I am, admittedly, not a NASCAR fan.  But like most other recent college graduates, I am a Will Ferrell fan, which is the main reason I was excited to see a sign on the road between Memphis and Atlanta that read: Talladega Speedway.  I called a friend of mine who is into NASCAR (really he’s a good guy, though) to tell him, and he laughed.  Apparently, NASCAR has two races a year at Talladega, and apparently, one of them happened to be going on that day, a fact that became apparent as we drove by a sea of RVs, Confederate flags, and discarded beer cans. 

It’s my understanding that between 300 and 500 THOUSAND people were in attendance, either in the speedway or parked on the lot outside.  I think Tony Stewart won. 

“All that just to watch a bunch of guys drive around in circles,” I marveled as we drove past, four hours of road behind us and another two and a half ahead. 

“What’s the appeal of all that driving?”