole weekend at the track are apt to see a copy of every type of aircraft in the U.S. arsenal.
Despite seeing my first B-2 stealth bomber in person on Saturday two years ago while I was sitting in the stands at LVMS, my hands-down favorite aircraft for sheer audacity is the B-1B. Like Rosie, it's big and loud, but unlike the obnoxious TV host, the B1B manages to be beautiful at the same time. What makes it special is that the socialists in Congress tried to abort it, but it survived to fight for freedom.
Once the trappings of the pre-race events are stowed, the Grand Marshal of the event intones, "Gentlemen, start your engines." That and the green-flag start of the race are two of the most decibel straining events in the history of man. Television does not do it justice. It makes your hair stand on end. It really is that loud. As the 43 cars take the green flag and speed into turn one, I raise my fist and shout, "Up yours Al Gore."
The intellectuals on both the right and the left in America often look down their noses at NASCAR Nation, but as I discovered several years ago, these are my people. They are direct descendants of the dreamers, builders and warriors who let nothing stand in their way to offer me what I have today.
To borrow the words of Gen. George Patton, "God I love it so."
To that, I can only say "Hell Yeah!" Sex is good, and I have had a lot of it in my time, but it never felt as good as standing high above turn one when 43 snarling race cars go roaring by at the start of a race. It's absolutely electric, in fact it produces full body goosebumps on grownups. I've seen it, I've experienced it. There is nothing like it.
It's amazing.
When you see that little piece of steel hurtling by at such a high speed, you just think to yourself, "My God, there is a human being in that thing!" And they are on the edge of losing control all of the time. You just don't see it on TV.
The sounds, the flyovers, the people, the whole experience is sensory overload. God, I love it so.
posted by David Burrow at 7:32 PM
1 Comments:
Good for people to know.
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