tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44171161698434584082024-02-19T05:11:27.448-05:00Nascar Newbs: Release your Inner Hillbilly!News for relatively new NASCAR fans or those on their way to their first-time Nascar race. Family Friendly content. Not affiliated with Nascar.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-12650021040404326272015-05-26T11:48:00.001-04:002016-05-19T08:41:13.032-04:00Coca Cola 600 weekend highlights 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpzzneLU2aRQjdAr9UqH9TBwYmyfCFb-dSKWlmjqoCBwSIDI3Eorkibu_gyMc2G7i18TIxmP0-t0_nbNjyBRjgTC41zrvD020kzYACZkz4-Y9y_ZhNqQOjoBTIm1A8d7vs8jXFLD40w/s1600/IMG_6827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpzzneLU2aRQjdAr9UqH9TBwYmyfCFb-dSKWlmjqoCBwSIDI3Eorkibu_gyMc2G7i18TIxmP0-t0_nbNjyBRjgTC41zrvD020kzYACZkz4-Y9y_ZhNqQOjoBTIm1A8d7vs8jXFLD40w/s200/IMG_6827.JPG" width="200" /></a>This year's Coca Cola 600 weekend was another chance to make some great memories with the boys! The first highlight is our camping spot. Every year I work with our ticket consultant at Charlotte Motor Speedway to get closer and closer to the track, and we have finally found our sweet spot and I think we will be here for years to come. We are literally right next to turn four and close proximity to the bathhouse. There was a little side road which had been blocked off and my oldest enjoyed using it for his "scooter races." Our neighbors were family friendly and were extremely hospitable and helped in times of need (my camper's battery died and they kindly jumped it). </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4qLk4h1G6R6t9epiNwD0hma_oVixM1o7MjDKlbWPoczIhpg8ElKlBD5yXJkLTe6_Up4cODXRP9Y833-WV8geLOAcwkHBZHarPk-HEu6T7EvE47rcgyl0ODX9FYBo411w68GngSAfhA/s1600/IMG_6895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4qLk4h1G6R6t9epiNwD0hma_oVixM1o7MjDKlbWPoczIhpg8ElKlBD5yXJkLTe6_Up4cODXRP9Y833-WV8geLOAcwkHBZHarPk-HEu6T7EvE47rcgyl0ODX9FYBo411w68GngSAfhA/s200/IMG_6895.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our camper is right above my son's wrist</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUeDydrnelxmI2mJjnw1PYnLGiOHCCRw8MWeuwON44Y1wWRdnrg9TCkRBzCLerpNfrKzna9bYA16lKYj95N9kKJb43oipO09he8L8p55Y2mZpAdizTtM1Yga_S3jSWVg0MdUZk8PskQ/s1600/IMG_6837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUeDydrnelxmI2mJjnw1PYnLGiOHCCRw8MWeuwON44Y1wWRdnrg9TCkRBzCLerpNfrKzna9bYA16lKYj95N9kKJb43oipO09he8L8p55Y2mZpAdizTtM1Yga_S3jSWVg0MdUZk8PskQ/s200/IMG_6837.jpg" width="150" /></a>Ironically, this year a friend of mine randomly showed up with his family to the 600 race and, had I known, I would have sent this blog to help him prepare. One of the main things I stressed after the fact, beyond better ear protection, was that the kids LOVE the pre-race activities as much as they love the actual race. By far, my youngest son's favorite part of the weekend is waking up and wandering down to the vendors, grabbing a Krispy Kreme donut, and getting free stuff right when the vendors open. They got coke cans with their own names emblazoned on the side, Dippin' Dots at the Toyota tent (you need your Toyota key), and all the coozies and lanyards you can carry. The people at the speedway realize the importance of impressing kids, since they are the next generation of race fans, and my boys always get "extra attention." For instance, this time a random employee walked up to the boys and handed them awesome Kevin Harvick "rheem" cars. These are valued around $40 each (at least). Now we have to figure out how to get Kevin to sign them. He's actually one of the drivers we've never had the opportunity to meet, so this will have to be a future adventure and subsequent blog posting.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc-2yeP8mYAHFYy3Pwlig4Yq_bgipCQh0tDrx9ussmG4GKkqXP7Ogv2p7gYQ5gE3oGmm0lNyDbVUqc5Hx26WzKqdHcODC0_mxk4bPYWGv4pA_zXmDl9mHlDHqnJIXWyrUWN6yKNJKPQ/s1600/IMG_6876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc-2yeP8mYAHFYy3Pwlig4Yq_bgipCQh0tDrx9ussmG4GKkqXP7Ogv2p7gYQ5gE3oGmm0lNyDbVUqc5Hx26WzKqdHcODC0_mxk4bPYWGv4pA_zXmDl9mHlDHqnJIXWyrUWN6yKNJKPQ/s320/IMG_6876.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys and I with Sam Hornish Jr.</td></tr>
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This year's "surprise" encounter was in the infield. I had always known that there was a Kangaroo convenience store toward the Northern section of the infield, but we never made it up that direction on race weekend, so, I lured the boys that direction with a promise of a cherry frozen drink. We made it to the store and noticed a line of 25 or so campers. I thought that it was a line to get into the convenience store due to overcrowding. After a few minutes I noticed that a guy toward the front was handing out t-shirts, and the girl in front of me was holding a "hero card" with a racer's image and name. I took a closer look, it was Sam Hornish Jr. Just when I noticed that, Sam Hornish walked around the corner. Within 5 minutes we were warmly greeted by Sam and had our hats and shirts signed. He even chuckled when I encouraged him to bring back the "chops." It was the highlight of our trip for sure!<br />
