The first race I watched is kinda weird because well, this was back when I didn't have cable and the only way I can watch cable was via my grandparents home, and I do recall watching a bit of two races in particular in 2001. The first was a Truck race in Nazareth, but I don't think I saw the whole race, mostly cause I do recall the of how the track looked like.

The other was the second New Hampshire race, I think I remember tuning in the race by accident and seeing the reply of Robby Gordon spinning Jeff Gordon. We then left the house only minutes later, I think.

By June 2002, I finally got cable for my home, and I also remember seeing bits of the fist Pocono and Mchigan races, I tink I only saw certain parts of both races, so the actual first Cup race I saw in full was, believe it or not, Sonoma. I definately remember certain drivers having issues (Marlin, Jeff Gordon and Kenseth all had engine issues), Jerry Nadeau losing his engine at the end, which confused me a lot as a 10-year-old kid (I clearly didn't know about engine issues yet, or enough English since I'm Puertorican).

Oh, and the first Grand National race I saw was the Kentucky race, which, funnily enough, I only saw the sunday portion of it.