My First NASCAR Race

Yesterday, I went to my first NASCAR race - the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway. My sister and brother-in-law are big NASCAR fans and they came down from Nebraska for a weekend of racing. We left bright and early on Sunday morning, with my sister bouncing off the roof of the Tahoe in excitement and my brother-in-law dodging traffic on the turnpike like a pro.

We arrived at Speedway three hours before the famous, "Gentlemen, start your engines" signalled the start of the event and I could not believe the number of vehicles flooding into the area. Cars, pickups, motorcycles, RVs... you name it, it was there. And, more than likely, sporting a flag or decal trumpeting a favorite driver. Huge tailgating parties had sprung up, complete with barbecues and awnings and portable showers.

We waded through the masses and made our way to Souvenir Alley, where semitrucks were filled with tshirts, tote bags, beer coozies, and more. As I told my brother-in-law, NASCAR was obviously my type of sport... they had integrated the oh-so-important shopping element! After doing our part to stimulate the economy, it was time to enter the gates and find some food. My sis and I dove into some serious nachos - thumbs up on the whole race day experience so far!

We found our seats about an hour before the engines started revving and took in the sights. There was plenty of people-watching to do, and the action in the infield (is that what they call it? The center of the racetrack with the garage and RVs and such) was fun to see. My sis and I climbed to the top of the grandstand and took a ton of pictures, and then we persuaded one of the event staff to take a few pictures of us. As soon as she downloads all the pics, I promise to share!

While waiting for the starting flag, I decided I needed to follow 'a guy' in order to really enjoy the experience. My sis is a big Dale Jr. fan but I wanted someone different and, after she told me who a few of the drivers were, I picked Tony Stewart -- primarily because he does those Burger King commercials where the guy from CHiPS says, "Estraaaaaaada" and I find that funny :)

The race itself was pretty darn cool. I'll admit that there was one long stretch under the green flag where there wasn't a whole lot that interested me on the track, but I kept myself busy with my sis's camera and watching the action in the pits and playing with the fun Fan View thing my sis had rented. It was a combination of headphones and a little handheld tv set thingy that let you listen in on the radio broadcast, change channels to hear what the drivers were saying to their crew chief, check stats for each driver, and watch the race from the perspective of cameras positioned in certain race cars.

The caution flags were my favorite part, because then the pits were hopping. It was so cool to watch the cars come in for fuel or tires, and then speed out again to take their place on the track. There was one car I was a little concerned about. He was involved in an early crash and spent the rest of the race trying to win the trophy for most pit stops in a single event. Still, he kept me entertained so - Thank you Home Depot car! Heh.

As an added bonus, 'my guy' ended up winning the race. How's that for beginner's luck?

I still can't say I'm a huge NASCAR fan (although I do think I need a 'my guy' tshirt!). But the atmosphere was great, the skill needed to maneuver those cars at such high speeds was impressive, and the nachos alone were worth the trip! I had a lot of fun yesterday, and I loved being there with my sister. I'd definitely go again!