Planning for the Races

By Kathy Grindle
Truckers Connection

1/1/2008

Watching the races on TV is fun, but it doesn’t compare to attending a race in person. My favorite part is when they drop the green flag to get the race underway. There’s nothing like the rumble from the first heavy throttle that you can feel throughout your body when all 43 cars are taking the green flag.

Planning ahead is the key to getting the most out of the racing experience. Here are the basics:

Tickets: First things first, to get in, you have to have a ticket. Sometimes you can get a ticket the day of the race, but I wouldn’t recommend waiting. You can get tickets online through links to the track websites, by phone or through ticketing agencies like Ticketmaster. If you have a race already picked out, get the tickets as soon as you can. If you are worried about losing them, just have them held at the “Will Call” window and then get them on race day.

Lodging: Plan well ahead for your lodging if you are picky about hotels. The closest ones will sell out the quickest. As soon as you order your tickets, you should probably book a room to guarantee a spot. If you like roughing it, most tracks offer on-site camping. They have spots for RVs and tents. Camping at a track is actually pretty fun. Most of the time, you and your camping neighbors will be like old friends within minutes. Even when you despise the drivers they root for, these can become some of the best camping buddies you’ve ever met.

Getting there and parking: Whether you are visiting a track near your home or staying in a hotel, always plan to be at the track well ahead of the scheduled start time. You never know how traffic is going to be (traffic at some tracks resembles a nightmare), so plan your trip to arrive hours ahead of time. Map out the route you will be taking to get to the track. All tracks have a main entrance, but most of them have smaller side and back entrances that many people don’t know about. If you are savvy at planning, do some research on the track and all of its entrances. If you are choosing a side or back entrance for parking, make sure it coincides with your trip home strategy. If you are having trouble planning, just call the racetrack. They will help you figure out the best way to enter from the direction you are coming.

Dressing for the occasion: Despite what the weather predictions may be, you should be prepared for anything. It may be 60 degrees out, but if you happen to be sitting in stands that are blocking all wind, you could burn up if you dress too warmly. I suggest bringing extra clothes for warm and cold  weather just in case. On the other hand, it could be a warm day but the wind could be bearing down on you, making it feel much colder. It’s worth the trip back to the car to be comfortable for the duration of the race. And most tracks allow backpacks. Once at Nashville, I watched a race from the stands while snuggled in a sleeping bag all the way up to my neck! Creativity is key.

Sun and wind protection: I cannot strongly enough stress the need to use and reapply a good sunblock. I’m one of those who never burns, but I’ve learned my lesson about protecting myself from the sun when sitting in the stands. I also strongly recommend wearing a hat. Once I faithfully wore my sunblock but forgot about the top of my head, that is until the next day when I realized I had a nice burn on my scalp from the sun beating down on my head all day. The wind is another demon at the track. Sunblock should provide enough moisture protection to your skin, but be sure to also bring along a good SPF protecting lip balm too. With all that wind, not protecting your lips could result in a few days of painful recovery. Apply all protection liberally, you’ll thank yourself for it later.

Food and drink: Unlike most sporting events, you can actually bring a cooler into most racetracks (check for specifics on sizes and styles allowed). No track will allow glass bottles, but you can bring whatever cans or plastic bottles you can fit into your cooler, including beer. The size allowance is usually about 6 x 12 inches, so it can fit under your legs at your seat, but each person in your party is allowed to bring a cooler, so you should all be able to bring plenty to get you through the race. The food at the track is usually the typical vendor food.

Meeting drivers: This is the tough part. The drivers are very busy when they are at the racetrack. Between practicing, qualifying and racing, they don’t have a lot of spare time. On top of that, they also have several sponsor obligations but they do sometimes find time in their schedules to meet some of the fans.

One way to meet a driver is at the driver signings, which are usually held at the merchandise haulers, but beware, this will take some effort on your part. First you will have to check the driver/team websites for scheduled driver signings. The way these usually work is on the day of the scheduled signing, a limited number of tickets will be handed out—first come, first serve. To limit the size of the crowd, the tickets are usually handed out around 7 a.m. Depending on the driver’s popularity, you may need to be in line hours ahead of time to guarantee that you will get a ticket, but the signings are usually not until the afternoon. Don’t be too disappointed if you can’t get a ticket. You can still be there during the signing for the Q & A session.

Another option is to buy a pit pass. You cannot be down in the pits during qualifying, practice or the race (unless you have friends in high places) but it is a unique experience. You are not guaranteed to meet a driver if you have a pit pass, but the odds are certainly increased. Plus, you will get to see more closely how things work on race weekend.

Passing the pre-race time: There are plenty of things to do to pass the time before the race begins. Outside of driver signings, there are other activities to entertain you while you wait. You can shop for your favorite drivers’ gear at the merchandise haulers and then head for the sponsor booths. Sponsors want to promote their products as much as possible, so they set up booths outside the stands with information and samples of what they have to offer. There are also games and raffles you can take part in to have some fun and maybe win some cool stuff.

Getting more out of the race: They can be pricey sometimes, but race radios can make your experience even more enjoyable. Throughout the race you can keep up with your favorite drivers or listen to the MRN broadcast. Many handheld radios will work, so long as you know the signal number for which broadcast you want. Other than the video screen Fan View, you can purchase all of the radios online and some at your local department stores. The tracks also rent them if you are not ready to purchase one.