Many Hollywood types keep their NASCAR passion to themselves. Last 
week one of NASCAR's most die-hard, rabid, dyed-in-the-wool fans, Kim Kardashian, outed herself. Kardashian's secret love affair with stock cars is the stuff of legend in Hollywood gossip circles. Last weekend, Kim squeezed into her typical Sunday afternoon attire (hot pink race suit) and courageously displayed her 
NASCAR fandom to the world. 

You may think of her as self-obsessed celebutante, a portmanteau of  vapidness and lip gloss who loves drawing attention to herself... but she also loves racing. 

Why does Kim Kardashian love NASCAR? Could it be the fast cars, the boyish charm of Kasey Kahne and the Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog?  Kim loves NASCAR for these simple reasons:


1. Face time with Mike Bliss



Reggie Bush may be her boyfriend, but former Truck Series Champion Mike Bliss is her dreamboat. To be near him is heaven. To take in his sweet scent (a mixture of old spice and gasoline) is like the ocean breeze, coming off the shore of Atlantic City. Her devotion runs so deep that, just as an excuse to be near him, she sponsored his No. 36 Chevy in the Vegas race.

2. NASCAR is One of the Last Bastions of Jumpsuits

NASCAR, astronaut camp and janitor conventions are the only appropriate places to wear jumpsuits anymore
. Try wearing a hot pink jumpsuit to the opening a Hollywood's hottest club and you'd never be invited to Paris Hilton's Fourth of July "Hooray America, We Did It" Party. Race weekends Kim relaxes at home in a custom-fit jumpsuit, tweeting race updates from her bedazzled blackberry under the alias "KimNASCARdashian"   

3. Dale Jarrett 1993 Daytona Victory

In 1993, an unknown rookie with an upstart racing team (Joe Gibbs Racing), ran down Jeff Gordon and Dale Sr. with help from Geoff Bodine to take the checkered flag at the Daytona 500. "That's when I fell in love with racing." says Kim. "Watching that race was like that moment from 'The Hills' when Spencer and Heidi got married, I was like, totally crying my eyes out."

4. To Escape The Snippy Tabloid World
Too often in the petty world of Hollywood, people will gossip about you and write unflattering things. Race weekends are the only time in the week when Kim can hear things like "she's loose on entry" and "they're giving her a wedge adjustment" and relax knowing those folks are talking about cars and not about her.

5. Swap Makeup Secrets With Car Engineers

Once you find a good barber, you keep him. And once you find a good source of eyeliner that doesn't run when you're crying because Khloe just married a Laker and gets to hang out with Kobe at parties and you're stuck hanging out with your mom because Reggie is busy celebrating his Super Bowl win, you hold onto that eyeliner, even if it's actually axle grease used by NASACR car engineers.