COLUMN: Class warfare even the Republicans can love

            I bet lots of NASCAR fans are watching the Rolex 24 endurance race on Speed (the satellite/cable channel) this weekend. At this point, they’d watch Rally Wheelbarrows from Namibia. Or Monster Front-End Loaders from the Yukon Territory.

            It’s not enough that NASCAR engines don’t rev in anger from before Thanksgiving till after Valentine’s Day. Daytona testing doesn’t count. They rev but not in anger.

            The twice-round-the-clock classic began Saturday afternoon, complete with Corvettes, Dallaras, Ferraris, Lolas and the like. Oh, yeah, and an English dude on what one is tempted to call play-by-play but is really lap-by-lap. Or, at the Rolex, hour-by-hour.

            His name is Calvin Fish. Maybe one day he’ll be Sir Calvin Fish, like Sir Jackie Stewart, who began it all by calmly informing the drivers in his Scottish brogue, “Drivers, start your engines.” (“Druhyvuhs, staht yuhr enguhns.”) Soon I’ll see my fill of stock car racing. I’ll gladly settle for some “mohtuhr rehsin’” right up until Sunday’s exciting and fatigued conclusion.

            In NASCAR, slow cars are sometimes referred to as “moving chicanes.” In the endurance-racing version of Daytona International Speedway, there’s a real one near the end of the back straight, which Daytona wants us all to call the Superstretch but none of us with any sense will.

            I’ve been to the Rolex three times and enjoyed it. One of my favorite experiences ever was watching the race at midnight from a Ferris wheel. I wouldn’t want to follow it too closely. On the time in question, I hung around most of the afternoon, usually in the “horseshoe” section of the infield, watching really fast cars gobble up cars from the somewhat less fast classes like sharks hitting a school of tuna.

            I went to a Stetson University basketball game, then returned to the track, glistening so brightly at night, and watched the race from the Ferris wheel. I got so carried way I bought a Ferrari sweatshirt. Once I wore it to Rockingham just to tick folks off.

            Shhh. Don’t tell the Republicans about this Rolex 24. It’s class warfare. The primary down there isn’t till Tuesday. Before you know it, Newt Gingrich will be promising Rolex races on the moon.

Monte Dutton; 704-869-1841; twitter.com/montedutton