JT the Brick

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - I just arrived after an extended stay in Jacksonville, Fla., for Super Bowl XXXIX, and I want to be the first to report there don't appear to be any steroids. No members of the media are trying to find which driver might have had a nine-year affair outside of his marriage or which drivers might be shooting each other up in the stalls of the men's room with performance-enhancing drugs.

You see, this is NASCAR, a sport that is growing beyond leaps and bounds. NASCAR fans stand in line to meet and talk to their favorite drivers before and after each race, and children smile because their role models actually are role models.

I became a fan of NASCAR a few years ago after going to my first race. I didn't listen to the garbage that some sports talk radio hosts spewed about NASCAR, so I had no preconceived notions at the Pepsi 400. I was blown away. As a kid I went to Yankee Stadium, and more recently I've sat in the front row of the "Black Hole" of the Raider Nation, so I have some experience about passionate fans.

It turned out that I needed NASCAR more than the sport needed me. This was a sport that could keep my interest right after the NFL season ended -- something the NHL couldn't do. The NBA no longer counts until June, and baseball is about as exciting as long walks on the beach with your in-laws. I needed an experience that would rock my world, and NASCAR provided it. It is rock and roll, American flags, adult beverages (if you like), and fans that expect to be entertained.

Now before you stop reading because you think the drivers are not athletes because they only make left turns or that this sport is only big in the South, shake yourself and get on this bandwagon. NASCAR will deliver you one of the best sports experiences of your life.

Daytona 500 Kenseth wins rain-shortened Daytona Earnhardt Jr. triggers nine-car accident Busch's Daytona dream ends in another wreck More Daytona 500 coverage

Similar to the NHL, NASCAR is a sport you must see live to get hooked. Race day is the closest thing I've found to an NFL playoff game, and most NASCAR fans will tell you that race day is better. Tailgating with 200,000 fans instead of 50,000 proves that.

When you get to the track, you won't have to worry about crazed fans yelling obscenities at you because they support a different driver. A typical tailgate will consist of a father who supports Mark Martin while his wife sports a Jeff Gordon jacket and their son has the No. 8 logo of Dale Earnhart, Jr. on his back. These fans get it because they stand by their specific driver and never waver. They probably dislike several drivers passionately, but that doesn't get in their way of having as good time.

I talked to Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch, and we mainly discussed the Super Bowl and his passion for the Chicago Cubs. These drivers have interests outside of NASCAR and that usually consist of families, cars and fishing. They are down to earth and realize that their lives could end heading into Turn 2 if they wreck.

These drivers are more than athletes. Try driving at close to 200 mph, side by side in intense heat with little to no margin for error. Unlike a great baseball player who fails seven out of 10 times at the plate, a NASCAR driver must push the envelope every weekend through a grueling schedule that would mentally break almost any so-called athlete who gets to regroup during a television timeout.

So my advice to you is to get to a track and watch a NASCAR race. You will be hooked. That is why the television ratings continue to go up and the advertisers continue to line up. NASCAR, the new American pastime, will soon leave baseball, the NBA, NHL and other sports in its rear-view mirror.

We can debate all day about the future of NASCAR compared to the NFL, but both are secure. In fact, there's a good crossover between the sports. I haven't met a NASCAR fan who doesn't appreciate the NFL, while more football fans are discovering what NASCAR fans have know for years: This sport rocks.

MORE FROM MORE FROM JT THE BRICK

JT the Brick: Celebrate Favre’s controversial comeback

JT the Brick: Celebrate Favre’s controversial comeback JT's Rant 199: Let Bonds back in baseball JT's Rant 199: Here's the antidote to A-Rod JT's Rant 195: A-Rod finished as individual star JT's Rant 194: Kent a first ballot Hall of Famer JT the Brick: Easy Brees for MVP award JT's Rant 189: Lewis, Edwards also must be fired JT's Rant 188: Teixeira will lead Yankees to title(s) JT's Rant 186: You'd better learn about Sammy Baugh JT's Rant 185: Barkley's right — Auburn's hire was racial   Add More from JT the Brick headlines to your news reader: