Nascar

Who would have pegged me for a Nascar girl?  It was one of those moments that we had to jump on.  A once in a life time experience.

We were blessed to go with 2 other families that were involved with this particular Nascar weekend.  We stayed in the infield, next to each others own personal Winnebago’s.  Yes, a Winnebago.  Quite the life.  It was one weekend of tailgate parties. 

The festivities started when we got there.  True barbecue and noise.  Nothing like getting hit full force the minute you get there. 

In the morning, we had a huge breakfast, outside at our friends long table conveniently parked between our Winnebago’s.  The party has just begun. 

We were driven around on large golf carts over to the outside area where we got a taste for the local flavor.  Note the shirt, " A day without Booze is a day that never was".   Sort of sums up the weekend.
Outside was pure sensory overload.  Reminded me of going to the Preakness in High School or Marylands State County Fair.   

Fred wanted to get to really get into it.  My friend Melissa put it beautifully.  We are there to bear witness and so that is exactly what we did. 

Our next adventure was checking out the area where the players kept their cars and staff.  Each car is literally checked over by the officials before the race to make sure everyone is legit.  I think what really blew me away is that Nascar is privately owned.  The sponsorship situation is incredible.  Everyone has at least 5-10 sponsors.  I couldn’t even begin to add them up.  Serious money is floating through this event and it is only growing. 

We all went back for a serious snooze and some relaxation and then the festivities began.  Here is Fred on top of our weekend home checking out the races.  Fred writes about this past weekend on his blog too. 

Before we went to the main event which is the first race and watching the Chili Peppers play ( of course there was music – Train played earlier in the afternoon ), we had some excellent food.   These barbecues are for serious parties.  The paella was awesome. 

This shot sort of defines the event for me.  Check out the cars and the people on the top of their Winnebago’s for views.  Damn do these cars cruise.

After the Chili Peppers we walked back to our quarters to catch the end of the races or sleep.  The noise was unreal.  We all got headphones in order to block the intensity of the sound.  Here is a picture of the kids waiting on stage for the Chili Peppers and the crowd in front.  It was really quite an event this weekend. 

Will I return..I am not sure.  Josh and Fred got totally into it.
We will most certainly have opportunities to continue to go again.  Fred would love to go to the other big events around the country.  Each one has its own vibe and food.  North Carolina is barbecue, New England is lobster rolls, etc.  The girls aren’t that interested in returning.  They loved it but considered it a once in a life time experience.  Maybe next time the boys will roll up their sleeves, pack their Bud’s and head on out and the gals will head out to a luxuriating spa.  Hmmm…