Today is the Daytona 500

The 4 years I spent in Indiana made me something of a NASCAR fan. I know, and I like it, but it's not necessarily my favorite competition out there. For example, I am spending my snowy Sunday toggling between the Purdue-Ohio State game and the Wild-Red Wings.
That said, knowing what I know about stock car racing, I would be remiss if I didn't note the importance of today. 10 years ago, Dale Earnhardt was killed at the end of the Daytona 500 that his friend Michael Waltrip won, and his son Dale Jr. finished second in. It's not a stretch to say that no single incident has affected another sport, both in the way that the game is played and in the long term emotional impact like Earnhardt's death affected NASCAR, and it's hard to imagine that another sport will see such a traumatic event on such a large stage.
So, mock NASCAR all you want, that's your perrogative, but remember that today is a very special day for race fans, and it has almost nothing to do with the race in Florida.