Rising Stars in NASCAR

When I was 11 years old, I lived across the street from Westboro Speedway in Massachusetts. It was a tiny track but the thunderous noise on Saturday nights always piqued my interest. I had no money so I walked across the street and searched for a hole in the fence. I found it and became an univited season ticket holder. Ever since, I've been hooked.
Fast forward 3 decades and now I'm in the fortunate position to be intimately involved with NASCAR. I get a lot of guff from people who don't understand the attraction of watching cars go round and round for up to 4 hours. To those people I say, go to a race. It only takes one and you'll be hooked. NASCAR is an event. Football has its tailgate parties, NASCAR fans arrive days before the race, set up in giant motor home communes. Flags from drivers past and present fly in the breeze the the smell of hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks and beer...lots of beer...fill the air. It's an event. It's like Woodstock every weekend except the music is a symphony of 43 cars and 750 horsepower. The sound will rattle you to the bone and if you've never felt that, or seen a pack of warriors speeding by you at 200 mph, you've never experience NASCAR. Trust me. It takes one race to hook you. Where else can fans essentially walk into a team's locker room and rub shoulders with the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart. The garage is their locker room and they gladly invite you in.
OK, that's the big time. Today I had the chance to meet with some of the rising stars of NASCAR. And what a group they are.
First, there's Marc Davis. Marc got his driver's licence back in November but began his driving career as a very young boy. At just barely 17, he's one of the rising stars in the Busch East Series. He's about to be a senior in high school yet manages to be a normal student, a normal kid and a formidible force on the race track. He has to wait until he's 18 before he can get into a Busch car, but given that time, he will be ready. His goal is to eventually be champion. That would be groundbreaking. As a member of the Joe Gibbs Developmental Racing team, Marc is African American. He's got a great future ahead of him.
Marc's team mate is none other than Connecticut native Joey Logano. Joey is also 17 and so far has won 5 races this season. Keep in mind he's competing with drivers with far more experience and racing for longer than Joey has been alive. He too, must wait until he's 18 to jump to Busch but expect to be hearing more about this star soon. Joe Gibbs knows how to pick them!
Then there's Michelle Theriault. That's right, Michelle. Driving the Glock Chevrolet for Spraker Racing, she proves each weekend on the track that once that helmet goes on, there's no difference between man or woman. She's just as competitive. She started racing after her dad let her sit in a race car at the age of 5. I hadn't mastered a Big Wheel at that age yet she powered her way through several racing series with the help of her family taking home an impressive stash of trophies. She's smart and savvy and is biding her time before she takes the wheel for the Daytona 500. And she will.
Take my advice. Take in a race. Buy a 24 or 8 hat and sit in the stands. Don't forget to rent a scanner so you can listen in to the drivers talking to their crews DURING the race. Some language is borderline PG but to hear that kind of emotion, well it's all about racing.
See you at the track!