Scott Riggs (66) and Tony Stewart (20) take warm-up laps before the start of the Samsung 500 April 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. The track will host the Dickies 500 this Sunday at 2 p.m., which is part of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. (Lindsey Perkins)

When I was a student at the University of Maryland, motorsports and NASCAR were not on my radar.

Growing up near the campus, I had long been a fan of ACC football and basketball. I had heard of Richard Petty, David Pearson and the Daytona 500, but was much more interested in the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles, and of course, the Maryland Terrapins.

Early in my broadcasting career I covered a NASCAR race in Darlington, S.C. The comparison to the NFL was immediate and obvious. Football and NASCAR are colorful, fast and exciting, and require skill and courage from the competitors. I won’t say I fell in love with the sport right away, but I left that weekend thinking, “That’s pretty cool. I think I’ll go back.”

I know some of you are thinking, “Dude, it’s just cars going in circles.”

I won’t bore you with the nuances and subtleties of why NASCAR is exciting.

Going back to my “comparison” analogy, NASCAR is football on wheels.

As a racing announcer for NASCAR on FOX and SPEED, I’m proud of the job we do bringing the sport to your home, dorm room or fraternity/sorority house.

But watching NASCAR on television just doesn’t capture the power and excitement of the sport. Simply put, a NASCAR race is an event, a celebration.

SPEED certainly takes what is already an event and makes it unforgettable at every track. The stage will be set up outside the track behind the main frontstretch grandstands at Texas Motor Speedway this Friday through Sunday and everyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy being a part of some of the most entertaining television in sports.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver David Starr, a Houston native, will be on “Trackside Live” with me, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond and Elliott Sadler on Friday at 2 p.m. at the stage.

During the final three weeks of the season, NASCAR travels to Dallas, Phoenix, and Miami. Fans from those cities will start their tailgate parties on Friday and continue the party through the race on Sunday.

Race fans are as passionate about their favorite driver as you are about the Mustangs.

By the way, I’ve looked at your football schedule, and couldn’t help noticing you have a bye weekend before the Homecoming game with Memphis. Why don’t you come out to Texas Motor Speedway and see firsthand what I’m talking about?

The beauty of NASCAR is you don’t have to completely “get” the sport to enjoy it. I’ve always been fascinated by how new fans latch on to certain drivers.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kasey Kahne (for some odd reason young women seem to gravitate towards those two), Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon are some of the stars that generate intense loyalty. Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle fans support their drivers with face painting, colorful jackets and hats, car stickers, coolers and signs.

Sound familiar?

Let’s bottom line this NASCAR experience, football analogies aside. NASCAR races are loud, fast, and colorful. Who doesn’t love that?

Byrnes is a host of “NASCAR on Speed” on the SPEED Network.