NEWBS SUGGESTION: Always carry a sharpie and a plain hat or even a diecast car that does not have a racer's name on it. Obviously, if I had known we were going to bump into Sam I would have bought one of his cars to get him to sign it, but one of boys wore a plain "sprint" cap just for this purpose.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsA0l_K6n_0brcoe4PIm49IM93AevOar-Hs1m-K1LvrOZS8J7-OZXKToasRQKCzilQz1EOV_sKgvslJYu4E20AD-NI7DUO6X-VUuJi4mfkricmTiTqxlk_BwhHvNqW5-TOgtDsUIo8g/s1600/IMG_6884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsA0l_K6n_0brcoe4PIm49IM93AevOar-Hs1m-K1LvrOZS8J7-OZXKToasRQKCzilQz1EOV_sKgvslJYu4E20AD-NI7DUO6X-VUuJi4mfkricmTiTqxlk_BwhHvNqW5-TOgtDsUIo8g/s320/IMG_6884.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Joe Gibbs pit crew for Kyle Busch</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOhwKRaFAZy89jAkEHyOL7ti4g93iNERBqvf-rCfcLwzw11m5BJJo6a_elK1chOlB5okCwGE-89YxBOsNg_-0InH36_a4X4KJeVExjMZ7UpEqS5ZTtHWrCBr6ilVXY9LPsxj-LiYIIA/s1600/IMG_6883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOhwKRaFAZy89jAkEHyOL7ti4g93iNERBqvf-rCfcLwzw11m5BJJo6a_elK1chOlB5okCwGE-89YxBOsNg_-0InH36_a4X4KJeVExjMZ7UpEqS5ZTtHWrCBr6ilVXY9LPsxj-LiYIIA/s200/IMG_6883.JPG" width="200" /></a>We were again blessed with "Hot" and "Cold Passes" and enjoyed the garage on raceday. The boy's highlight was literally walking along side Kyle Busch's pit crew, asking them questions, and getting their hats signed. They were super kind to my boys and I was humbled by their hospitality. My favorite garage moment was observing, in very close proximity, Tony Stewart's car as it was being initially inspected. I didn't realize all of the steps that needed to happen for each car to be cleared. The table behind the boys is where the inspectors placed all of their tools and slats for the inspection template.<br />
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Overall it was another successful weekend of intentional memory making, and again, isn't that what it's all about?<br />
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For more info, follow Dean <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/115890934537634917437" target="_blank">+Dean Hardy</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NascarNewbs">@NascarNewbs</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-55306821771416371682014-12-15T20:14:00.002-05:002014-12-15T20:15:28.332-05:00Fans Can't Get Enough of Speedway Christmas! I was recently interviewed for Charlotte Motor Speedway's "Speedway Christmas" and the interview landed on the Charlotte Motor Speedway website. Here's the article in total, taken directly from <a href="http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/schedule/speedway_christmas/fans-cant-get-enough-speedway-christmas.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I added some pictures from our adventure.<br />
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Also, they don't mention this on the page, but if you bring any coke product and show it to the cashier, they take $3 off your entrance fee!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bkCMzldI007HZMgDRNRoxyDxDOrZONZnFtlZNCLws63l9qKBxos39edBPep6BFThyphenhyphengxD9WV6t-ljUtJRDcMrxkDHWaAbDSGKny4BfO6VcKoR6KPS7UMEJr6GS3ftx2N82HERPHOZuw/s1600/IMG_6034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bkCMzldI007HZMgDRNRoxyDxDOrZONZnFtlZNCLws63l9qKBxos39edBPep6BFThyphenhyphengxD9WV6t-ljUtJRDcMrxkDHWaAbDSGKny4BfO6VcKoR6KPS7UMEJr6GS3ftx2N82HERPHOZuw/s1600/IMG_6034.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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Even though Christmas is still a few weeks away, the holiday festivities are already in full swing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fans have been packing the speedway nightly for Speedway Christmas, and everyone has left filled with joy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHLG4nZGkGpFdFVJaetjJ7WvBNOdmsIv-TZ_4_Wwy2s7XBXJ-1yUM8SR5U2KYl4SKqbU-yMfmRCerxBdQbVnb2vgtZ0ZIf9jeEVvOZMMNcFAuorn_5CWJtUOwDd9Lm5_e2nmp3OpBxg/s1600/IMG_6039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHLG4nZGkGpFdFVJaetjJ7WvBNOdmsIv-TZ_4_Wwy2s7XBXJ-1yUM8SR5U2KYl4SKqbU-yMfmRCerxBdQbVnb2vgtZ0ZIf9jeEVvOZMMNcFAuorn_5CWJtUOwDd9Lm5_e2nmp3OpBxg/s1600/IMG_6039.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>With more than three million high-efficiency LED lights twinkling in 800 unique displays, popular Christmas tunes filling the infield and a bustling Christmas village, Speedway Christmas is the best place to get your family in the spirit this holiday season.<br />
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The main attraction at Speedway Christmas is the array of bright and flashy lights that are strung along the 3.1-mile course. Visitors like Chuck Nellis were certainly impressed with the many magical light displays surrounding the famed speedway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvsSsypNp-CFl-BZxaMr9fKz0FwGfbYllXSL7plPHnpTnB3Mww9rpD7KlIaBPl8lJI6I5SyDjWXCAxj3aBYTj4UgSRwKaVmIRhStjM-IYOwxJrwNIu2B133otnjnqYNspftJh2Ac3fQ/s1600/IMG_6045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvsSsypNp-CFl-BZxaMr9fKz0FwGfbYllXSL7plPHnpTnB3Mww9rpD7KlIaBPl8lJI6I5SyDjWXCAxj3aBYTj4UgSRwKaVmIRhStjM-IYOwxJrwNIu2B133otnjnqYNspftJh2Ac3fQ/s1600/IMG_6045.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>"It was really cool being at Charlotte Motor Speedway and seeing the Christmas lights," he said. "It's a really good family time and you get to drive on the track."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uf2GYrwhX5Ub-SITKYzQ46DdY0Ywq7RIik9cbBx38hkRsyk6PRtSoIdu2PQtn48mEEAKMxc3Y2YJm7Ux9zqUblnnuj53iPFh2AhTsV0Zn1KQFHDKU5MdCxvYgemlNqm0aHC6NTsVQA/s1600/IMG_6060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uf2GYrwhX5Ub-SITKYzQ46DdY0Ywq7RIik9cbBx38hkRsyk6PRtSoIdu2PQtn48mEEAKMxc3Y2YJm7Ux9zqUblnnuj53iPFh2AhTsV0Zn1KQFHDKU5MdCxvYgemlNqm0aHC6NTsVQA/s1600/IMG_6060.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
Speedway Christmas is a great way to spend time with your family, and many visitors, like Charlotte-area teacher Dean Hardy, are making a trip to the light show a new family Christmas tradition.<br />
