Every day economists, reporters and financial ‘experts’ remind us that we are in a recession the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Great Depression.

Americans are scared. Jobs are being lost, retirement funds are evaporating, homes are being foreclosed on and the future looks very dim.

So what’s the average person to do? Dig a hole; hide until it’s over? Hunker down and wait for the good times to return? Not hardly.

One thing people continue to do is follow their favorite sport.

Sports have always played an important role in American society. Competitive sports serve to help get our minds off our troubles. We can take a football to the park and gather with our friends for a little game of touch, or smile as our children play little league. Or switch on the TV and watch our favorite pro team, or driver. Sports can give us something to cheer for in a world where there is very little to cheer about.

But during what some are saying is one of the darkest periods in American history, sports can take on another role.

See, no amount of bailout money, government program or economic stimulus will get the economy headed back in the right direction faster then if as many of us Americans as possible simply do one thing: Spend.

Last week at Texas Motor Speedway thousands of fans turned out and saw a pretty good race. No, the stands weren’t full  And no doubt not as many t-shirts, cups of beer or hot dogs were sold.  But NASCAR fans were still there.  The money still flowed, the racers still raced and people still cheered.

And that’s just the kind of scene that needs to play out all across America if we ever hope to see the light of the economic day again.

We have to take control ourselves and show that we aren’t afraid to buy the things we can with what we have. And seeing the thousands of fans at a racetrack shows that despite the gloom and doom, people are willing to open their wallets and put money back into an ailing economy.

One of my favorite NASCAR drivers of all time is veteran Mike Skinner. Not just because of the talent he has behind the wheel, but because after nearly three decades in the sport he isn’t afraid to say what he feels. No PR speak, no prefabricated lines, just plain old honesty.

Skinner admits that the current economic picture is the bleakest he’s ever seen, but he knows a sure way to turn it around.

“We can come out of it,” Skinner said. “All people have to do is turn loose their wallet and get doing what we were doing.”

In other words, we’ve been beat up, battered, and bruised, but we can fight back.

Everyone’s situation is different. I’m just one example. Late in 2008 I decided to buy my first ever house. I felt the timing was right and the foreclosure market meant deals were there to be had. I also felt secure in my job with a major news organization.

I closed on a house, one that was almost $100,000 below market value, in early January and moved in shortly after.  Then two days before my first mortgage payment was due I was called into the boss’s office and told my position had been eliminated.

For several days I was in a state of shock. It was the kind of feeling you have when a dear relative or close friend dies unexpectedly.

And I was scared.

After about a week though, I told myself that I was the only person who can make it better. I picked myself up and dusted myself off knowing that nothing can keep me down for long.

No, I still don’t have a full-time job.  But I realized I have some savings, a wife who decided to work longer hours for the time being and I have the ability to make a few bucks here and there freelancing. We just made our second mortgage payment and while we may not be planning any vacations or expensive dinners parties we know that we can, and will, make it.

Seeing those fans in the stands at Texas gave a lot of people and me something that this country needs right now; Hope. Hope that eventually everything will be back to normal again.

With what little I have I’m spending what I can and that’s the point. I’m not waiting for any government bailout, or economic stimulus. The more we spend, the faster this economy will turn around. Maybe I can’t buy a car right now, nor can I afford to do the renovations on the new house I’d hoped to do, but that will change. A new job will come about, and until then I’ll keep fighting.

For those that can, though, cars need to be bought and houses need to be closed on. Think about it -- never has there been a better time to buy a car. Prices are at rock bottom and several of the automakers will even make the payments should the buyer lose their job. Home prices are still way down and bargains are plentiful.

The money is starting to flow, but we have to keep it going. Seeing the fans at Texas, and those that will be in Nashville this weekend and Phoenix the following week, proves that there are people who aren’t afraid to spend money. And the rest of us shouldn’t be either.

Let’s dig ourselves out of this hole, roll up our sleeves, and thumb our noses at those who continue to give a dark forecast.

“Right now,” Skinner said, “Everyone is holding on to their wallet. Americans just need to do what we do.”

And one of the things we do best is take control of our own destiny.

The rest of America needs to see thousands of cheering fans at a NASCAR race. Let them see that the NASCAR Nation isn’t afraid. That’s the kind of example that needs to be set, the kind that gave me hope and can give hope to the rest of the world.

Let’s go racing, boys.  And soon the good times will be rolling again.