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they deserve. As a broadcaster, I get an earful from people who are constantly trying to criticize them and put them down. But in all honesty, the values of NASCAR fans really are the values that make America great. That’s why fans deserve to be celebrated, not cut down – they’re the people who form the backbone of our nation. NASCAR fans aren’t backwoods rednecks: they’re the quintessential American heroes.
    NASCAR is America. And if you love them both: read on.

2
RISK
    N ASCAR drivers are confident – they have to be. They think they can overcome anything, and oftentimes, they’re right. People who love NASCAR are confident enough to push the envelope to the very edge. It’s not about wanting to get hurt or wishing harm on others. The feeling a person gets watching a race is the same feeling they get watching a horror movie. The monster nears the child, reaching its arms out from under the bed.Of course you don’t want to see a child eaten by a monster, but the tension and the excitement of the film lies in the unknown, in the fear, in the hope of a resolution – in the risk.
    In baseball or football, this type of risk doesn’t exist to the same degree. If an athlete in one of those sports makes a mistake, it is often viewed as detrimental to the game. In NASCAR, however, it only adds to the thrill. Sure, there are plenty of moments when a football, baseball, or basketball viewer may not know what will happen next or may feel excited or worried, but it doesn’t compare to the accidents that make NASCAR so addictive.
    Carl Edwards is an example of one such NASCAR adrenaline-addict – and I mean that in the best way possible. For the average person, racing at top speeds and crashing into walls would be enough to get their blood rushing – if not to get their heart stopping. Still, Edwards doesn’t stop at the races. He keeps going. In his spare time he flies planes, doing stunts in the air. It takes this particular type of person to appreciate the glory of racing from behind the wheel.
    There is no doubt that NASCAR is a sport of risks. Still, there have been many measures taken to ensure that risk and fun do not make safety a casualty in this full-throttle sport. The head-and-neck support (HANS) device is one such innovation that has been made mandatory. It was developed by American BobHubbard and is one of two different neck-support devices that drivers can choose. Made out of Kevlar and carbon fiber, with several liners, a visor, fireproof Nomex lining, a communication earpiece, a foam pad, and light outer lining, the system offers the best protection available.
    And yet, there are people, perhaps those who relish memories of the old, down-and-dirty, less-regulated NASCAR days, who say the races have lost some of the risk due to additions such as the HANS. It’s hard to believe that something that could save a driver from a lethal fracture at the base of the skull could really interfere with the excitement of the race. If anything, knowing that a driver is carefully prepared in case of an accident should make a fan more able to enjoy the good wholesome fun. Fans watch NASCAR as if it were a real-life action movie; they don’t want to see a tragedy on the track.
    Drivers can also immediately turn off their engines with the flip of a safety switch. This is another example of how NASCAR’s technological advancements are working to make racing about the action, not about accidents. These safety devices and new regulations, which range from checking the size of the spoiler, to weighing the car, to making sure all head and neck supports are in place, perhaps soften the reality of the situation, but in no way do they take the risk out of the sport. Risk is essentialto NASCAR – it’s a defining quality. You can’t have NASCAR without risk.
    There are many risks in the sport that fans may not notice. Take, for example, the most basic risk of