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"This was our second year visiting CMS for Speedway Christmas. My boys (5 and 8 years old) really enjoyed the lights and the sights and sounds while driving through the infield speedway and wanted to do it again," Hardy said.<br />
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The sights and sounds are definitely worth experiencing, but if fans need a little something else to make it worthwhile, they also have the opportunity to drive on the track itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA9j0AlGVnh9IAmEg0KXHI_C-947xDxLw_4NlZlPHXyZqSzbpOxtxSpEEZAQO2ODHXTWtFLA9D_kUteW53hSBlmYrXefL9CnOU7ioA23aGO3Yb4d5MTSz2b5_kWnqe4tM_1BxhyvRkg/s1600/IMG_6064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA9j0AlGVnh9IAmEg0KXHI_C-947xDxLw_4NlZlPHXyZqSzbpOxtxSpEEZAQO2ODHXTWtFLA9D_kUteW53hSBlmYrXefL9CnOU7ioA23aGO3Yb4d5MTSz2b5_kWnqe4tM_1BxhyvRkg/s1600/IMG_6064.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a>"The kids also find it intriguing that they actually get to ride on the race track for a portion of the viewing," Hardy said. "I had to drive up the banking a little bit in our 2004 Astro-van; that really gave them a thrill."<br />
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The Christmas village is also a great place to spend some time. Open every Thursday through Sunday night, fans will feel like they're 2,000 years in the past, right in the middle of Bethlehem. From baby goats and deer to gobbling turkeys, they're sure to get an authentic experience.<br />
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"For my children, their favorite part of Speedway Christmas was the petting zoo," Hardy said. "They are true animal lovers and we spent a half an hour visiting and feeding various kinds of animals."<br />
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The Christmas village also features a bevy of other activities, including photos with Santa, a kids' craft station, marshmallow roasting, food and craft vendors and other activities.<br />
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No matter what you're looking for this holiday season, Speedway Christmas has something for everyone. Charlotte race fan Arn McGovern came with several friends and said everybody left happy.<br />
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"I liked walking through the Christmas village," she said. "One friend loved the petting zoo, and another friend liked the lights. There was really something for all."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KxP_b_ZnxE9__oSAKOtiO4zbBHGSvkgElFlx0Gr87dwSWexhc3Sl8eZrKXZS7gxwueUXzqCQgUL-9LRjyYIqgA5nGQlFZ7tuHjp8E9cHqhes-U1pw7p8yZhZB7pkuxbyDEHz5jCyeQ/s1600/IMG_6065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KxP_b_ZnxE9__oSAKOtiO4zbBHGSvkgElFlx0Gr87dwSWexhc3Sl8eZrKXZS7gxwueUXzqCQgUL-9LRjyYIqgA5nGQlFZ7tuHjp8E9cHqhes-U1pw7p8yZhZB7pkuxbyDEHz5jCyeQ/s1600/IMG_6065.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Speedway Christmas is open nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. through Dec. 30, excluding Christmas Day. Tickets are available online or at the gate. Admission is just $15 per car on nights the Christmas Village is closed and $20 per car on nights the village is open. Group rates are available.<br />
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Need details? Call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com. For updates, connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway on Twitter or on Facebook.<br />
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- See more at: http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/schedule/speedway_christmas/fans-cant-get-enough-speedway-christmas.html#sthash.kIFXopPU.dpufAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-50314860090487304632014-06-19T22:17:00.000-04:002014-06-20T15:50:51.287-04:00Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBH_h6p0in-qnF9UKcTVhupGDlVHFt8aer-Tap8n5FSi3mcSaE4nHYrpWlc019zhgAYqHT7KcbLhNz5OwgE5ys_Ks033OUyTThMRHB5pQbmADNNUmU-piwneX9_VoWbnZSg79W2DumA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-06-19+22.11.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBH_h6p0in-qnF9UKcTVhupGDlVHFt8aer-Tap8n5FSi3mcSaE4nHYrpWlc019zhgAYqHT7KcbLhNz5OwgE5ys_Ks033OUyTThMRHB5pQbmADNNUmU-piwneX9_VoWbnZSg79W2DumA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-06-19+22.11.13.png" height="168" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legends car (the YL is for Young Lions)</td></tr>
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This past week I decided to take the boys to Charlotte Motor Speedway for one of their Summer Shootout race nights. I have to admit, we were total noobs when it came to this event. I didn't know the difference between a Legends car or a Bandolero, nor did I know the differences in the ages and how young these drivers can be to participate! No worries to you fellow Newbies, I have that information below.<br />
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For the legends car (from the http://www.uslegendcars.com website)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvNfaf8D25C54yqGDg8tsK0cvGbC2yYINHGR_0rvQpRwD4JQjKP3trIwBkMAjTmn8IrqB5ua0lSYRA4q2nmqeI2TIRYEA5R0z6S1fPNfz6SSoUkUSPoPqch6DwO-uXKTNitIqR6hQmA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-06-19+22.11.37.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvNfaf8D25C54yqGDg8tsK0cvGbC2yYINHGR_0rvQpRwD4JQjKP3trIwBkMAjTmn8IrqB5ua0lSYRA4q2nmqeI2TIRYEA5R0z6S1fPNfz6SSoUkUSPoPqch6DwO-uXKTNitIqR6hQmA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-06-19+22.11.37.png" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bandolero!</td></tr>
