1.   At dawn it was grey clouds and rain over the racecourse, but there was no lie-in for the true racing fan.

2.   As a young racing fan, Mike Stefanik discovered early that Stafford Motor Speedway was the preferred track for modified drivers.

3.   Bacharach is an avid racing fan.

4.   But I was always a racing fan.

5.   But no stock-car racing fans are more fervent than those who, like Thomas, live full time at the Speedway.

6.   But there was a moment this year when even the local racing fans ignored the race, and national fans almost missed it.

7.   Devoted racing fans know this.

8.   Every Formula One fan, or racing fan for that matter, has some sort of similar fantasy.

9.   For the purest racing fan, it was marvelous driving.

10.   Horsemen and handicappers, like rank-and-file racing fans, prize reliability above all in their would-be superstar thoroughbreds.