That First Race (in the Eyes of Michelle Beadle)

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Do you remember the first race you attended? As a long-time race fan, I always like to hear about a person's first experience at the track. So that's why it was so much fun to listen to Michelle Beadle's podcast this week. Michelle, who is the co-host of ESPN's SportsNation, was part of a NASCAR "emersion" program that allows ESPN on-air personalities and producers to learn more about NASCAR. As part of the program, she participated in the Richard Petty Driving Experience, got a personal tour of Hendrick Motorsports (and Rick Hendrick's private car collection), and was assigned to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. That meant being in the pits, moving tires, and sitting on the pit box during Saturday night's Charlotte race. Oh, and she rode along with Junior and Kyle Busch during the pre-race activities.

Michelle admitted that she was "one of those people who made fun of NASCAR." But she said she was wrong and that she "had a blast." Beadle called it "one of the best experiences I've had in my sports career so far."

While watching the events transpire after Dan Wheldon's tragic accident on Sunday, Beadle said the experience "really just put everything into a perspective that I never would have had." She noted that "it's such a close-knit group," that "the fans are right on top of everything," and that "the access is unlike anything I've seen in my life." She said, "It really just brought home how scary, how exciting, how dangerous every race has the potential to be."

I've always believed that NASCAR is like hockey. You have to see it live to really appreciate it. So it looks like there might be another NASCAR fan in the world, and I hope Michelle goes to another race soon. And maybe one day we all can participate in the NASCAR "emersion" program.