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"The Masters Division features drivers 40 years and older. The Semi-Pro Division is the novice class, featuring the drivers that are new to the sport or have been inactive in other forms of racing for a while. Then there is the Young Lions Division which is designated for the drivers between the ages of 12 and 16. Since the car stays the same from division to division, it is the driver that makes the difference!"<br />
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The Bandoleros are generally for the younger drivers, who can be as young as eight years old!!! (My 7 year old son got a kick out of that!) They start with beginner bandits, bandits, then outlaws.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDsnzUfEUGteN76irJkxNWq2l7JDdGUvx5VCMYuGAnZ9utw3w8HnZ4s4TDZK5c4R0ID1WHuLl6sxqLjSibqCrRmlPtnaUZ0AlZRx8p3JFnXbe6Li2HdJKxX_p5-pDLPcfHiWz706KMA/s1600/IMG_4878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDsnzUfEUGteN76irJkxNWq2l7JDdGUvx5VCMYuGAnZ9utw3w8HnZ4s4TDZK5c4R0ID1WHuLl6sxqLjSibqCrRmlPtnaUZ0AlZRx8p3JFnXbe6Li2HdJKxX_p5-pDLPcfHiWz706KMA/s1600/IMG_4878.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Austin even let Caspian in his Legends car!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPYEXay-mpjYhOueoav1UbOKOAHYcR7l5ztd5IzDGORUbFpg7Io82-0JwDSBIRLHAhYH5Cxy8FKsWILIFMDLAfw6k-r4X-S-8uQeXLox2szKaKogWP9p1sVhlW-C84oYxlDmJibM2lw/s1600/IMG_4876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPYEXay-mpjYhOueoav1UbOKOAHYcR7l5ztd5IzDGORUbFpg7Io82-0JwDSBIRLHAhYH5Cxy8FKsWILIFMDLAfw6k-r4X-S-8uQeXLox2szKaKogWP9p1sVhlW-C84oYxlDmJibM2lw/s1600/IMG_4876.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys with Austin Langenstein! </td></tr>
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Every shootout event, they have some sort of super strange race, like the night we were there all of the local mascots had a go-kart ra<span style="text-align: center;">ce and the previous week was a bus race with drivers who were principals of local schools. Charlotte Motor Speedway does a great job with their kid zones, again with the tattoos that my boys love, the bounce houses, video games, and some promotional tents with giveaways. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5L_VFyKC_SB0ilPtdop9Q5baBzqtr_WRXcZ1ELFt6fEWtNDS5NzpjSghjIcmTRtHg-olFomsKg5gLJIF_MbxrqXxCz74nppDVXQwngyoodFHII4tyb76rE6BrKNMHZ6hqoGuDGrUCg/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5L_VFyKC_SB0ilPtdop9Q5baBzqtr_WRXcZ1ELFt6fEWtNDS5NzpjSghjIcmTRtHg-olFomsKg5gLJIF_MbxrqXxCz74nppDVXQwngyoodFHII4tyb76rE6BrKNMHZ6hqoGuDGrUCg/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legends Pro Driver Steven Cantrell! </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMQPQEjWDROLTosWRuRq5_uDS7vtgeIItJurssDJZjvMZcilY2AHMMj5T6kDTgUKgYyD7JdXbUkHXoo0S8PPRge_zpyeNhdOwTOD1Mo2UfZCtS5-678GqhZKJLPXIlOhUi6Gzp78KGw/s1600/IMG_4887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMQPQEjWDROLTosWRuRq5_uDS7vtgeIItJurssDJZjvMZcilY2AHMMj5T6kDTgUKgYyD7JdXbUkHXoo0S8PPRge_zpyeNhdOwTOD1Mo2UfZCtS5-678GqhZKJLPXIlOhUi6Gzp78KGw/s1600/IMG_4887.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just hanging in the garage!</td></tr>
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We were privileged to get a tour of the garage from Motor Racing Outreach's own Scott Gentry and he introduced the boys and me to a couple drivers. The atmosphere in the garage was very laid back and it was interesting to see how the teams were working together to fix their cars (there had been a wreck just minutes before we entered the garage.) Everyone was super friendly and appreciative of the fan support.<br />
Overall it was a great experience...what a great night of racing!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-932394559413961592014-05-28T18:22:00.000-04:002014-05-28T20:16:12.772-04:00The "TURN 4 boys" at the Coca-Cola 600!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ar914rXe57UNf6Y7UIEKMg7dwjitmxKz3Fs0e_LvkmraAkKohBCmIcVVVafdKCMeA4LTr7N-t1qMSqfOO5Vfsu56fFxg7iyErq9hHsHWvDr3YZ1ZA7djsaM13LVBka7LrrjBEgm8Yg/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-28+17.44.24.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ar914rXe57UNf6Y7UIEKMg7dwjitmxKz3Fs0e_LvkmraAkKohBCmIcVVVafdKCMeA4LTr7N-t1qMSqfOO5Vfsu56fFxg7iyErq9hHsHWvDr3YZ1ZA7djsaM13LVBka7LrrjBEgm8Yg/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-28+17.44.24.png" height="120" width="200" /></a>I have always been a deal hunter, maybe even an amateur picker of sorts, so when I find value in something that's seemingly value-less I have to put it on a pedestal for all to see. In this case, it's turn four seating at Charlotte Motor Speedway. These are some of the cheapest seats in the whole track, but we love them. Why you ask? Of course, I'm going to tell you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEUGjpiEghq9GXVxfGuTckbI6k5sBSObawEDGyJrumDzMrmIviFcfesFqIAp0tn-T_3Vv411hnZefCG38JPjYNKUrxRrsmY6I9FNSfu0Hx8GtadnMmJiXEtH2Bpp-RwJB_ZzrZRNzGA/s1600/IMG_4734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEUGjpiEghq9GXVxfGuTckbI6k5sBSObawEDGyJrumDzMrmIviFcfesFqIAp0tn-T_3Vv411hnZefCG38JPjYNKUrxRrsmY6I9FNSfu0Hx8GtadnMmJiXEtH2Bpp-RwJB_ZzrZRNzGA/s1600/IMG_4734.