When Karrie Webb lines up a putt on the 18th green at LPGA International, you just hear birds singing, because only wildlife have the temerity to defy the quiet please signs held up by course marshals. Auto racing is one of the loudest and rudest of competitions, where it s acceptable to bump your competitor s 3,400-machine with your own while both of you are traveling nearly 200 miles per hour. Things get louder and meaner when Gordon races well. Competitors are careful not to step on each other s putting lines, much less sneeze while an opponent is preparing to hit.
Fans don t yell nasty things at golfers.
They watch with reverence, applaud for good shots and moan over poor ones. And they know they d better stand still and be quiet when the marshals raise the signs, otherwise they will be escorted from the course, posthaste. Worlds apart, these two. Daytona International Speedway is definitely the big brother, a hub of noisy activity 12 months per year. Daytona 200, an event more popular with Europeans than Americans.