Like slowing into a race-track turn and accelerating out of it, enjoying a tall, cold one goes hand in hand with watching a sports event, such as Saturday's Food World 300 at the Talladega Superspeedway.A common sight at the ARCA race was adults with cans of Budweiser, Coors Light, Heineken and other beer as they walked the grounds outside the race track or relaxed in front of RVs at campsites.
Cathy Scott of Gadsden said she enjoys having a beer at the race because of the heat and because "it's a Talladega thing."
Scott was with Donald Espenan of New Orleans, La., who said drinking beer at the Superspeedway "is an Alabama thing. It's part of the local lore."
Espenan, who received the weekend of racing as a birthday present, said he is impressed with the Superspeedway's track. The weekend "is different than Mardi Gras or (New Orlean's) Jazz Fest but entertaining."
John Horner and Pat Norman, both of Memphis, Tenn., spent part of Saturday playing a game of horseshoes in front of their RVs and drinking cans of suds iced in a cooler.
When asked about the connection between beer and watching Superspeedway races, Horner replied, "I will be honest with you. I like beer all the time.
"It's not that racing involves drinking, but racing is something you watch while you drink beer," he said.
He then joked, "We like to think we're red necks, but we're really not."
Like watching a race, playing horseshoes is a great activity while having a beer, but "it turns into a one-handed game," said Norman.
Beer can help fight the heat, make one relax and add to the enjoyment of a sports event, but it can also lead to disruptive and what some consider lewd behavior as blood-alcohol contents increase and inhibitions drop.
Men, loosened by booze, have been known to ask women to flash their chests at Superspeedway events, and women, equally loosened, have done this.
At Saturday's race, one man, beer in hand, was overheard telling his friend to stay close because another man was looking to start a fight. The friend, beer in hand, responded confidently, "let him come."
Among the younger partiers at the race are many parents and their children.
Tomi Selby of Wetumpka, who walked the vendor area outside the track with her daughter, said parents need to be aware of what is going on around them and what their children may see but, as long as things "don't get out of hand and no one gets hurt," drinking is a not problem at races.
Donna Boren of Benton, Ky., who was attending her first race with her children, said she had not seen any person out of control or any inappropriate behavior.
Race weekend continues at the Superspeedway Sunday with the EA SPORTS 500, a NASCAR Winston Cup race.
