More to the point, they fail to recognize the various glories of auto racing, including its longstanding habit of flipping off the Grim Reaper at every opportunity. Their presence on earth also assures us that the animals and plants whose bodies have been transformed into petroleum products did not live and die in vain. But the most glorious aspect of all is the fact that racing represents a total rejection of several negative cultural developments. Races open with a prayer and a showing of the national colors, both of which are reverently received despite the fact that many fans are ingesting booze at a ferocious clip. Because prayer has now been officially deemed as a private ritual, the sight of 100,000 or so bowed heads at a non-religious gathering is a reminder of how much religion once infused American life.
Pious heads return to earth at the start of the engines.
These horses roar. Because sound begets sound, soon enough the audience is roaring as well. This is helped along by the fact that race patrons are allowed to bring in their own alcohol, which is in great contrast to other professional sports, which not only insist that the public pay for stadiums through tax increases but mercilessly gouge the drinking public. This spirit of lives lived full is reflected in other ways. A seemingly large portion of the crowd does not make a fetish of counting calories, and should the lights suddenly go out the red glow of burning tobacco products would fully illuminate the track and allow the race to proceed.