Aaaaaand we’re back!
NASCAR fans, our long, national nightmare is over.
It’s officially race week.
It’s been a long two weeks without NASCAR in our lives. The days dragged on, the birds were quieter and it was way too damn hot.
And not the good kind of hot, when you don’t mind that grandstand bleachers are roasting your legs because they’re three-wide into turn 1.
Those pesky Olympics are almost over.
On Sunday (Aug. 11), the NASCAR Cup Series returns to action at Richmond Raceway.
Before our favorite traveling circus returns, it’s time to reflect and take stock.
We all needed a little break from NASCAR. But two weeks?
Let’s admit it, things got a little weird there around Day 8.
Our attempt to watch the entire 2002 Cup season on NASCAR Classics ran out of steam around Pocono 2.
But the coping mechanisms didn’t stop there. Did they?
We all know what we did.
So here it is: The top 10 ways we coped without having NASCAR for two weeks.
10. Recreated the track infield experience by camping in the custom Earnhardt / Petty bus at Lancaster’s BBQ in Mooresville. Management wasn’t amused.
9. We were so desperate for race action, we watched the 20 kilometer race walk from Paris on loop.
8. Rewatched the 2011 Coca-Cola 600, because maybe Dale Earnhardt Jr. will win this time.
7. Annoyed friends by comparing Katie Ledecky’s swimming performance at the Olympics to Martin Truex Jr.‘s dominance at Martinsville Speedway.
6. Met a sketchy dude with a mullet, eyepatch and peg leg at a Sunoco gas station in Florida to trade for a Betamax tape of the 1989 Miller High Life 500.
5. Spent way too much time wondering if Michael Waltrip ever made it to the right track.
4. Went through an existential crisis on North Carolina Highway 3 when we learned Dale Jr. is now older than Dale Sr.
3. Used two Sweet’N Low packets on a stranger’s leg to simulate drafting just to feel something.
2. Found our old Daytona 500 play rug and held a 200-lap race with a full field of 1:64 diecasts. Parents were not amused.
1. Stood outside our best friend’s house at midnight playing Cledus T. Judd’s “I Love NASCAR” on a boom box to let them know the Olympic break was over.
About the author
Daniel McFadin is a 10-year veteran of the NASCAR media corp. He wrote for NBC Sports from 2015 to October 2020. He currently works full time for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and is lead reporter and an editor for Frontstretch. He is also host of the NASCAR podcast "Dropping the Hammer with Daniel McFadin" presented by Democrat-Gazette.
You can email him at danielmcfadin@gmail.com.
A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.
This reminds me of those old Top 10 lists you guys used to do. Was one of the things I looked forward to most on the site, wish you’d bring them back.
I’ve been coping without NA$CAR for several years now. Still loosely follow news just in case it starts looking like they’re finally getting their poop back in a group and putting out something worth spending my time watching. So far, that hasn’t happened but I remain hopeful. I do like racing of most any discipline that involves an internal combustion engine, and it would be a shame to lose this series.
I’ve missed Indycar more these last 2 weeks. Although we’re likely in for a Penske/Chevy rout in 4 of the next 5 races. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and Pato will go on a circle track tear and steal a couple wins from the Penske boys?
I used the 2 week break to get used to the bigger break next year when some races will be on pay per view, aka Prime, and I won’t watch because I’m not about to fork over more $$$ for a streaming service.
Interesting choices in your list. I stopped planning my weekend around NASCAR years ago. We watched the ARCA races. I enjoyed them. Much better than the boring events from NASCAR. Other than that I have lots of things to do. I didn’t watch the Olympics either. Catching the highlights on the news was plenty