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>First, as said before, these are very economical seats. One of the driving forces for why these seats are so cheap is that the end of the section is labeled as "no alcohol" and it is strictly enforced. During the Coca-Cola weekend they even had troops stationed at these sections checking coolers for contraband. Of course, for some fans, alcohol is a big part of their Nascar experience and so they stray from these sections; but this is exactly what attracts me, a father of a 5 and 7 year old, to turn 4. There are less people, less craziness, cleaner bathrooms, and easier access to concessions. Who can beat that?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghivbVsyh4cSqptSZTJGh1whivr9_ruPgViR63jkUkQV9omMLklQguNMjOpOB5qmjsK9QkvQQehAitabSOSaS5MofPDmO9FMqMVSgUiCTgxt4NTey_wcHkI7ubfjMDnov4diJokFgaKQ/s1600/IMG_4695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghivbVsyh4cSqptSZTJGh1whivr9_ruPgViR63jkUkQV9omMLklQguNMjOpOB5qmjsK9QkvQQehAitabSOSaS5MofPDmO9FMqMVSgUiCTgxt4NTey_wcHkI7ubfjMDnov4diJokFgaKQ/s1600/IMG_4695.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsWvqyawm6C9pPgVBH54Idvkl_WqEnYpykRyg_2iXG-7Z_-DaJ54MKlSX-O4wcLV0kc4gaEEwCyw4Jdm-q8jf0z3khYDbCcgnKw-r3u7Sixr5hrZkNGfsbT1JxSJLMy4inTsoay4j3A/s1600/IMG_4717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsWvqyawm6C9pPgVBH54Idvkl_WqEnYpykRyg_2iXG-7Z_-DaJ54MKlSX-O4wcLV0kc4gaEEwCyw4Jdm-q8jf0z3khYDbCcgnKw-r3u7Sixr5hrZkNGfsbT1JxSJLMy4inTsoay4j3A/s1600/IMG_4717.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>Secondly, turn four is the location of the kids zone. The concourse usually has a moon bounce, temporary tattoos, balloons, a radio controlled car/track, and sometimes even something extra special that is all FREE for the kids. This year they had a crew from Radio Disney that kept the young crowd entertained. This kids zone opens up in the afternoon and runs deep into the race. The boys played here off and on for the whole race and is one of their favorite experiences of our entire weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uJ7CUcwedUNiKVZYkKQdFgZSoySyYhKwa1iGW0x9zrdAv-DQC8_ePtg84J6ov5ZKjcrYYK_6S-ns7p8C6dkkGHneba40OjprF9JSzjUxPS7ELBTJcb1CFbxpM4sDk_xNaBVGZodXkw/s1600/IMG_4702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uJ7CUcwedUNiKVZYkKQdFgZSoySyYhKwa1iGW0x9zrdAv-DQC8_ePtg84J6ov5ZKjcrYYK_6S-ns7p8C6dkkGHneba40OjprF9JSzjUxPS7ELBTJcb1CFbxpM4sDk_xNaBVGZodXkw/s1600/IMG_4702.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>I have sat in many places in this speedway, but there's something about the wind generated by the cars while sitting there at the end of turn four that is unparalleled in any other seat. For the first few laps after a restart, the wind would literally knock you over if you don't brace yourself. We were about ten rows up and couldn't help laughing as we'd lean on each other (to the right obviously) as the cars shot by. It always made restarts even more entertaining than they already are!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUhir0FRejFWh8xMUw77fZ2T2ea36KEolrJ-cNdyx-ZqjHbz0E747yOAbXa59gTudC74lbXybII6FPK7iFnTf3pdUyCWpMgD6lE14EOOPjj694ltUqcP_1oyPyoK3oMJRPqXuBNfwgg/s1600/IMG_4735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUhir0FRejFWh8xMUw77fZ2T2ea36KEolrJ-cNdyx-ZqjHbz0E747yOAbXa59gTudC74lbXybII6FPK7iFnTf3pdUyCWpMgD6lE14EOOPjj694ltUqcP_1oyPyoK3oMJRPqXuBNfwgg/s1600/IMG_4735.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>Some people don't realize this, but there is a super-wide landing at the top of turn four. My boys love to walk up there at least once during the race and see if we can find our camper out in the turn four campground and get a crazy picture with the lit-up speedway in the background. It's a great spot that every spectator should visit at least once while at the speedway. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90hCz7ZrI4pXy1H3q3AUrNJaFnDwGx-yEEzdSdDGmCv3byvFx7yfLO0Kp4n5Y1-5Me5wsZ-Q3M2WKd1rC0SSG6pcN4cIK2P_C5X6guRJQ4BRV3zNEWIgIvh1z_voLUhonbLCZyiRqUQ/s1600/IMG_4730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi90hCz7ZrI4pXy1H3q3AUrNJaFnDwGx-yEEzdSdDGmCv3byvFx7yfLO0Kp4n5Y1-5Me5wsZ-Q3M2WKd1rC0SSG6pcN4cIK2P_C5X6guRJQ4BRV3zNEWIgIvh1z_voLUhonbLCZyiRqUQ/s1600/IMG_4730.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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As for negatives for turn four, there is no view of pit road, and the sight of the huge HDTV is somewhat at an angle, but it is definitely still viewable. For us, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and so, for the time being, we will be "turn 4 boys."<br />
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Another blog on turn 4 camping and Nascar as <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/10/nascar-newbs-is-nascar-really-family.html" target="_blank">"family friendly" here.</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-67951014083505140062014-05-26T19:54:00.000-04:002014-05-26T19:55:03.264-04:00The Track Walk before the Coca Cola 600<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijECz4sHVcBFYUyOhdlTSpCsFu3hHsGV3RTlzKcZOr_va1A5-_VWd7GH3dQOw4v6f1TAomDnopCr6ux-YTTM0BPqU7iziswvLvy9kX-tTmDbectOl8lTJx3MUJQIBK1MXnItjzC2_5Q/s1600/IMG_4581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijECz4sHVcBFYUyOhdlTSpCsFu3hHsGV3RTlzKcZOr_va1A5-_VWd7GH3dQOw4v6f1TAomDnopCr6ux-YTTM0BPqU7iziswvLvy9kX-tTmDbectOl8lTJx3MUJQIBK1MXnItjzC2_5Q/s1600/IMG_4581.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a><div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHMpWmZBHs67SEiYG3x5-NIhUlIQroj8WnFMyT2-TwzL8v2ykpJ0kA0Ugzlw1bA2xEntjydyvIU-SItIivdc57QIlZPnkiFyCMPiJa_S1S-O2jYWj09rQYdtrM4yfJfqje_EVr4sHWg/s1600/IMG_4577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHMpWmZBHs67SEiYG3x5-NIhUlIQroj8WnFMyT2-TwzL8v2ykpJ0kA0Ugzlw1bA2xEntjydyvIU-SItIivdc57QIlZPnkiFyCMPiJa_S1S-O2jYWj09rQYdtrM4yfJfqje_EVr4sHWg/s1600/IMG_4577.JPG" height="148" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danica Speaks to the Crowd</td></tr>
