The new fans of NASCAR

Just what makes one become a fan or follower of NASCAR racing?

	Tim Packman

Through this Web site, I have had the joy of "meeting" thousands of people responding to columns, stories and the popular Track Smack segment. Comments, criticism and cynicism have pretty much been the norm since we attached our email addresses for reader's responses.

I welcome and enjoy the comments -- good or bad. The one thing I always enjoy is when someone writes and tells me how they used to follow Curtis Turner, Lee Petty, Buck Baker and such. Others talk about the battles between Bobby Allison, David Pearson and Richard Petty.

But it's the new fans that I find just as fascinating. I enjoy when someone writes and asks a question about one thing or another. That shows me there is not only an interest in the sport, but someone who wants to become a knowledgeable fan, as well.

Growing up, I had my dad, stepdad and stepbrother wheeling the short tracks of western New York. My uncle has been a starter for 40 years at some of those same tracks. I had my humble beginnings cooking in the pit concession stand as a teenager at the track where he was flagging.

EMAIL Email Tim Packman

So, it's safe to say I didn't have a chance. It wasn't until I was 28 years old that it dawned on me I could make a living out of my hobby (Talk about a slow learner, huh?)

The other day, I received one of the regular emails from someone whom I've corresponded with on a regular basis. Greta Orton from all the way out, and up, in Oregon and I have exchanged observations about the sport for the last year. She'll send vacation and weather updates, pictures of herself and her husband camping and fishing with their three sons. I haven't had the chance to meet them in person, but I do feel as though I know them.

It wasn't until last year that she even became a fan of NASCAR and here is her description of how it all began.

"I thought about how it came to be that I became such a huge fan of NASCAR," Greta started. "I was aware of NASCAR through my mom's friend who was a huge fan. But he irritated me so much that I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of showing interest in racing at all.

"It was last February, and we were heading back from a day of snow tubing up on Mt. Hood. Exhausted from our day in the snow, I was staring out the window as we went through one small town to the next. I noticed as we passed a bar that a Dale Earnhardt neon light was turned off.

	New NASCAR fans: Greta Orton and two of her sons.

"I remember thinking, 'Weird, it is Sunday, race day after all.' Not thinking much of it, I continued my gaze out the window until we arrived at my mom's house to pick up our youngest son. Mom informed me that Dale Earnhardt had been in an accident. I still didn't think much of it until the phone rang. It was my mom's friend, who was also a Dale Earnhardt fan, and he was very upset and crying.

"Even though this friend of my mother's irritated me to no end, I felt for the guy. To him, losing Dale was like losing a son. We watched the replay and I kept saying, 'It doesn't seem that bad, how could this be?' I left my mother's home with a heavy heart; it is always a sad day when anyone leaves this earth unexpectedly and young.

"Thinking back to that neon light that was turned off --- it gave me chills."

That day and through the next few weeks, Greta was glued to the television absorbing all she could about what took place. Her mom couldn't bring herself to watch the memorial service for Dale, so she watched it for her. Greta's attention began to drift toward Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"How was he? How was he handling this? What was he going to do?" Greta remembers thinking.

"So, the following Sunday I secretly turned on the Rockingham race. My husband walked in and asked me what I was watching. Feeling a bit sheepish, after all, I was so anti-racing up until that point; I answered that I wanted to see how Dale Jr. was doing.

"So, my husband plopped next to me to watch. Dale Jr. only lasted two laps and I felt my stomach flip when he hit the wall. It then became a different thing for me.

"I became a fan."

Greta now watches all the races, yells at the TV and feels for drivers when they wreck out of a race. She has learned much about the sport and what it's all about in quick manner. And, she's found out some good things.

"Post-race interviews conclude with 'That's racing,'" Greta writes. "Ok, so it's apparent that I am a newbie to all this, but I have gotten used to it. The one thing that I have learned about racing is that the drivers are someone my kids and I can look up to. You don't hear about them beating their wives, being arrested for possessing drugs or killing someone while driving drunk.

"I have never been a real sports fanatic, but I have watched my fair share of football and hockey and always root for the home team. But it's not the be all and end all for me.

"But NASCAR, now that's a different story. I proudly display my allegiance to Dale Jr. with his name or number adorned on my vehicle. I have the car, the key chain, the beer can --- and I don't even drink. I bought the six-pack just so I could have it for my collection. The remaining five cans still sit in my fridge, unopened.

"I have tried various good luck charms to use on Sunday that might help my driver win. From wearing a T-shirt with his image on it, to various colored clothes, be it black or red, or a combination of both. I found it doesn't really work, but I do it anyway. Ultimately, you will meet another race fan at the grocery store or gas station that same day. It's always good to meet a fellow race fan, especially up here in the Northwest.

"I have surprised myself at how protective I have become when my drivers' virtue has come into question. I have actually gotten into an electronic (E-mail) fistfight with a fellow NASCAR fan and he had the audacity to suggest that Jr. was a cheater when his car came in one-eighth of an inch too low after Talladega. He is a Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart fan.

"For this female fan, you will find me every Sunday eagerly waiting for the green flag to drop and for Dale Jr. to win. I am, however, the minority in my house.

"I am the only female and Dale Jr. fan, my three sons and husband... well, they are all Jeff Gordon fans."

So, how much of yourself have you found in Greta's story?

Tim Packman's column appears every Saturday on NASCAR.com. The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.