Viral video gives a sense of the jaw-dropping speed and power of NASCAR stock cars

• The only way to truly appreciate the speed and sound of NASCAR is to see it live.

• Video shows fans literally being blown away as cars raced past them at Daytona 500.

• It is still hard to appreciate the sound in a video, but this clip helps illustrate the speed and power.

The cars of NASCAR are 3,200-pound beasts that travel nearly 200 mph. However, despite their best efforts, it is almost impossible to appreciate how fast and powerful the cars truly are unless you are at the race.

One fan video that has gone viral gets non-NASCAR diehards a little closer to appreciating what the drivers are dealing with on one of their fastest tracks.

The video, taken at the Daytona 500 and shared by the Twitter account @How_Things_Work, shows fans up against the fence literally being blown away as the cars speed by. One lady even has her glasses knocked off her face.

NASCAR broadcasts get the fans a little closer during their "Crank it up!" segments — something I wish Formula One broadcasts would do more of — where the announcers shut up, and those watching at home can let their senses be flooded by nothing but the cars. However, it is still not representative of the in-person experience.

The viral video still doesn't give viewers a true sense of just how loud the race can be. When I attended my first NASCAR race, I had already been to F1 races and expected it to be loud. And yet, even F1 cars did not adequately prepare me for what came during the NASCAR race.

Let's just say, if somebody offers you earplugs at a NASCAR race, take them with gratitude. Don't do what I did and try to macho your way through it.

Another thing the video does help us appreciate more is the work of NASCAR photographers and how they can keep these cars in focus.

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