Why NASCAR is a Show, Not a Sport

Recent events have solidified my view that NASCAR is *not* a true sport. A few weeks ago the end of the race was extended three (!) different times, so that true racing could occur before the official end of the race. Imagine if this was done in any true sport. It would be unheard of. Let's extend the end of a football game so the fans can see some real action. Ludicrous, of course.

But this is what NASCAR did, extend the end so fans could see what they came to see. In other words, NASCAR admits it is a show, not a sport. The reaction of the drivers was pretty uniform. They all understood that putting on a good show for the fans is important, but they all objected to the three restarts, saying that was excessive.

But now a week ago a truly hideous thing happened. A driver had crashed and was seeking revenge against the driver who he perceived as being at fault in the crash. He took his car back onto the track near the end of the race, more than 150 (!) laps behind, solely for the purpose of wrecking the other driver. He did, and the car went airborne, creating a very dangerous situation as it could have gone into the stands and injured fans. And what penalty did this driver receive? Nothing! NASCAR has announced a "boys will be boys" policy, where it is going to be tolerant of ths sort of thing. Ridiculous!