There was a time when the only way to enjoy a NASCAR race was either to attend in person or listen to the MRN radio broadcast. Later that week, the glossy NASCAR magazines and National Speed Sport News would arrive in the mail to fill-in the details of the races and show pictures of the action. My, how times have changed.
The hottest destination right now for NASCAR information is the Twitter.com messaging system. I would highly suggest that fans who get their NASCAR information online jump right in the deep end of this pool. Don't be scared, it's simple and free to sign-up and use. If I can do it, anyone can.
Twitter allows folks to follow the updates (called Tweets) provided by anyone from fan bloggers to the NASCAR TV networks. Jeff Hammond even blogs during the NASCAR on Fox races from the Hollywood Hotel.
Each Tweet is 140 characters long, or about three sentences. Folks like Jayksi update breaking news while reporters like Marty Smith offer previews of new stories and information fans have not yet heard online.
Twitter was suggested to me by an executive of the International Speedway Corporation who thought that updating the topics of my columns each day would benefit my website. It certainly did. Thanks to Lenny Santiago, who is also on Twitter.
Simply by typing NASCAR into the "find people" heading, fans get a good overview of many top NASCAR Twitter contributors to follow. By typing "NASCAR Twitter List" into the Google search page, fans can find various sites that have already done the work of combing through Twitter to find those NASCAR connections.
The benefit of Twitter is that you can easily view it anywhere. Desktops, laptops, Blackberrys, iPhones and even your inexpensive Sprint cell phone can keep you updated with NASCAR or any other sport or entertainment category you wish.
One feature I have enjoyed is the ability to easily add or delete people who I am following from my list. There are no hassles, so when the list gets too big or some organization sends out just a little too much information, they can go away with the click of a single key.
The list of stories on Jayski has always been a great starting place for fans, but Jay and many other popular sites including The NASCAR Insiders, Rowdy, Catchfence and that's racin' provide wonderful updates throughout the day.
So, if you are game to take the plunge, let us know what you think about this unique form of information updating. If you are a veteran Tweeter, let us know how it has been working for you and what you might want new fans to know.
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Thanks once again for stopping by The Daly Planet.