I blame my father for this NASCAR addiction.

To be a fly on the wall of his home, while our family watches a race on Sunday, would be quite embarrassing.

When his favorite driver, Kevin Harvick, is going for the lead, my father gets so excited he’ll grab your leg and squeeze it like a vise.

“Now that’s a man’s man!” he’ll shout. And when Harvick is getting close to the lead, everyone within arm’s reach of my father will move across the room, out of range because Dad’s squeeze really hurts.

Minutes before Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the Daytona 500, my Dad turned his easy chair upside down. Some of us threw pillows at the television. There was a lot of yelling and pacing back and forth. We did all these things because we couldn’t bear to watch. It was too tense. Everyone’s blood pressure surely was sky high. I was hoarse for two days.

My name is Jen Lizotte. I am the assistant to the editor here at the newspaper, and no one will sit next to me at races, either. When a driver I like gets close to the lead, I get so excited I start yelling -- at the TV! Most everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE racing.

I have asked to blog about NASCAR and have been told to be myself…so you are in for a treat. I have been watching the sport, and yes it’s a sport, for about 13 years faithfully. Up until Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death in 2001, I was an avid fan. I loved to watch him.

Since his death, I haven’t found that one driver to root for yet. Juan Pablo Montoya is the one I tend to favor right now. I have always had a thing for Ward Burton. Ditto for Jamie McMurray. And of course there is Dale Jr., Tony Stewart and Harvick.

Speaking of Dale Jr., what do you think of him leaving DEI? Any thoughts on where he might go?

I will be watching this Sunday’s race, which is at Dover International Speedway. I will share my reactions to the race on Monday morning and hope that you do the same.

Please send me your thoughts. We’ll take them out on the track for a spin.