Alyssa's Adventures: NASCAR for Dummies!

Daytona 500 here I come!! Having just finished my crash course in NASCAR, I felt it was my duty to share some of the pictures and adventures.

My co-worker, Brittany and I hosted 40 people at this massive event. The first thing I have to say is that they were probably the happiest, most friendly people I have ever encountered…this event sure does attract a certain kind of true fan! Maybe the fact that they can bring their alcohol in with them helps with this? Hummm…

For this event we hosted a welcome reception on Friday night, and then took the group to the races both Saturday and Sunday. I have to say looking back at Saturday’s Camping World 300 Race there was not as much going on leading me to wonder what about this sport draws the fans… Initially it was exciting to see Daytona’s famous race track for the first time and the people watching is AMAZING!

(VIEW FROM OUR SEATS - AND THE RACE BEGINS)

Once they started driver introductions and the race began, it was pretty exciting….. then you realize they are going to travel around this same track turning left for 120 laps!!!! Really???

I think maybe the first few laps and the last 8-10 are the most exciting…. All the laps in between – are they real

ly necessary? Makes for a bit of a long day! Brittany and I (along with some avid fans in our group) took it upon ourselves to try and make this exciting or at least try to understand the draw. Our biggest fan, “Get Fired Up Ron” decided it was NECESSARY for us to get right down to the track by the fence and FEEL the cars…. Now that was FUN! They are so loud and intense when you are that close to the fence!

("GET FIRED UP" RON FEELIN' THE CARS)

Brittany and I attempted to walk around the track, but you can only go so far. You also learn at the end of the day that spending time by the track equals a face full of rubber and dirt! Nice look!

Sunday brought about the big event – the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500!!! Having sported my GI Jane bald head for Saturday’s event, I thought I would spice things up for the big day with my Pink hair!! Turns out it was a great way to get photo opportunities!

The first impression was - WOW! What a difference between the two races! The first being the CROWDS!!! It took forever just to get into the parking lot and the stands were packed. The second was that there was so much more going on at the track and for our group! We started with a hosted hospitality tent in Hospitality Village – this was pretty cool because a lot of drivers make appearances at their sponsor’s tents. Brittany snuck into see Richard Petty and got both an autograph and a photo! Sneaky! In addition to these passes, we also had passes to Pit Road and the track! That was impressive! We got to meet a lot of the pit crews, see the cars as they prepared and went through inspection, tons of live music and shows going on. The atmosphere was charged and super fun!

Eventually they move you off the field and into the stands for an amazing pre-race show… Brooks & Dunn, Kool and the Gang, Chubby Checker... just to name a few performers. Once the driver intro’s began, we were off to the races…..for 200 laps!!! Despite the excitement in the air – I once again found myself asking…. WHY SO MANY LAPS…. 200???? It took over four hours – that’s like a road trip of left turns! Don’t they get bored? Need some music, maybe some snacks or company? This race was a bit more exciting in that they seemed to trade places a bit more than they did Saturday, but overall the last 8 or so laps were again the best ones! The winner was unexpected – Ryan Newman (and you thought I wasn’t paying attention) – so unexpected, that in the post race video he looked like he didn’t realize he even won! Talk about shocked! Having not fully jumped on the Junior train (Dale Earnhardt Jr. – crowd favorite) or really picked a favorite driver, it was fun to see an underdog come in first!

(NEWMAN WINS!)