We're everywhere

I've always believed NASCAR's estimate of 75 million fans to be a tad on the generous side. Same with the figures touted in the economic-impact studies you see when a multibillion-dollar corporation is trying to get the taxpaying public to foot the bill for a new track or hall fo fame.

But there's no denying there are a lot of us out here. And it sometimes surprises people where we can pop up.

Courtney Craven, a nice lady I've met through my work with ThatsRacin.com, tells a story that illustrates the point.

She made another trip to New York City a couple of weekends ago, self-proclaimed city girl that she is, to visit family. While there, she took in the Sunday matinee of a Broadway play. (She probably told me what play; sorry, but I didn't file that information to the internal Checkered Past hard drive.)

And during intermission, a patron sitting right in front of her pulled out a cell phone and called her husband, who was taking in the Nextel Cup race at Michigan Speedway.

So C.C., also a self-proclaimed Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, was able to get an update on how her driver was doing.

Other than that, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Her story reminded me of my visit to Pinehurst No. 2 and the U.S. Open a couple of weeks ago. It was really cool to get the chance to even be there and to see some of the world's best golfers playing one of the world's best courses.

Never mind that the USGA set the course up to play very hard and to bring out the very worst in the world's best golfers. It was almost as if Humpy Wheeler had turned his ill-fated "levigation" process loose on the place, but I digress ...

My guest and I found ourselves walking past the State of North Carolina hospitality tent (who knew that state officials enjoy many of the same costly perks as the corporate folks at major golf tournaments?). As I shared a couple of one-liners about Gov. Mike Easley's apparent difficulty behind the wheel of a race car and how he nonetheless insists on climbing into one to help promote the state's motorsports industry, I noticed a gentleman walk out of the state tent and stop right in his tracks.

"I never thought I'd hear people talking about racing at the U.S. Open," he said, extending a hand. It was Ed McLean, who heads up the North Carolina Motorsports Association, the lobbying group that works on behalf of the racing industry.

As he and I agreed, and as Courtney's story also attests, racing fans don't always fit many of the sterotypes and there's no telling where you're going to find us.