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Legendary Virginia Tech Football Coach Opens Up About His Romance With NASCAR Racing During Tony Stewart’s SRX Appearance

Published 07/28/2023, 4:19 PM EDT

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The third race of Tony Stewart’s co-owned team, SRX Series on Thursday surely caused a furor among stock car enthusiasts. The Superstar Racing Experience Series is assuredly garnering attention from individuals related to various fields of sport, and why not? The series, which is in its second season, has tried to create diversity by including motor racers from various spectrums, including the Cup Series and IndyCar.

And keeping with the promises and the hype, the races witnessed a tooth-and-nail battle among the drivers in order to earn a victory, as they were unwilling to budge an inch and kept their eyes on the goal set. However, given the competitive streak of the drivers, on-track debacles were a common sight, especially in Thursday’s race. 

However, among all the on-track ruckus, the race witnessed an unexpected guest who divulged his love for motor racing.

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The former NFL coach reveals his love for NASCAR

The SRX race on Thursday marked the third race out of the six-race season, and for which a multitude of veteran drivers braced the track and took their seats behind the wheel in their maiden appearances. However, the most welcomed and revered guest for the race was the veteran and the Hall of Famer coach of Virginia Tech, Frank Beamer.

Frank Beamer who served as the head coach for 29 seasons for the Hokies and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, served as the Grand Marshal for the race and gave the directive to the drivers to start their engines. 

Seizing the opportunity, Beamer divulged his love for the sport and answered the questions asked by the Fronstretch media. The former coach was asked about his interest in NASCAR, to which, he replied, “I am fine, I am in a good place, a sold-out place, and got these great drivers ready to race and I am excited, really excited.”

Asking about how he grew his interest in the world of stock car racing, Beamer expressed, “I just became a fan, my brother and I went to the race in Bristol and then I have been to Richmond and I have been to Martinsville and been to Charlotte, been to Daytona, so I grew up knowing a lot about racing.”

Watch this Story: NASCAR Driver, Who Got Jeopardized By Kyle Busch, Ends Decade-Long Drought, As Fans Rejoice 

Frank Beamer remained diplomatic in choosing the winner for the race

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The questions did not end for the Hall of Famer, as the journalist asked Frank Beamer if the venue was perfect for hosting a game of football. To this, Beamer retorted, “Well it really would be very neat, I mean it’s the largest crowd I think ever looks like a football game. The seats weren’t so great, they were so far away from the field, but it was a neat idea.”

Continuing on the same lines, the former coach for the Hokies was asked if the team could play in the venue. The coach stated, “I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about that now, it probably could.”

The final question that the Grand Marshal was asked, to which Beamer gave a diplomatic answer without choosing sides, as to who would win the race, was, “Probably the best driver wins.”

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The race was certainly a spectacle for the audience, as they witnessed a living legend playing the role of Grand Marshall and also the veterans of motorsport racing exhibiting their skills. Nevertheless, it was Kyle Busch who took the checkered flag in his debut race.

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Written by:

Ayantika Maitra

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Ayantika Maitra is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. It was initially Formula 1 that made her fall in love with the world of motorsports. But quickly, the raw and unfiltered nature of NASCAR is what led her to build an affinity for the Stock Car Racing Series.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta