02-19-2008

Why Is That Flag Checkered, Anyway?

In case you missed it, the 50th running of the Daytona 500 (often referred to as the Super Bowl of racing) on Sunday kicked off the 2008 NASCAR season. One of the fastest growing spectator sports in America, NASCAR draws in plenty of followers who don't know a restrictor plate from an alternator. Now, thanks in part to Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, racing's newer fans can master the finer points of NASCAR lingo and strategy.

On FOX Sports on msn.com, "synthetic interviewing," developed by ETC faculty Scott Stevens and Michael Christel, allows visitors to "Ask the Pros" about the aspects of racing that puzzle them. Images of three FOX Sports NASCAR Analysts "respond" to questions that site visitors type in at a prompt. Hard-core gearheads who are more well-versed in the finer points of engine mechanics have ample reason to stop by, too — like the opportunity to make racing legend Darrell Waltrip utter his trademark phrase "Boogity boogity boogity" on demand. As the season goes on, more answers will be posted at the site, so visit often!

Kelli McElhinny