I stopped watching or attending NASCAR Winston Cup (or whatever its a called now) races when Dale Earnhardt Sr died in a crash as I did Formula 1 when Aryton Senna did the same. They were both arguably the best ever in those classes and in both cases, I had already seen enough favorites like Neil Bonnett get killed, burned or maimed , that their passing was closure for me on those classes. Anyways, I’d always preferred dirt track racing, sprint cars or midgets on the half mile or motorcycles on the half mile, one mile or TT tracks. It’s just impressive seeing those guys get all that weight (in the case of the cars) or their bikes sideways through the turns, slinging tacky mud well into the grandstands. I spent a good number of years as an action racing photographer within feet of the action and it is a rush (well, not quite the rush as when they are out of control coming at you). @Ivan is right, these guys are intensely competitive and they tend to live their lives intensely as well. Although the local track closed quite a few years ago, I still count a former motorcycle pro a close friend and many others as good acquaintances I always looked forward to seeing when in town. The local tracks that remain are paved and it’s just not the same racing to me.