The Orange Cone

   People can come up with the silliest twitter accounts, stemming from a spontaneous idea they had. It can change how you look at certain objects, too. You would understand if “the Orange Cone” means anything to you. Ever since the @TheOrangeCone was created, it’s been a Twitter phenomenon, and I, along with the majority of NASCAR Nation have never looked at an orange traffic cone the same way again.

   Before, no one ever had a second thought about those cones that sit along the road or near construction sites. None of the NASCAR TV commentators ever mentioned anything about the orange cone by pit road, and when something happened to it, they didn’t make the comments they do now. Then the Orange Cone started tweeting late July of 2011.

   Ever since, the commentators make note of the “Cone”, and when he gets hit by a car who didn’t quite make pit road entrance right, they say something like “Hope the orange cone is alright. He took a hard hit there.” Now whenever I see an orange cone, I always point it out with a smile, or when I see one that has been run over, I think “ Oh no! They crushed him!” 

   It’s been a lot of fun, from an inanimate object turned NASCAR “Star”, but I think one moment topped them all. During the All-Star race, somebody had moved Cone right on top of the outside SAFER barrier wall, just after the start/finish line! For the first few laps of the first segment, the field of 22 cars zoomed by just inches from where he stood! He never even flinched! Finally, after the first caution, Cone was “saved” by an official, and the race continued on. Twitter loved it! Many people tweeted him, asking about the crazy experience. An epic moment in cone history!

   The Orange Cone has become another fun part of NASCAR, between the jokes, adventures, and sightings. I’ve had a lot of laughs from it, and it has forever changed my view of an orange traffic cone.