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Every time we plan on attending a race, we always try to do something a little different that we've never done before. This time we decided to do the track-walk on the Friday before the week's two races. There were supposed to be some driver appearances, a concert, and free Coca-Cola refreshment! At first, I thought it'd be a great idea, and the boys were gung-ho about walking the track, but then I realized that it was a 1.5 mile track. This was not going to be a cake-walk with a 5 and 7 year old kids. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_KMFEe3BoFzQP_2YLzAOrVvv8zuOactAp6L05Nho36NoM_MemGRLPczGl9ZTuwSwO0JPoP_JSscz5u7adkMoyn_ClKvpJeu9PoiBaps-SgH4cR1dWeryCg8iOgFc5QIIcLMjbENVcA/s1600/IMG_4583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_KMFEe3BoFzQP_2YLzAOrVvv8zuOactAp6L05Nho36NoM_MemGRLPczGl9ZTuwSwO0JPoP_JSscz5u7adkMoyn_ClKvpJeu9PoiBaps-SgH4cR1dWeryCg8iOgFc5QIIcLMjbENVcA/s1600/IMG_4583.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba Wallace <br />
and Elliot Sadler</td></tr>
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We got there just before the walk began, and joined the group of a few hundred. They had a Coca-Cola truck on the track with an emcee who had access to quite a few t-shirts to throw. He also interviewed the drivers as they appeared from the innards of the truck. As we leisurely walked around the track, we heard from Danica Patrick, Bubba Wallace, Elliot Sadler, and yes, my favorite driver Smoke was present. While they did a good job keeping the crowd away from the drivers, it was still great to hear from them and get a few photos as they spoke. Bubba and Elliot were kind enough to sign some autographs and get photos with some of their fans. This made the walk go by so fast- before we knew it, we were in turn three!<br /><br /><br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAjhjKmXzanz0jJmAopxuZ_rtuMJBY4jHqrffQf8gMxQ5cZPwRiDAV8Yk52Fbbi8a4p3tpWJUD2lkIRJTahOfOkhHqt4VhXzuRtvZtKfIizDoDdPPBmf76gyfkfZxa2ICdPtpFYNTuw/s1600/IMG_4588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAjhjKmXzanz0jJmAopxuZ_rtuMJBY4jHqrffQf8gMxQ5cZPwRiDAV8Yk52Fbbi8a4p3tpWJUD2lkIRJTahOfOkhHqt4VhXzuRtvZtKfIizDoDdPPBmf76gyfkfZxa2ICdPtpFYNTuw/s1600/IMG_4588.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>We've actually driven the track in my 2004 Astrovan before (see <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/11/driving-around-charlotte-motor-speedway.html" target="_blank">here</a>), but the boys were really surprised how steep the banking was on the track. Once we'd gotten to turn 4, the boys and I ventured up to the top of the track. One of them dropped their water bottle and it quickly rolled to the bottom spraying all of it's water as it hit the interior wall, and thankfully, missing the other walkers as it rolled by.<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYIkvipLNv0_dbFJ_r3B8RbF6oCH6mGp4vpbE-FlpyCl3rq02VpBphxMiLUhop_eJFnCXCO3hcmiNOjaTtbXgSPpC55jSta3I9bU2Cl0feLf9ejBz3ivgPD2FylBNL2wVL_U85SkuFQ/s1600/IMG_4589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYIkvipLNv0_dbFJ_r3B8RbF6oCH6mGp4vpbE-FlpyCl3rq02VpBphxMiLUhop_eJFnCXCO3hcmiNOjaTtbXgSPpC55jSta3I9bU2Cl0feLf9ejBz3ivgPD2FylBNL2wVL_U85SkuFQ/s1600/IMG_4589.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a><br />
After the walk, the people at Coca-Cola had tubs full of all sorts of Coke products for the walkers to enjoy, games to play, as well as freebies to hand out. The boys and I sat on the green grass right outside of pit road and enjoyed our drinks and the concert. </h4>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-55505887294405306152014-05-26T16:05:00.001-04:002014-05-26T16:18:16.240-04:00Picture Scavenger Hunt at Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca Cola 600 weekend!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm0i8uP27M6SS6WTw-lPJsjAukBibyGr9Jxkf1wKs7KwNfbOHjD8HVELo9gINUMbT_mO5VW1aaBkGNi8gRiZPf6Hl_Fsxnqqh6auMgWqu_420KGpe7U7QegXsKZbUTW9tuvE1cTHhjw/s1600/IMG_4582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkP0iOuCwuUkV_SRXXnB5oTiQpshh7YD-R3wC1_UlwaoHz3JAfZeycj6hBAJ-5pF0vn8yNIMEEBx2sEjSGD9yARL09r6ruxPVK7hT5zU9DZ63AOjjMLjv31V85ntdURtYDaRZQb1QlA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.31.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNPNnccvEHlsJtweKl326HVcuIVAr0BbFFOsA6p9H1leezbrAQkwZjUPKtDoeKCS-o8eyX3bbs4P-ol0cMZAaqpodovsldkL7_AEBIdfCemxH3pY58MXXynkGukFtC0Y3RUBUUwggQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></a></h4>
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This weekend my boys and I decided to do something a little different at Charlotte Motor Speedway's Coca-Cola 600 weekend. We picked some people we'd like to meet (some drivers, executives at SMI, and on air personalities) and decided to try and get the boys to take a picture with them! (You can read more about it at the bottom of this <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2014/05/2014-all-star-race-at-charlotte-motor.html" target="_blank">blog</a>!) </h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm0i8uP27M6SS6WTw-lPJsjAukBibyGr9Jxkf1wKs7KwNfbOHjD8HVELo9gINUMbT_mO5VW1aaBkGNi8gRiZPf6Hl_Fsxnqqh6auMgWqu_420KGpe7U7QegXsKZbUTW9tuvE1cTHhjw/s1600/IMG_4582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm0i8uP27M6SS6WTw-lPJsjAukBibyGr9Jxkf1wKs7KwNfbOHjD8HVELo9gINUMbT_mO5VW1aaBkGNi8gRiZPf6Hl_Fsxnqqh6auMgWqu_420KGpe7U7QegXsKZbUTW9tuvE1cTHhjw/s1600/IMG_4582.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcus Smith</td></tr>
