“Mind Blowing”: A 2x Emmy Winner Reveals NASCAR’s Cultural Shock as an NFL Fan

As they say, you won’t understand NASCAR until you meet some NASCAR fans. Stock car racing, in general, has been known for its unique fan experience, unrivaled by any other sport. However, with NASCAR, the fan-racer dynamics take it a whole step further. It’s a completely unique approach that only ardent fans are familiar with, while others get the shock of their lives. 

That’s what happened when the 2-time Emmy-winning actor Eric Stonestreet got to experience motorsports and the warmth it carries. While discussing his experience with legend Kevin Harvick on the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, he opened up about the differences between NASCAR and his favorite sport. 

Known to be an ardent Kansas City Chiefs fan, he was shocked at the cultural differences between the two sports, stating, “I was like that’s the car right there. That’s Jeff Gordon right over there like I couldn’t believe that everyone was this close to the stuff, right?“ “We’re all right there, and then you literally go from all right, see you guys, into the car. 200 miles an hour, that’s mind blowing to me from that sports perspective,” he added. 

Drawing dissimilarity from the NFL, he highlighted how it’s almost impossible for fans to get that close to the happenings. “I’m a little close to the stuff with the (Kansas City) Chiefs. But the average fan isn’t that close to the stuff. Like I might go down on the field before the game every once in a while and say hi.” 

Sports fans are up for a ride as NASCAR and NFL calendars are set to collide

While an overdose of sports might be good news for some, for most, it gets hectic over time. And with the NFL rolling out its schedule for later this year, multiple dates seem to be colliding with those of NASCAR Cup races. Multiple NFL games would be held on important dates later this year, including September 8th, 15th, and 29th. 

This will be followed by a clash of events on October 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th. Moreover, the same trend would follow into the month of November, where a clash is expected on the 3rd and 10th days of the month. 

What would make this worthwhile for the fans, though, is the sheer difference in the styles of the two sports. While NASCAR is all about that edge-of-the-seat experience, the NFL glues the fans to their chairs. That’s exactly the type of difference Eric Stonestreet was perhaps trying to establish.