Another NASCAR experience

Another NASCAR experience for you to read about. Yay for you!

Yes. It was fantastic. I do, I can't help it, I just love it. The the rumble of the engines, the crisp smell of the exhaust after that first lap, the sun, the wind. Even the drunk, sunburnt rednecks making friendly. They're friendly, not creepy. Most of the time, I am an island surrounded by folks who do their best to put on the pretense of polite interest but really couldn't care less. It's a neat feeling to be in a place where 100,000 others are as thrilled about being there as I am.

We parked around 10. The weather was a bit overcast, a bit chilly. After settling in, T. and I went to look at the wares for sale. The "shops" are semi-trailers converted into shiny, fancy store fronts. There were long lines for most of the top drivers and someone at almost every "shop" - there were a couple of sadly lonely cashiers, but not many. It amazes me how much stuff is sold at a NASCAR race. At Jimmie Johnson's "shop", most of the t-shirts were sold out of large and x-large.

I bought a nifty t-shirt and a new sticker for my car (I went to the self-wash last week and the power rinse blew my 48 sticker off and into the drain). Once I wash the shirt (and shrink it a bit for even the medium is generous on me - who knew!), I'll post a photo. Once I get my photos on the computer, I'll post many. Or maybe not. I have reached the point where it is easy to cull the photos as most of them look like most of the ones taken at any other race.

After shopping and people gazing, we had lunch - grilled shrimp and burgers - before heading to the track around one. Then we climbed. And climbed. Our seats were three rows from the last row of the grandstand at turn four. Great view - fantastic seats, I think, but there were about 80 bleacher steps from the ground to our seats. Up, up, up into the sun and mountain wind. It felt like mountain wind.

There is certainly a character from Greek mythology to reference, but I cannot think of the exact one. T. suggested Sisyphus, but we did get to sit down before the boulder of drinking too much beer rolled back downhill. On the return from my one trip to the toilet, mid-race, I began the climb and was physically reminded of how dehydration weakens the muscles... I pushed through and made it to my seat in one go. I would not stop half-way to rest. If the corpulent drunk guy sitting in front of me made it in one go, I certainly was. Once.

The race wasn't the most entertaining I've been to as a race, but the confluence of unexpectedly perfect weather and my frame of mind made this the most enjoyable race so far. It was like the first time only better. It still has me in a good mood. Even after a day of work.

I very much look forward to my next race - April 5th at Texas Motor Speedway. Good company, good food, and more noise and soot and fumes than one could hope for! Woo hoo.