A Southern Dish Comes North
Local Fans Find NASCAR Racing An Exciting Alternative
By Scott Koskoski

Looking over the crowd on a recent Sunday afternoon, Sammy Poness can't understand what the fuss is all about.

Actually, he can understand what the fuss is all about, he just can't comprehend why people never made such a fuss before.

It's another Sunday afternoon at a popular Pittsburgh sports bar, and Poness and others are huddled around giant screen televisions. Some of the group let out an occasional cheer, while others blurt the occasional curse word. Just another afternoon of National Football League excitement on the big screen?

Hardly.

On this day, the masses are gathered to watch something previously thought to be just a Southern addiction: NASCAR. As cars with some serious get-go complete lap after lap and near the finish, the huddled Pittsburghers croon for a better look. The cheers get louder, and Poness stands there not so much watching the race, but rather the bar crowd.

"It's amazing how much this (NASCAR) has spread across the country," Poness admits between swigs of his beer. "I mean, it used to be you had to head way south to find an atmosphere like this."

Nowadays, fans can find that level of excitement in and around Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh area boasts several local tracks that feature both paved oval and dirt racing, and NASCAR pools are popping up in taverns and among friends throughout the city.

In the pools, participants "draft" drivers much the way fantasy football and rotisserie baseball players do, accumulating points based on how well the drivers finish each race. The players with the most points at the end of the season generally win a cash prize from their friends - and spend all season watching the races, hoping their drivers can avoid the walls, flat tires and mechanical breakdowns long enough to stay in the races and finish as high as they can.

The "atmosphere" Poness refers to is this region's newfound love affair with auto racing. A fan of the sport - is it really a sport? - since he can remember, Poness, 34, always knew what a quality product he followed. As tens of millions of others around the United States get turned on to NASCAR excitement, he sometimes wonders what took them so long.

"It's a quality product," Poness says while waving to a couple buddies decked out in Jeff Gordon gear just entering the bar. "NASCAR combines great drivers, great facilities and probably the most loyal fans of any sport in the world."

Poness is one who is quick to clear up the misconception that NASCAR (and other forms of car racing) is not a real sport. Many non-NASCAR believers think auto racing is nothing more than a driver putting his foot on the floor and turning left - some say they have a tougher time negotiating through Parkway East traffic on their way to work in the morning than Dale Jarrett has going around the track at Daytona.

"Can the average person get in a car, race a track with 43 other drivers, drive upwards of 200 miles per hour for 600 miles, bumper to bumper, nudged in the front, tapped in the rear, driving blind through crashes, while the whole time sitting in 140 degree heat listening for direction from the pits?" he asks.

Well, that clears that up - it certainly is a lot more challenging than your typical rush hour.

These days, more and more of the loyal fans Poness refers to are Pittsburghers who now have something to cheer for between Steelers seasons. Make no mistake about it -- this region has been struck with a severe case of NASCAR fever.

Pittsburgh is not alone. Nationwide, attendance at races is up 65 percent in the last 10 years, according to NASCAR. At the same time, network and cable coverage has risen 61 percent since 1993. And don't think that the buddies in Gordon garb Poness saw enter the bar moments back were necessarily guy friends -- nearly 40 perceny of self-described NASCAR nuts are of the fairer sex.

What has helped transform NASCAR from a league for sourthern fans to a nationwide phenomenon?

"I think the media coverage has definitely helped," Poness said, "and more national sponsors are getting involved, so they can advertise NASCAR to the whole country."

Unfortunately, tragedy begets attention too, and the NASCAR community recently suffered perhaps its most devastating loss ever. At this year's Daytona 500, considered by many the sport's crown jewel, racing icon Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last turn of the last lap.

His death was one of those tragic blows that transcends all of sport and wipes away a slice of Americana. No less than three national news networks led off that evening's coverage with a live report from Daytona International Speedway, where auto racing lost its most golden boy.

"Earnhardt was without question the most loved driver ever," Poness says while raising his glass in tribute to the fallen legend. "Even though Dale's gone, he is still a fan favorite. I don't know who can step up and fill his void."

The immense amount of coverage on sports and non-sports networks alike after Earnhardt's death drew even more attention to NASCAR.

"Maybe it's not the best thing for a sport to get attention when something tragic happens instead of something positive happening, but a lot of curious fans like to watch because of the wrecks," Poness said.

As those curious fans around Pittsburgh watch more and more racing, Poness thinks they'll find there's a lot more to NASCAR than meets the wall.

"This (as he points to the big screen) takes a lot of skill," he said. "Drivers have to be mentally on top of their game every race, and there's a lot of strategy involved. Most people think NASCAR is about cars driving in circles, but there's a lot more to it."

Some of that strategy might be difficult to pick up on television or radio, so Poness and a growing legion of Pittsburghers take to the roads and attend NASCAR races every year. Poness makes the six-hour trip to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 annually, while Mike Vittorino, assistant athletic trainer at Robert Morris College, treks to Daytona every year with a few buddies.

If Brant Motorsports has its way, fans like Poness and Vittorino might not have to gas up their own little racing vehicles to see some real racing vehicles. The Morgantown, W. Va.,-based company is planning to break ground soon on a $300 million indoor superspeedway near the Pittsburgh International Airport. The complex will be the world's first full-sized, fully enclosed track, complete with state-of-the-art ventilation, acoustic and safety systems.

"Getting a place like (Brant) would be huge," smiles Poness. "Pittsburgh fans would be able to see some real racing right in our own backyard. I think the excitement level among racing fans is really high right now, especially in Pittsburgh."

Not that Pittsburgh is lacking in racing venues. Motordrome Speedway in Smithton and Jennerstown Raceway in Jenners, Pa., are two of the more popular local paved tracks in the U.S. Dirt track fans can get their fill of racing at Don Martin;s Lernerville Speedway in Sarver or at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in Imperial. All four tracks are reaping the benefits of increased auto racing coverage and fan interest with improved attendance figures.

But back to Poness and his crew. Looking around the bar, one notices a tight race on the big screen, prompting the decibel level in the place to kick up a few notches. This seems like a lot of excitement already.

"No, this is nothing compared to being at an actual race," Poness replies. "These people don't know what they're missing until they see NASCAR in person. Nothing beats it."