Top Ten Reasons to Watch the Daytona 500

Football is over, March Madness is a month away and the first baseball scandal won’t roil until April at the earliest. What is a sports fan to do? For millions of Americans it is Nascar season, the second most watched sport behind football. Before you snicker and dismiss it as a redneck sport, consider a few things. There is a lot more happening than just driving in circles.

10. Restrictor plates ensure that 43 cars will all stay in a tight pack the whole race
9. Every car has unique and identifiable sponsors and paint schemes.
8. Feuds between drivers. Heated discussions and fist fights are always possible.
7. In car cameras and audio allow insight that can’t often be seen in other sports.
6. Honest sound bites. Drivers like Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Kevin Harvick don’t bother with the clichés that show up in other sports.
5. It will get you in the mood to see Will Ferrell's new movie Talladega Nights.
4. Bump-drafting. 190mph and the cars bump together to go faster. It’s full contact racing.
3. It fits perfectly in the vacated NFL Sunday afternoon slot. Unlike other sports, it all happens in one day, no need to daily follow scores and standings.
2. The Big One. There is always a large spectacular crash at Daytona taking out 10-25 cars at once. The best part is the drivers are rarely hurt.
1. A certain co-writer of this site used to attend Alan Jackson concerts. It’s a natural progression.