We headed up the road a piece to find our Fan of the Week. In addition to the cool picture she sent it, we liked her idea of what she would do if she ran NASCAR. That might actually work, too.

Name: Sharon Cole    

From:   Black Mountain, NC

Age: Thirty-something

Occupation:  Secretary/Timekeeper

How long have you been following racing:   I’ve been into for 16 years now

How did you get started:   I used to baby sit for my cousin and he is a big time Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan. I used to argue opposite of him. If he pulled for Dale Sr., I'd pick some Ford driver just to aggravate him. 

Who was your first favorite driver, and why:   Once I started watching racing weekly, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was my favorite.

Who is your favorite now, and why:   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. because I like his "down to earth" personality and humbleness.

What is your favorite driver’s best racing moment: Winning the Daytona Pepsi 400 in July, 2001. 

How many races do you attend a year:   I get to two, if not at least one race each year.

Best race you ever saw on TV or in person:  The Winston in 1995.  Several of my girlfriends attended the Winston.  I believe it was back in 1995 when

Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. tangled and they both went out of the race.  My girlfriends and I were all rooting for our favorite driver and once the No. 3 was out of it, six out of eight girls were ready to go home.   Even though it took us four hours to get from Lowe’s Motor Speedway to Independence Boulevard, that race had your attention from the start until the end.  A great time!

What is your favorite track for racing:   Daytona and Bristol are my two favorite tracks.

If your favorite driver came to your town, where would take him and what would you do: First of all, I'd introduce him to all my friends so they would know that he was really hanging with me in person and not just in my mind.     We'd go hang out at the lake or go 4-wheeling OR take him to my nephew's house and they could play video games, because I play and my nephew constantly beats me.   

If you worked at DEI, what would you like to do: Well, since I know nothing about cars except how to put gas in and take it for an oil change, I'd probably like to do PR or administrative secretarial work.

If you ran NASCAR for a day, what rule would you change, add or delete: NASCAR  has such a tough job, but I'd probably up the suspensions and lower the fines for rules infractions.  

Suspensions seem to get people's attention where monetary fines are just paid and nothing is learned. If you take a racing person from the environment which they love so much, maybe they'd learn their lesson.    However, us fans love it when we see people fight, argue or get in trouble!  That's racing, huh?