The cars are lined up on the track. Excitement rises as the drivers await the Grand Marshall's highly-anticipated go-ahead: "Gentlemen, start your engines!"
The pace car leads the competitors through the green flag and the race begins! Tony Stewart is in the lead with Jeff Burton and Jimmie Johnson close behind. Only two laps into the race, there's a crash. A caution is called and the yellow flag comes out. The pace car leads the slowing racers around the track while the commentator describes the scene:
"There were three cars. First it went like, neeeaow. And this guy slipped and put on the breaks, both into Jamie McMurray, you know, the 17 car. Carl Edwards spinned and now they're in the pits."
Oh, wait! Did you think this was a NASCAR race? No, this is MASCAR: Milo's Association for Stock Car Auto Racing and the track has been my five-year-old’s 50 or so Hot Wheels cars lined up in an oval throughout the apartment. The race location changes daily -- from dining room floor to laundry room floor to kitchen floor. Some days he's racing the Nextel Cup Series, other days the Busch Series.
Milo has become totally engrossed with Nascar since he started watching it this spring with Bob. He knows the "little" race (the Busch series) is usually on Saturdays and the "big" race (the Nextel Cup Series) on Sundays. He knows the meaning of almost all the different coloured flags, the names and car numbers of at least a dozen of the drivers and is beginning to understand the mechanics of driving. He even has special race clothes that he wears only on Sundays.
And as Milo describes the end of the race, with full-body enthuisasm: "When it’s last lap, it is the white flag. And when somebody wins, it’s a checkered flag. Jimmie Johnson is on the left, Matt Kenseth on the right. Jimmie Johnson went on the bottom of the racetrack, it’s his last chance, and, neeeaow, then flew up ahead. And Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag and his third career win!"
I don’t think it could be more exciting than that, even if the details are a little mixed up!
Happy sweeping!
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
