Oct 12 2007
You like to watch, don’t you?
You like to watch, don’t you?
NASCAR wrecks, that is. Come on admit it. Wrecks add spice to the race and pepper the continuous laps with a shot of adrenaline. Wrecks are as much a part of the sport as bump drafting. And often one leads to the other.
What is it about a NASCAR race that makes it so exciting – or boring? Challenges for position, lead changes and door-banging, side-by-side racing contribute to the excitement level of a race, but the real thing we all want to see is the wrecks.
Show me a race with three hours of side-by-side racing and not much else, and I’ll show you a dozen journalistic thumbs-down reviews based on boredom. That same race with a fiery multi-car crash becomes a lot more exciting. Throw in an end-over-end barrel roll through the front stretch and that same boring race gets reviews full of exclamation points.
There is not a single NASCAR fan that wants to see a driver get hurt. But we are willing to admit that we like to see a wreck. We are not the only ones, but unfortunately we are singled out and called aggressive, dimwitted Neanderthals.
Wrecks are guaranteed to make the highlight reel. Sports networks in their brief coverage of the Tour de France show spectacular crashes of dozens of cyclists. Yet no one accuses cycling enthusiasts of being rednecks. So why are NASCAR fans maligned for the same behavior?
Even if you are not a sports fan, I bet you rubber-neck at wrecks on the highway. Not even the most enlightened among us can keep from gawking at the accident on the interstate. We aren’t looking for the carnage – in fact, we hope there’s no need for an ambulance. What we’re looking for is evidence of the laws of physics at work in our universe – twisting the familiar shape of a car beyond recognition.
Our public denials of visceral enjoyment over crashes sound so innocent. Just a little like buying Playboy because of all the interesting articles. So admit it. You like to watch.
Totally Awesome article. The author of this article must really know her stuff! Sunny D (if that IS his/her real anonymous name) does bring up the good point about wrecks. I do actually read Playboy for the articles, just FYI.