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THE UNIVERSITY
MONDAY 10
MONDAY, DC
NASCAR SPECTACLE HITS KANSAS CITY
Cars fight for position in Sunday's Nextel Cup Series LifeLock 400 race at Kansas Speedway. Greg Biffle, in the No.16 Aflaic Ford, won the race.
BY BRYAN WHEELER
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
BWHEELER@KANSAN.COM
This weekend, NASCAR came to the Kansas Speedway. The main event of the weekend was the Nextel Cup Series LifeLock 400. On Sunday fans flocked to fill the 81,687-seat stands to watch 43 qualifying drivers compete for victory in the 267-lap, 400-mile race.
Seventy-five million Americans religiously follow the sport of NASCAR. The rest of the country, however, is left wondering how on earth so many people could be drawn to a sport consisting of cars driving in a giant circle. Falling into the latter category, I was tasked by the Kansan to see what this sport is all about and travel to the Kansas Speedway.
Before the race came race introductions by VIP's such as Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Jim Lovell, an Apollo 13 Astronaut. Gavin DeGraw sang the national anthem as four A-10 fighter planes flew over the track and 43 enlisted simultaneously started.
Cars such as the No. 88 flaming Snickers Ford, the No. 21 Little Debbie Snack Cakes Ford and the No. 16 Aflac Ford, featuring a duck, quickly caught my eye. I decided to follow those cars throughout the race. In less than a minute, I went from a 22-year-old skeptic to an 8-year-old kid again.
I wandered on the ground near the track, watching the pit crews working with high-tech computers and speedy repairs, following the drivers traveling at 200 mph in 850-horsepower machines on a 1.5-mile track with a 20-degree banked turns. It became apparent that there was more to this sport than cars driving in circles. Tiffany Breaux, NASCAR coordinator of communications, showed me the spotter's stand on top of the press box. Towering above, 43 spotters worked
to relay messages to their respective drivers telling them where to go and which drivers to look out for.
Less than 30 laps into the race, after the first of two rain delays, I witnessed the competitive, brutal nature of the sport when the No. 8 car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. tapped the No. 5 car driven by Kyle Busch, sending him spiraling out of control and crashing.
fighter pilots and race car drivers
Torrential downpour and strong winds caused three hours of rain delays, shortening the race to 210 laps. During the second rain delay, most fans headed home. Some pit crews anxiously awaited the end of the delay and watched the Chiefs game. The pilots of the A-10's came down to the track and schmoozed with the pit crews, drawing comparisons between
The Little Debbie Snack Cakes Ford, driven by Ken Schrader, ended up crashing in the first lap after the rain delay. The flaming Snickers Ford, driven by Kenny Wallace, finished in nearly last place. The Aflac Ford, driven by Greg Biffle, finished in first place.
What I predicted to be a boring day at the race tracks ended with me appreciating a sport I once thought to be dull and boring. While I probably will not become a diehard NASCAR fan like some of the people at the Kansas Speedway on Sunday, I could finally see why one in three adults in this country follow the sport.
Edited by Matt Erickson
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
NASCAR fans gather on the top of recreational vehicles in the center of Kansas Speedway to watch Sunday's Nextel Cup race. Camping out at the track is a popular way for fans to catch all of the weekends action.
Season starts Monday October 15th To register contact Recreation Services at 785.864.3546 Registration takes place Friday September 28th - Monday October 1st