“One of the big things that I believe that makes the sport so successful is the stars of the sport are very accessible to the fans which is not typical of other major sports. I was making a comment to a friend of mine when we were watching the qualifying, it is amazing to me, that right up until race time, these guys are still accessible to the fans and signing autographs. You would never get that close to any other athlete in any other sport. The fact that the drivers, the stars of the sport, that are that approachable and they understand what drives the sport. They understand it and the fans understand that and that is what made it so appealing for sponsors to get involved. I don't know that in football while I was playing or even now, that players really understand or appreciate what drives the sport. In NASCAR they seem to have a pretty good feel for it.”
Q
CAN YOU IMAGINE A HALF HOUR BEFORE GAME TIME SOMEBODY WALKING UP TO YOU AND ASKING FOR YOUR AUTOGRAPH?
TROY AIKMAN
“It just wouldn't be possible. My reaction would probably be amazement. I know how I was getting ready for a football game; I was pretty regimented in my approach to getting ready. These guys are pretty remarkable in that sense that they are that accessible that close to race time and what they are doing is obviously extremely dangerous to be travelling at those speeds with that many cars on the track, and yet for them to take the time out to visit with people and people walk through the garages and what have you.
“It is amazing to me and like I said, I think that is one of the reasons, obviously there are a number of reasons but that is one primary reasons that why the sport has become as popular as it is because these fans really feel like they identify with these drivers and often times they are able to reach out and touch them.”
