FanFest will draw crowds

I guess we get to test my theory this weekend.

I've come to believe that the appeal of NASCAR over the past decade is more about celebrity than competition. I tend to think that many of the new fans (you know . . . your mom, your sister, the uncle who never really cared for any sport at all) would rather watch Junior Earnhardt comb his hair than watch a race that didn't involve Junior Earnhardt.

Now the test of my theory. I suspect there'll be a pretty big crowd at the speedway this Friday and Saturday for the two-day "FanFest" event. Normally, these things are planned around the NASCAR testing schedule, but since NASCAR "banned" testing for the time being, the on-stage interviews and accompanying autograph sessions are stand-alone events.

The racing, for a lot of folks, is secondary. It's all about the personalities: Who you like, who you hate, etc.

That's why they'll show up in the same numbers as they do during a normal testing week. And I'll feel so smart, no one will be able to live with me.

But on the off-chance I'm wrong, I reserve the right to blame the cold weather.

Check out the events of FanFest here.