Great American emotion at the Great American Race

If there's one thing you can say about Americans, its that we wear our emotions on our sleeves. Whereas those in other countries are sometimes characterized as monotone and unemotional, it just seems people here in the States don't mind letting people know how we're feeling, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

In the NASCAR world, no driver wears his heart on his sleeve quite like our new Daytona 500 champion.

Therefore it came as no surprise when Jamie McMurray had to cover his face for a moment, shielding himself from the watching world as the floodgates opened. In a poignant moment of pure emotion, viewers were able to witness just what the Daytona 500 truly means to the man who takes the checkered flag first.

It was as fitting a reaction to the achievement as the tears the usually calm and cool Matt Kenseth shed while standing in steady rainfall upon being declared the winner of the event. Three years ago, Kevin Harvick was so overcome with emotion after edging Mark Martin for the win that he accidentally broke his rearview mirror off while on his victory lap.

In an age where many NASCAR stars are criticized for, whether they win or lose, having a constant, even keel demeanor, its refreshing to see that the biggest race in the world can bring the participants in a sport its fans view as more macho than any other to such an enthusiastic level.

And for anyone who says there is no crying in NASCAR, they need only consider this: even Dale Earnhardt, perhaps the toughest man to race in NASCAR's modern era, admitted to his eyes watering as he realized he was about to finally win "the Granddaddy of Them All."

McMurray's display in victory lane has been said to have brought many viewers to tears as well, or at least to the verge of them. We were able to see a racer, one who has been star-crossed throughout his career, make good on the sport's biggest stage and then see exactly what he was feeling. It made for great television, the fans being able to connect so strongly with the winner of their biggest race.

One can only hope as the season moves forward, we'll see more victory lane celebrations like Jamie's. Perhaps not with the tears, but just an all-out enthusiasm and thrill of victory as opposed to the "We had a great car, my crew did a great job, thanks to my sponsors, and thank God for Goodyear," script that many winners seem to rehearse during as though its Shakespeare during their cool-down lap.