The title of my friend Derek's video says it all. The whole community here has embraced how significant the events are, both to the area and to a growing sport.
Even cooler, now, is that it's generational. Heck, there are corners on the track that have been worked by the same family for 30 years--the first volunteers were grandpa or grandma, and now it's the grandkids with flags and extinguishers.
The folks who put on the race now have grown up at the track, and as our former mayor said, their kids and grandkids will be there too.
In a broader, feel-good sense, we're all family out there, and the drivers and fans that come from all over the country are just distant relatives that show up twice a year for our reunions. (EDIT: I see that sb4pro said essentially the same thing. Not sure how I missed it, but it goes to show that we really feel that way.)