NASCAR: a culture or cult?

I don't get NASCAR - but apparently I am in the minority as millions of people watch or attend NASCAR events making it the most watched spectator sport (I believe even more so than the Superbowl). (Interesting factoid: in 2006, the NYPD came out with the statistic that, on average, six people die per weekend at a NASCAR event.) I think I want to understand it though because it is a marketer's goldmine: fans takeover entire towns (restaurants, hotels, bars, wal-marts, etc) and who needs to worry about viewers skipping commercials?? The ads are going round and round the track on the car, the driver, and the team. But how did it get to be this way? And what kind of dues would I have to pay to gain entry to such a clan? I missed my opportunity this past weekend at RIR, but it got me thinking about all the buying power the NASCAR fan community has. Wouldn't every marketer want a bit of it?

To be continued . . .