So I confess, I am not quite Southern enough to watch the Daytona 500. Ever. However, I did happen to catch the opening half-hour or so of it a few days ago, and I had a comment.
This year’s National Anthem singer was Trisha Yearwood, and I admit, she did a fantastic job of it. However, while the camera was panning around the stadium, and specifically the racers, I noticed something a little unfortunate. Out of all the racers shown, and while they did not show all of them, they did show a few, only Michael Waltrip had his right hand placed over his heart.
This is, indeed, a small gesture, and potentially a smaller custom (with its origins buried away in the United States Flag Code), but due to its smallness, you would think that more people would take the little amount of time and effort necessary to observe it.
Mayhap I, myself, am from a smaller, older time… but should the cause ever arise for me to pick a Daytona racer for whom to cheer, Waltrip is currently at the top of the list.
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The real Daytona race to watch is the 200, the Bike race on Saturday March 8. BMW is even fielding a bike this year, ridden by former local-guy-AFM-racer, NorCal’s Brian Parriott.
The third corner (I think) is always nasty since it’s on the opposite side of the first two warmed-up tires and it’s cold. Lotta bikes go down there, and also after coming off the banking onto the infield and going the other way. Two-wheels good, four wheels bad!
Well, the crashes certainly look a lot more painful on bikes than in cars… though cars have a lot more spare bits and pieces to toss up in the air when they t-bone the wall. Anywise, like I said, I was never really much of a race fan in general… it was sheer happenstance that I came across the opening sequence of the 500.
Bikes are more fun to ride than watch, I’m with you there either way.
I noticed a similarity during the National Anthem during the Superbowl. As they dollied down the lines of each team, most players had their hands at their sides or behind. The only one I noticed singing along was Strahan. Kinda sad really.