[SmootSmack]

Well, I started casually getting into it when Joe Gibbs got into it. Although, I thought Tony Stewart was a bit of a jack-ass (he was much worse then he is now) I still rooted for Joe Gibbs Racing.

But then, lo and behold I started getting paid to follow NASCAR. So the more time I spent studying it, watching the races (learning that sometimes a bump is a good thing-such as when Stewart gave Hamlin a bump at the 2006 Bud Shoot-Out to push him forward, that sometimes it's the car that's hit that's at fault), talking to drivers and crew chiefs off camera, hanging out in the garages.

That's how I got to really know the sport and the drivers and know how teammates work together and certain teams help other and serve as mentors even though others don't see it.