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Well, I may be the only person south of the Mason Dixon line who had not already seen the moving story of Dale Earnhart, from the ESPN special - but I caught up this weekend.

It was a great story - and for someone who is a die hard Indy car fan - that is saying a lot. It never ceases to amaze me - or impress me - when someone really finds their niche and is able to spend their life doing what they love. MOre importantly, it helped clear up some things - like how the kids fit in and why Jr used the number 8 - which belonged to his grandfather, Ralph Earnhart, a man presented in the movie to be even more aggressive a driver than Dale Sr.

The best part, however, were the special features on the DVD. There was interview after interview of people who knew the real man - the one who visited hospitals and bought plane tickets for friends to see their ailing mothers - the one who loved his children and pushed them to succeed, the one who loved his wife and strived to be a better man.

I have become a NASCAR fan - mostly because racing brings such fond memories of growing up in Indianapolis. As kids, we went to the 500 for many years - and it was always a big event as my parents friends rolled into town for the big race. I thought about walking to the track , toting coolers and bags and seat cushions on our march to the Indy 500.
Watching the Brickyard 400 last weekend, I was so impressed by the reverence the track brings - how so many NASCAR drivers are honored to even be at the track - let alone win at the track. And maybe that has been the final bit of my conversion - these are guys who are living their dream, and it is a joy to behold.