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First, we ran into Marcus Smith, President & COO at Speedway Motorsports, at the Track Walk on Friday! I was pleasantly surprised to see him walking with us over at turn 3! Who would have thought he'd be doing the track walk as well? (I'll blog about the track walk later)</h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEy5axFRUgu-0oEzYXP2v9-Fh4M8eL9TE0Dod1QntROcEKK2vTuhUJYgvqba708NkeawTFS9M3nZ3V57npSygeeUSPcRZyTx_jOqHo3RpoXdOTAQjK5PlkVrS1vOJqpvrf_6yqqlnQw/s1600/IMG_4594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEy5axFRUgu-0oEzYXP2v9-Fh4M8eL9TE0Dod1QntROcEKK2vTuhUJYgvqba708NkeawTFS9M3nZ3V57npSygeeUSPcRZyTx_jOqHo3RpoXdOTAQjK5PlkVrS1vOJqpvrf_6yqqlnQw/s1600/IMG_4594.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donald Hawk</td></tr>
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<h4>
Friday night we were blessed to be hanging out with some friends over at the dirt track (I will blog on that amazing experience elsewhere). I took my sons to the restroom and when I returned, there was Donald Hawk, VP at Speedway Motorsports and twitter guru, standing there speaking with modified driver Steve Park! Hawk looked shocked because he thought that I had tracked him down in the suite, when I was just as surprised as he was! We have interacted multiple times online, and it was great to finally meet him.</h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkP0iOuCwuUkV_SRXXnB5oTiQpshh7YD-R3wC1_UlwaoHz3JAfZeycj6hBAJ-5pF0vn8yNIMEEBx2sEjSGD9yARL09r6ruxPVK7hT5zU9DZ63AOjjMLjv31V85ntdURtYDaRZQb1QlA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.31.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkP0iOuCwuUkV_SRXXnB5oTiQpshh7YD-R3wC1_UlwaoHz3JAfZeycj6hBAJ-5pF0vn8yNIMEEBx2sEjSGD9yARL09r6ruxPVK7hT5zU9DZ63AOjjMLjv31V85ntdURtYDaRZQb1QlA/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.31.png" height="200" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew Dilner</td></tr>
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We knew that Matthew Dilner, on-air personality and host of Garagecam, is never at any one place for long; he's a man on the move! We actually saw him in the grandstands at the dirt track, but didn't want to rudely leave our seats in the suite with our friends. So we were thankful to see him outside the media center walking briskly to his next shoot! We asked nicely if we could have a pic and here he is! He apologized for having to get a picture and run, but we were more than happy with this great pic. Thanks Matthew!</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo6G-YRcv7pur6V1KgP-jK3hw6Xzq-tE6B_VHSYQA69BR99UGiFDXpQ8pp2x4-GCBNSoNRbddsPo4KcCNQDH6hkLMuISZVco7qaKQqHnTyGiplFKAXO1uMg5svtEa4oS960V9fxpLxQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.38.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo6G-YRcv7pur6V1KgP-jK3hw6Xzq-tE6B_VHSYQA69BR99UGiFDXpQ8pp2x4-GCBNSoNRbddsPo4KcCNQDH6hkLMuISZVco7qaKQqHnTyGiplFKAXO1uMg5svtEa4oS960V9fxpLxQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.38.png" height="320" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy Clements</td></tr>
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<h4>
It wouldn't be a NASCAR weekend without us getting to visit the most friendly driver in the sport: Jeremy Clements. He's always been so gracious to my boys, even when he is having problems with his car. Here was right after qualifying, and Jeremy took the initiative to walk over and talk to us. What a GREAT guy! He really is the fans man! #thefansman </h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBEHxHgVrdg2Vh-hOPVTu4cnHh9zdMfuRF-H5EO_8j2Ty8g1YfKJmMcqMKxU3HEsj8BeYmbGGdn9QPm40tc-aCSv1s3A2HYqxpjXIkYTAhrOFlLEvB6X33OTnn8VWuyFnwpq_jg9brQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.26.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBEHxHgVrdg2Vh-hOPVTu4cnHh9zdMfuRF-H5EO_8j2Ty8g1YfKJmMcqMKxU3HEsj8BeYmbGGdn9QPm40tc-aCSv1s3A2HYqxpjXIkYTAhrOFlLEvB6X33OTnn8VWuyFnwpq_jg9brQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.26.png" height="200" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Bass</td></tr>
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<h4>
Both of my sons are budding artists, and we'd never had a chance to see Sam Bass' museum right next to the track, so we added him to our list! We stopped by on Saturday afternoon and Sam was there signing autographs! He even gave the boys a couple matchbox cars and signed them as well! The museum was amazingly well done, not only highlighting Sam's talents as a Nascar Artist, but also museum quality pieces of Nascar history. I don't know why we'd never stopped by before. If you ever come to a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, this is a must-see visit!</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4NtQC446VzyBptb5beGAMopDlqcBtm0nTTKD3YtUsYZo0SwPRfvbYxQsxaEDf9SrNjAoFtNqpwVBKT3F-b-gdg3HXoStHNbmQO8ZUKJoBDMl0AUBL9TvFZGjJlTVpcnNaCQq1fZ_CQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.28.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4NtQC446VzyBptb5beGAMopDlqcBtm0nTTKD3YtUsYZo0SwPRfvbYxQsxaEDf9SrNjAoFtNqpwVBKT3F-b-gdg3HXoStHNbmQO8ZUKJoBDMl0AUBL9TvFZGjJlTVpcnNaCQq1fZ_CQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.28.04.png" height="320" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad Keselowski signed hat!</td></tr>
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<h4>
