Racing

I thought this video was hilarious because school buses have the connotation of being safe. Here they are being anything but. Also, when you think of racing, you think of streamlined, aerodynamic, and small. The school bus is large, bulky, and awkward; not to mention it’s turns which are hardly on a dime.

This has made me think quite a bit about racing. I’ve only been to two races in my lifetime. Neither were professional. There’s a sort of tense excitement in the air. People wait around for their favorite event or their favorite driver. This isn’t a place for talking. The cars roar around the track like a lion on attack. The short track is the most confusing to watch. The cars get muddled up with each other making it difficult to keep track of whose in first. But when the results come in and your favorite driver is announced the winner, there’s no mistaking your own excitement.

My favorite races to watch are the ones that are really close. At the most recent race I’ve been to, McCool Junction Speedway, one of the drivers started in 11 place out of 12 cars. With each lap he went high on turn one and cut down low for turn two, he stayed low on turn three and shot up on turn four. He passed at least one car per lap and was working his way to first place. I had been bored until this race, the last race of the evening. I had to know how it turned out. With only four laps to go, the driver was in first place with an outstanding lead. Suddenly, a car behind him spun out into the infield. The caution flag went up allowing the other cars to catch up with him. The car in second was determined to regain first place as he had been leading all night.

Finally the caution was over, the second place driver overtook the lead. I was disappointed and hoped my new favorite driver would finish out on top. In turn three with two laps to go my driver regained first, but by turn two with only one lap to go the other driver was leading. My driver didn’t stray from his pattern. On turn three he stayed low and shot into first as he took the high side on turn four. He was winning but the other driver was very close behind. It was a photo finish but my favorite driver took home the gold. This event turned me into a local race fan and I can’t wait to get back to the track.