Signs You Are Addicted to Racing #1: You Love Qualifying

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 27, 2006.

I love Qualifying.  I love sitting at the track and watching one car after another run a couple laps.  It doesn't matter if it is a stock car, a midget or a sprint car (with or without wings).  I love qualifying.

That said, I don't mind heat races to set the field for a race.  Some  tracks have dropped single car qualifying in favor of heat races.  Although heat races can be fun and does shorten the time at the track, it can also tear up the cars unnecessarily. (Not that you can't crash, trash your engine or flip on your qualifying run, but it is less likely). 

I prefer the single car qualifications.  Trying to guess whether the car on the track was faster than the car before it or whether the line the car takes in the corners matters is a source of endless fascination to me.   And, if you can use a scanner, the teams are generally more relaxed and joking around than they are during the race.

I even like watching qualifying on TV - but that is more because of the interviews done than the efforts on the track. 

I know I am in the minority - several Nascar tracks have free qualifying nights, and the majority of the crowd at the dirt track shows up about an hour after qualifications start.  I'm sure it is a sign of my addiction to racing.

As much as the sound of the field taking the green flag will get my heart pounding, the whir of one engine is music to my ears.