By Michelle Lesener

Among the items I have in my NASCAR collection, is a very special three-foot-by-five-foot Chicagoland Speedway flag that is covered in signatures. This flag and the signatures on it symbolize a sport that is a big part of my life, my love, and my passion for NASCAR.

During my previous college experience, my home was a town called Franklin, located just south of Indianapolis. While living there and studying to become a journalist, NASCAR was introduced to me. At first, it was just a sport to listen to and watch on the weekends but soon it became more, My passion for the sport continued to grow, as did my interest in moving beyond the role of being a fan.

As my interest and passion for the sport grew, the internet became one of my greatest resources. Not only did it allow me to learn anything and everything, there is to know about the sport, it allowed me to meet new people, all across the country, that shared my passion for the sport. The internet also gave me the ability to plan my first ever race weekend, which took place at Chicagoland Speedway in July of 2006.

Thanks to all of the friends I made through our shared passion for a driver, and the sport as well, there have been many trips to race tracks across the country. This flag bares the memories of many of those trips, from the local tracks to places as far away as Phoenix, AZ, and Charlotte, NC. Most of the signatures on here are from current drivers, but one on here is from a NASCAR legend, Bobby Allison, a signature added during a trip to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.

In the years since my previous college experience, NASCAR has continued to be a dream for me. I started my own blog a couple of years ago and wrote some personal opinion pieces from time to time, which caught the attention of one of my friends. In the past year, my goal has seemed closer than before, as a friend began a NASCAR blog and asked me to jump on board. Since then, my original role has expanded as the opportunity to be the Nationwide Series lead writer covering one of NASCAR’s top-three series. In addition to the blog, there is also my involvement with a weekly NASCAR radio show – Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk. Taking part in these different activities has helped to rejuvenate me and gives me hope of realizing my NASCAR dreams one day.

NASCAR is a big part of my life and this flag truly represents the fan side of my participation. It reflects how my passion for the sport has grown, and reflects the memories of many trips to many places that may never have happened had it not been for the sport. It is also my passion and motivation to move on to bigger and better activities, like moving beyond my current job and doing something that truly makes me happy.