A father and son maintained a familiar vigil at Bristol Motor Speedway Friday morning.
For at least an hour, they waited to catch a glimpse and perhaps snare an autograph from a NASCAR star.
This particular image was full of symbolism, especially at a track that represents the rowdy past and present of the sport.
The father was decked out in the apparel of the late Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time Sprint Cup champion. The son proudly displayed a T-shirt bearing the image of current sensation Kyle Busch.
From the pits to the grandstands, the passion and family thread runs deep in NASCAR.
Stock car racing is a lifestyle and culture. There are few casual racers or fans. One becomes immersed in the tales and travails of drivers and tracks.
If you want to understand how much NASCAR has grown, just trace the story of Bristol Motor Speedway.
Long before the days of 53 straight sellouts for Sprint Cup events, the humble scene at BMS included a grass infield and concrete bleachers.
For many fans, the best view in the house was from one of the hills that surrounded the facility. A couple rows of metal seats amounted to the VIP section.
There was no tunnel or covered walkways for drivers.
Teams arrived at the track in open trailers packed with every sort of tool imaginable. If a problem developed during in a race, there was no running to a massive transporter.
Drivers once expressed astonishment at a crowd of 30,000 for the high-banked marvel in the mountains. Over the past 13 years, sellout crowds of 160,000 have become the norm.
One of the main story lines from Bristol the past two weeks has been the possibility of empty seats for Sunday’s Food City 500.
Clearly, the ongoing recession has hit hard in NASCAR-land. Remember, this is a game fueled by the sponsorship dollars of major corporations that must answer to stockholders.
None of those issues appeared to matter to the father and son Friday morning, especially when Sprint Cup regular Michael Waltrip stopped his golf cart outside the gates of the driver compound.
Within seconds, Waltrip was swarmed by adoring fans eager for a memento and lifelong memory. Waltrip’s signature was enough to send the son off in a joyous dance. The father smiled and thanked Waltrip.
It’s a clear sign that the attraction and magic of NASCAR is still strong and that, while there might be dark clouds and a few empty seats on the horizon, the overall picture from Bristol is still bright.
agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544
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