Just curious, how did you become a race fan.

T

the pawn

Guest
I grew up not far from Islip on long island. The local gas jockey had a modified he worked on there.
My cousin and I would go there and watch him and is palswork on it. We were welcome as we knew enough not to get in their way.
One weekend he invited us to ride o the track with him, we jumped at the chance and I have been hooked ever since.
I love all forms of racing from F1 to the lowest class of street stock style. Have been to tracks from Northern Maine to South Florida, as far west as Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, PQ, Ont, PEI, NB, NS and all points in between. There are many many great tracks out there and I have left them all, glad that I made it to a race there.
But one of the biggest reasons I am a diehard fan, is the other fans I have met along my travels. Sure you meet as strangers (some of us stranger than others, but that's a discussion for another time) but I have always parted company with new friendships. Some of these go all the way back to the '60's and I cherish them all.
To me there is no better things in life than a good race and the best people in the world to enjoy them with.
Just thought I'd throw this out and get a few reactions.
 
Genetically predisposed.. I was born a race fan.
Been one ever since..
 
When I was twelve years old (1948) my next door neighbor asked to me to go to the stock car races with him at Sorrento Speedway in Morristown, NJ and from that day on, I was hooked. Attended my first NASCAR race at Old Bridge, NJ in 1958.
 
Been going to dirt tracks since the age of 3 months. My dad and brother raced at dirt tracks. They both have retired from racing. I love dirt track racing.
My first race at Bristol was age 3.
 
Didn't get into racing until mid-60s ---- future husband took me to the local drag track. His brother worked on a Corvette drag racer --- C Sport class(I think)

Then in the early 70s, started going to local dirt track with a late model that BIL built and maintained for his employer to drive. His employer
was a good dirt racer --- started back in the early 50s on dirt, racing with A J Foyt at a track in Houston. 5 years we spent every Saturday night at
the track --- 4 of those years as track champion.

1979 saw the Daytona 500 on TV and was hooked. Time and money kept me from attendance until the early 90s. Then I really was hooked. LOL
 
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My Dad and I used to watch the Indy 500 every year that I can remember but I got into Nascar through my sisters boyfriend when I was about 14. He was a BIG time Earnhardt/GMC fan so I pulled for Petty and anyone in a Ford but mostly Elliott and Martin.
 
I've watched races that were telecast, as long as I can remember. I used to have a 85 Monte Carlo SS, I knew that Dale Sr drove one. When Dale was killed, I cried. I remember where I was when I heard.


In 02, I was watching a race and caught a young upstart named Kurt Busch racing and became enamored with him. Ever since then I did my best to catch every single race that was telecast, I was hooked.
 
Neighbors had a midget they raced locally. Deep blue with a gold leaf #13. Big chrome exhaust pipe running down the side. I was 10-11 and polished that car within a inch of it's life. I'd go to the track with his kids and wife, no pits though. Then my Dad and his partner started "sponsoring" (?) their CPA in the hobby/jalopy class. More time sitting in the stands.

Local gas stations had cars, one was Tex Barry's and the other belong to Bugsy Stevens. If I had a nickel for every hour I watched guys work on those cars I'd be very rich.:)
 
My dad put on a race to try and take a nap at some point on a Sunday in the early 90's and my 4-year-old self became glued to the tv.. It is all kindof random actually. I really had no outside influence from anyone with racing, I think I was possessed by a Motorsports demon.
 
I just remember watching races on weekend afternoons at my cousin's house in the mid 70's to probably the early 80's maybe . My cousin Gary was 4 days older than I was and we did most everything together during the early years. We were both huge Richard Petty fans, but I couldn't tell you why.

I quit watching when I was a teenager until about the year 2000 when I saw a couple of interviews with Jeff Gordon and I just really liked the guy and how he responded to how so many people who just hated him for whatever reasons. I found out that a fairly new friend of mine was a die hard Jeff Gordon and NASCAR fan and I started watching the races so we'd have something to talk about and I was hooked back in pretty quickly, especially when we went to a race at Martinsville.
 
Been a race fan since 1959 when my dad to me to my 1st. race at Bowman Gray Stadium. Rex White won the race and even at 4 years of age I was so fascinated with the racing I didn't take take my eyes off of it all night. My dad was surprised at how my eyes were so fixed on the race. He took me to many races after that. Saw a lot of legends race there. In the late 60's I got to attend my 1st. Dirt track race at 311 Speedway. After that I attended races their and other dirt tracks for many years. I'd probably still be going if my sinuses could still take the dust.
 
Dad had the Cup race on when I was little and just like DUN24 I was hooked, and started following Bill Elliott because I loved the color red and McDonalds. Around age 8 decided I wanted to be a race car driver...a plan I'm still working on, moms they don't want to spend all the families money on it.
 
I became a race fan because I was nuts about cars. Unlike many of the other posters, I didn't have relatives or neighbors into racing. I'd be the only one watching the Indy 500 or parts of races on Wide World of Sports, relegated to the old TV in the spare bedroom. My parents actually discouraged it at first, but did think that my hobby of tinkering on toy go-karts and lawn mowers and such wasn't a bad idea.

Dad let me buy a used racing kart (it was built much better than the yard karts that kept breaking on me), and my brother had a friend who had just discovered kart racing. I didn't intend to race but they kept bugging me until I tried it. Then I was hooked (despite getting lapped multiple times). Not being a particularly great athlete, here was a sport where my mechanical aptitude could make the difference! My parents were cautious, but reasoned "there were worse things he could be doing".

Rarely got to watch live races until after I was out of school, but after that if I wasn't racing myself then I'd probably find a track to watch. Fortunately my Better Half tolerates this, even though she rarely goes.
 
I would go to my cousin's house each year for the Daytona 500 because my father and his brother-in-law were race fans. Not diehards, just casuals. I would usually go sledding with my cousin in the backyard. Well, when it got dark we went inside and watched the final laps of the 2007 Daytona 500 with our dads. I wasn't into it much, until the big wreck and close finish at the end. The excitement! The adrenaline! It was all so cool! I remember standing up and screaming at the TV! I rooted for Stewart because my dad was a Stewart fan and my mom worked for Home Depot :D

I've only missed around 10 cup races since then.
 
20miles to the west of me was a 1/4 mile dirt track in Escanaba, 20 mile east of me was a 1/4 mile dirt track in Norway. My mom's cousin was track stock champion for the majority of the 60's and early 70's so we went almost every weekend. Somewhere in the mid to late 70's they paved both tracks and Escanaba died off. Norway is still going strong.
 
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