NASCAR--Is it a sport?

I have mostly quit watching NASCAR racing because I just do not have time and I must confess--it is sometimes a little boring. Never-the-less, I appreciate the skill and stamina that is required to control an 800 horsepower vehicle traveling 190 miles per hour around a track just inches from other cars on all sides of your car. I have discussed with several unhealthy individuals whether car racing should be considered a sport at all. It seems funny to me that this argument persists in this time of football mania. Let's face it, football is divided into four 15 minute quarters with a break between each and at half-time both teams disappear to be motivated and pampered while the band and pretty girls in sequins entertain the crowd. Even during the 15 minute quarters, almost NOBODY plays the entire time. That is why a highly recruited lineman can weigh 300 pounds and look like the night manager at Krispy Kreme. Some sports, like soccer, require constant running and top-notch conditioning. Soccer has long been less popular in the USA because there is little contact and brute strength involved. Every sport has strengths and reasons to make fun. NASCAR is no exception. However, for those who claim that car racing is for ignorant hillbillies with beer bellies that only need to be smart enough to remember to turn left, I invite you to tell that to Carl who won today and does a backflip from the window of his car after a victory.

Let me know how it turns out.