NASCAR Hosts Pre-Race
Poetry Workshops
Las Vegas, NV | As prelude to the deafening roar of stock car engines, many NASCAR enthusiasts are arriving early at the race track to prime their ears with verse.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway's parking lot has been transformed into a flourishing seminar where devotees meet to deliberate the essential elements of poetry: meter, story, image, symbol, idea, voice, and 
trope. The names Virgil, Shakes-peare and Milton are as common-place as Jarrett, Waltrip and Earnhardt. And alcohol has been replaced by sparkling water or herbal tea.
The workshops were the brainchild of racing czars Bruton Smith and Bill France Jr, who have been collaborating on a volume of sonnets.
Participatory enthusiasm often carries over into the race itself. It's not unusual for rival bards to challenge each other to a "speed-verse" tournament, composing a haiku for each lap completed by their favorite driver. For example:
Pit crew watches, waits;
Tire tread and asphalt embrace.
Sweet sigh of relief.
Most drivers themselves are keenly aware of this growing trend, some even forsaking traditional sponsors Winston, Busch and Craftsman to court new patrons like The Discovery Channel, Perrier and Masterpiece Theatre.
For those wishing to make reservations, this week's workshop theme night is "Totally Tetrameter Tuesday."
