Why Do People Love Auto Racing?

The formula for success in auto racing is pretty simple. Put an engine in something and watch it go as fast as possible. People will watch.

There’s certainly more to it than that, but those that offer a negative view of racing, especially NASCAR, often point to the fact that many tracks are ovals with four left turns. What they fail to mention is how tough those turns can be and that other tracks offer different challenges, requiring racing teams to set up their cars for different environments. Whether you root for a brand, a driver, an owner, or against one of the racing entities, it’s easy to love this sport.

People Love Watching Racers Risking Everything

When we say everything, we mean it. Even though race cars have gotten safer and now how technology is meant to protect drivers, even in some of the worst crashes, every driver knows they could die on the track. This isn’t the only sport in which death or injuries are possible, but it’s one of the greatest risks that every driver takes when they get behind the wheel. The idea is to go as fast as you can from start to finish, and that has the inherent risk of death.

The Audience Can Relate to Drivers Better Than Other Athletes

Not everyone can hit a baseball, dunk a basketball, or catch touchdowns, but we all own cars. We can easily picture driving fast around winding curves and turns during our daily commute. The thought that we could have the same skills as the professional driver makes it easy to love auto racing, even though the skills developed by the pros are far beyond what any of us could imagine.

Something Exciting Almost Always Happens

When you go to a race and watch the cars ride around the track, something usually happens that changes the natural order of things. Whether it’s a crash that takes out the leader, a car from the back of the field racing toward the front or a driver that’s going after something new, this sport offers the excitement of something new and different at every event. If all races were won by the person on the pole with no challengers, it would be boring. Thankfully, that hardly ever occurs.

Racing Offers Developed Strategy

If you fancy yourself an academic and think you enjoy the strategy of a chess game more than auto racing, consider the strategy involved. Racing teams have to calculate exact fuel usage, tire wear, and laps remaining to decide whether or not to risk running out of gas or a blown tire when other teams come in for a pit stop. The strategy involved in racing often has a lot more to do with whether or not a team reaches the front of the pack or ends up falling behind.

There are Many Ways to See Cars Racing

Racing doesn’t limit you to watching NASCAR or Formula One. If you don’t fall in love with these two racing series, there are many more to choose from. If you want to see sprints in a straight line, drag racing is for you. When you want to see how drift cars perform, Formula Drift has the action you’re looking for. If you want to see how the cars do in the mud, check out Rallycross. There are many different ways to enjoy racing, which means there’s something for everyone.

Racing Brings Fans Together

Sports offer social environments for fans to cheer, cry, yell, scream, and boo together. If you’ve ever seen “The Wave” done at a baseball or football game, you can understand the social aspect of sports. Auto racing brings fans together. There’s a lot of time for discussion, mingling, eating, and drinking together to bring fans to a common ground. When you go to a race, you might find a new friend that becomes your friend for a long time.

Racing Offers Unique Sounds and Smells

You don’t really understand racing until you’ve sat in the grandstands and immersed yourself in the experience. Racing offers loud cars, the smell of fuel, and the sights you’re sure to love. Attending sporting events in person, even if you don’t have great seats, is a completely different experience compared to watching them on television. If you want to find out what people love about watching cars go fast around a track, you need to attend a race.

The Racetrack is Where You See Car Tech Put to the Test

Even though race cars don’t have the safety tech or infotainment screens that you have in your vehicle, they are much more advanced than you might expect. Some racing events allow spectators to get up close and personal with the cars before the races so you can see some of the tech. It’s pretty amazing to see the safety systems of these cars, the incredible performance, and the impressive tuning that goes into them.

This is Another Sport You Can Bet On

Now that sports betting is legal in most areas, you can add auto racing to the mix of bets you enjoy making every week. Just like other sporting events, there are always some major bets and then some smaller in-race bets that could be made while watching the race. These bets can make your experience of the race more exciting; just be careful not to be the mortgage payment on a driver that might not work out well for you.

Auto Racing is Like a Party Every Week

If you go to a race, you want to get there early. The bigger the stage, the bigger the party, but nearly every race has some pre-race events that will make you fall in love with the pageantry of the sport. The Indy 500 is one of the most celebrated races in the world, and there are hours of pre-race rituals for you to enjoy. NASCAR throws a party every week that only gets bigger at some of the biggest races. The party to start the race is certainly worth the price of attendance.

Are you ready to fall in love with auto racing? Get a ticket and get ready for a sporting event unlike any other you’ve ever attended.