'Dega

Nascar is self admittedly not my style.  I've heard all the factoids about it being the largest spectator sport and the amount of money it brings in but I just don't get it.  I can understand the interest in the speed but I just truly do not see the sport in it.  Go fast, turn left.  How can someone be consistently better than others at this?  It's beyond my capacity to understand.  

I have come to realize that a great many of my "normal" friends enjoy Nascar - specifically Talladega.  This fact makes me more receptive to Nascar, but I will likely never go to an actual race - I take a little bit of pride in saying that I've never been..  Although, as of this past weekend, I have been to the actual track.  

This thing is massive.  The track is huge, ~2.6 mi.  The grandstands are the largest seating structure I've ever seen.  And the redneck per capita is second to none (please see the Mullet documented above).

Now the reason we were there: One of our friends, John Howell, got a Christmas present from his girlfriend, Lacey Shaffer (she's in the third picture).  This present was pretty cool (even by my standards/lack of understanding).  John was able to take 6 laps around the track in an actual race car.  He gets to drive and has an instructor ride along with him.  They can get up to about 180 mph.  Unfortunately, there was some moisture on the track and so they wouldn't let the cars run.  It was a bummer but still a very neat experience.