To be a fan of NASCAR at least in part means to enter the imagined community of the South. Even though stock car racing has solidified its position as a national sport, drawing spectators and competitors from all over the country and the world, its history as an integral part of the South's "self-image and mythology" is undeniable (Raitz 6). Stock car racing's simultaneous integration into and isolation from the national sports world reflects the South's own historic alienation from mainstream American culture. The sport has been called a "cult activity" that, "like basketball in Indiana, tennis in the suburbs, and football in Pennsylvania,...is the ultimate spectator sport for the blue-collar small-town resident in its southern domain" (Raitz 5). Many of the sport's most legendary drivers, like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, come from the rural South and maintain close ties to their local communities, often employing family members or neighbors in their pit crews. In many cases, racing has become a family affair, "much like traditional rural skills such as weaving and smithing...passed down through generations" (Wilson 1259). NASCAR fans are notorious for developing intense personal attachments to a particular driver, espousing his cause (or the product/company that sponsors him) "as if he were kin" (Wilson 1259).
At a big race, the variety of racing paraphernalia for sale can be astounding. Souvenirs - fans can buy apparel, flags, model cars, car-shaped coin banks, 25th anniversary gas pumps - are as central to the NASCAR fan experience as the chaos of the parking lot, where spectators gather over barbecues and coolers, telling stories and dredging up old rivalries.
Different stages of viewing come to represent a hierarchy, tied to socioeconomic status and class, among spectators. The main grandstands typically have the best view of the entire track, the most expensive seats, tighter security, and the "best behaved" crowd (Raitz 10). The "infield stage attracts the most diverse crowd," despite limited views of the track at ground level (Raitz 10). Fans in the infield typically observe from atop cars or RVs and enjoy whatever refreshments they wish to bring. As a result, the infield attracts the "extremes of avid watchers and avid partygoers" (Raitz 10). The rear grandstands offer the cheapest tickets along with the worst view and typically host the most boisterous fans who attend more to socialize than to watch the race. Most superspeedways also feature sky boxes where the spectator can enjoy home-like furnishings and watch total, instantaneous coverage of the race on large-screen televisions.
At big speedways as well as smaller tracks with
a friendly, laid-back atmosphere, the primary motivation for NASCAR fans
obviously is "the opportunity to mingle with others with similar interests...a
break in the normal routine of humdrum existence" (Raitz 13). Spectators
also make the trip for the opportunity to identify with Winston Cup drivers
who "appear to be everyday country boys who made good 'doing what comes
naturally'" and who are able to live the fantasy of "driving a machine,
much like the one at home in the driveway, flat out against a pack of competitors,"
that is bound to engage many in the audience (Raitz 13).
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