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The McKee family of Fayetteville is eagerly awaiting the start of the 2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Race Weekend, which begins Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And even when the race concludes, Jina McKee will still be able to get a NASCAR fix, thanks to David Price. Price owns Race Team Depot in Fayetteville, where most of the merchandise is plastered with the NASCAR logo, including bike helmets, hats, T-shirts, jackets, license plates and decals. McKee, a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, said Price sells just about everything a NASCAR fanatic could want. "What people don't understand is that when I wear a Dale Earnhardt Jr. shirt, I feel like I'm a member of his family," she said. "We are all joined together by the color red and I feel special." McKee's collection of Earnhardt paraphernalia includes pajama bottoms, hat, cooler, hat pin, jacket and visor. "I bought just about all of it from Race Team Depot," she said. "And if David doesn't have what I want, he helps me find it." He loves every aspect of cars — working on them, fixing them up and talking about them. If he had his way, he might be a race car driver. "It's a passion. You get a tingling from it," Price said. "It's not just about how fast you go, but how you use your brain. You've got to be calculating and out-anticipate your competition and it's that competition that drives me." Price's passion for autos was sparked by his uncles, who were "kind of like brothers" to him. "They took me under their wings and let me get dirty with them," Price said. "It made me feel special, and I could help and learn." Price realized that if he couldn't be a race car driver, he could sell racing merchandise. While reading a racing magazine, he saw an advertisement. Race Team Collectibles, which sold racing paraphernalia in Fayetteville, was looking for a new owner. The deal was signed in 2000. Price moved the store across the street into a newly built shopping center about two years ago. Of the items Price sells, his most popular is the die-cast race car, with hats coming in a close second. "People feel like they are supporting their driver or team by buying a product," he said. "Hats are popular because it's [fans'] way of being a part of the race. What wins on Sunday sells on Monday." This is cache, read story here
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