I ain't no gear head ... but I'm on my way

I'm still working on the Monday Morning Fallout -- yes, I realize it's Tuesday, but yesterday was President's Day, and I have a nursery to prepare with a baby on the way in a couple of weeks, so cut me some slack -- so here's a little somethig to whet your whistle until I get a chance to break down the weekend of college hoops.

I feel like I'm admitting something by saying that I not only watched the Daytona 500 ... I liked it.

There, I said it. I feel liberated.

I have to admit, I've never been much into NASCAR. I've tried and tried to get into it, but my lack of understanding of the finer points of what's going on -- the thing that makes other sports enjoyable to me -- always prevented me from appreciating it. However, I decided that I was going to watch this year's Daytona 500, figuring that so many fans can't be wrong.

I had a blast watching it, and I came away from the race hooked on the sport for a few reasons:

1. Racing is spectacular in HD with surround sound. I had tried watching Daytona on an older TV in years past, and it doesn't even compare. The breathtaking views alone kept me interested.


2. ESPN's new "NASCAR Now" that aired all week in the spot that is normally occupied by "Pardon the Interruption" was great. I originally was upset that PTI was taking a break, but I came away far more educated about the sport and its nuances, especially with all the suspensions and fines. I don't know how it came off to die-hard fans, but the fact that I now know what a manifold is was great for this newbie.


3. That finish! Wow! I don't have a lot of knowledge about NASCAR's rules, but after that kind of a race, I can't see how NASCAR could have finished it any other way. It just would not have been fair, as the crash behind them had absolutely no effect on the leaders and did not present an unsafe situation. (As an aside, Martin's immediate -- and continuous -- lament of "I thought they were going to throw the yella" comes off as a bit of sour grapes.)

I do wish there would have been fewer crashes -- all of those breaks in the action, especially the last drawn out caution -- really steal away momentum. It was akin to a basketball game being stopped for 15 minutes because of a clock problem with two minutes to go in a tie game. But the bottom line for me? Had NASCAR chosen to end that race under caution, they definitely would not have hooked me as a fan. Now, I'll be tuning in next week to the Auto Club 500.