NASCAR in Spain

17 September, 2013

NASCAR is the national sport of the South. Now I know the South is technically not a country, but come on. We all know there are distinct areas of the USA, each with its own identity. NASCAR is our way of exporting Southern values to the rest of the country. Now you can be a Yankee and stay in Michigan or Ohio, instead of traveling all the way to Myrtle Beach, SC for a taste of the South. All that's missing is the calabash style seafood.

NASCAR is a simple sport with complicated fans. Its origins lie in running moonshine. The fastest cars eluded the Revenuers. Somehow it became a sport. They made it easy by only allowing for left turns, and only the fans can have alcohol. I am pretty sure NASCAR is the only sport in the world where fans are encouraged to bring their own coolers full of beer into the stadium. Daytona holds about 160,000 rednecks, all of whom are three sheets to the wind, whooping it up. They actually camp out for a week prior to the race. And for sure there is a veritable arsenal of weapons in the crowd. Even the drivers are packing heat. If you don't believe me, try stealing somebody's cooler.

The complicated part for me is how the fans mix Christianity with the party. The South has a deep tradition with religion. If you are not in church on Sunday, you are either nigh death or at a NASCAR event. Just prior to the race, the whole stadium bows in reverent prayer. You can hear a beer tab open from across the track. Then you hear, "Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!" For the next 3 hours, you can't even hear yourself.

Today I attended what looked to me a lot like a NASCAR event. It was the Fiesta de la Virgin Fuensanta. La Alberca has an icon for a fountain at a church up on the top of the mountain. Every year on September 17th, the icon, carried by about 10 people, and about 100,000 fans walk up the mountain, which takes about 6 hours. The belief is that if they walk the path, they will do penance for their sins. Along the way, the people drink beer. They even camp out in anticipation of the fiesta. At the top of the mountain is a beautiful cathedral with a golden altar. When the icon gets into the church they say some prayers, while all the fans return to their fiestas.

I certainly don't mean any disrespect to either NASCAR fans or followers of the Virgin de Fuensanta, but both parties seem to me to be more concerned with the party than for the reason for the party. On the other hand, when do you see that many people together, having a good time, without any trouble? Maybe that is the reason. "Gentlemen. START YOUR PENANCE!"