The highlight of the weekend was running into Brad Keslowski on pit road on Saturday. Yes, he was on our "scavenger hunt list" but so was Dale Jr and a few other "long-shots." While on pit road, I looked over and saw someone being dropped off from a golf cart. It was Brad. My son instantly thought to get his hat signed and asked Brad who gestured to Thaddeus and said "walk with me." I fumbled to get out my phone but by the time I got it out Brad was gone, but my son had a huge smile! Here's a picture of the signed hat, and we got a retweet from Brad! </h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNPNnccvEHlsJtweKl326HVcuIVAr0BbFFOsA6p9H1leezbrAQkwZjUPKtDoeKCS-o8eyX3bbs4P-ol0cMZAaqpodovsldkL7_AEBIdfCemxH3pY58MXXynkGukFtC0Y3RUBUUwggQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNPNnccvEHlsJtweKl326HVcuIVAr0BbFFOsA6p9H1leezbrAQkwZjUPKtDoeKCS-o8eyX3bbs4P-ol0cMZAaqpodovsldkL7_AEBIdfCemxH3pY58MXXynkGukFtC0Y3RUBUUwggQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.10.png" height="186" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Gentry from MRO</td></tr>
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Last, but definitely not least, we got to visit with our bud Scott Gentry from Motor Racing Outreach on Saturday! While we didn't get to have a hotdog with Slawsa topping, we did get to see some great dirt track racing and enjoy pit road for a few minutes together! Great to see you again Scott!</h4>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3c7j_-nkBZg_IPOfJrSVkSQpTcl0dsdz_bcv9Y4Z_WSuy0Lj-aliqVum2wX-wRD56vHKA55g0PxnsB2jCbVnoscQT78R30paOOY1976rcMK8iaIUyQXomPq2rV-uPEGc9GkPzUSqgg/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3c7j_-nkBZg_IPOfJrSVkSQpTcl0dsdz_bcv9Y4Z_WSuy0Lj-aliqVum2wX-wRD56vHKA55g0PxnsB2jCbVnoscQT78R30paOOY1976rcMK8iaIUyQXomPq2rV-uPEGc9GkPzUSqgg/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.00.png" height="200" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick Dale</td></tr>
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<h4>
I know he wasn't on the list, but we had to mention this picture for extra measure. I recognized Rick Dale from American Restoration, in, of all places, the restroom. I told Thaddeus, who was walking out of the restroom, that we should get a picture with him and he gave me a thumbs up. Unfortunately, my youngest was taking his time and Dale beat us out of the restroom. When I walked out with my youngest, there was Rick standing with Thaddeus. He apparently asked him to wait! Rick graciously obliged and we have this awesome picture to show for it. Thanks Rick!</h4>
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If you have any suggestions for our next picture scavenger hunt, we'll add them to the list of the people we "missed" from this last one!</h4>
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"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNPNnccvEHlsJtweKl326HVcuIVAr0BbFFOsA6p9H1leezbrAQkwZjUPKtDoeKCS-o8eyX3bbs4P-ol0cMZAaqpodovsldkL7_AEBIdfCemxH3pY58MXXynkGukFtC0Y3RUBUUwggQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.10.png" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNPNnccvEHlsJtweKl326HVcuIVAr0BbFFOsA6p9H1leezbrAQkwZjUPKtDoeKCS-o8eyX3bbs4P-ol0cMZAaqpodovsldkL7_AEBIdfCemxH3pY58MXXynkGukFtC0Y3RUBUUwggQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-05-26+15.27.10.png" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-39286655719768128492014-05-19T11:10:00.000-04:002014-05-20T20:21:32.574-04:002014 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2bSdltpffANGRKzGD_ddi2aGINyZOq3x1uaCwREPnAMLS_UmUPPax7lfmxV8KxbgsUBogT5qfjB-SW1-JmHYFFI4lasu2Y00dRXMfnqgzxrNlwVOdsw8llSlC2API2ZYVrcpXUenBQ/s1600/IMG_4531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2bSdltpffANGRKzGD_ddi2aGINyZOq3x1uaCwREPnAMLS_UmUPPax7lfmxV8KxbgsUBogT5qfjB-SW1-JmHYFFI4lasu2Y00dRXMfnqgzxrNlwVOdsw8llSlC2API2ZYVrcpXUenBQ/s1600/IMG_4531.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILAeTx7P2yJjMVzAICXS7p10oR19juEWgKRb_LSzISYt0GPYk-q-0KWhOipz7TNbnYZDFZw1mxzT5jFTmM5_DNZGzdYtMztrcJFTqc9UzUwLV8TLqn6pZhzmo9EmGqVTezcDp9VvVfA/s1600/IMG_4534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILAeTx7P2yJjMVzAICXS7p10oR19juEWgKRb_LSzISYt0GPYk-q-0KWhOipz7TNbnYZDFZw1mxzT5jFTmM5_DNZGzdYtMztrcJFTqc9UzUwLV8TLqn6pZhzmo9EmGqVTezcDp9VvVfA/s1600/IMG_4534.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a> We were surprised by friends with tickets to the All Star race and the boys and I couldn't have been more elated to be able to attend. This was Caspian's (5) first All Star race and he was super excited to see Kyle Busch do his thing. We've met Kyle more than any other driver (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-meet-nascar-drivers-episode-4.html" target="_blank">see here</a>) , and the boys have gained an affinity for the M&M car. </h3>
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<h3>
We got to the track about 5 PM, which is really late for us, and I'd encourage any first time Nascar newbs to go a little earlier, but we still got a great (free!) parking spot out by the Zmax drag way, we set up some chairs and had a little tailgate. We did a quick walkthrough of the vendor area and got our customer package from the people at Sprint (a cool camo hat!), and of course we had to stop at Toyota and see the M&M car and we met Kyle again (sorta).</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72-8uxGEuCsdga1uP03znhfgwu5uaX_yzbFUoR2at4RvlG0O5If1Q37RYOXS9R7zmgcNdD3NqS8MTMrzYzTuN9pGQO5wzgogTrrMfgBi4kF3j6GcwJiFtvMJexg52ynBqWx1aN-Xe9w/s1600/IMG_4544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72-8uxGEuCsdga1uP03znhfgwu5uaX_yzbFUoR2at4RvlG0O5If1Q37RYOXS9R7zmgcNdD3NqS8MTMrzYzTuN9pGQO5wzgogTrrMfgBi4kF3j6GcwJiFtvMJexg52ynBqWx1aN-Xe9w/s1600/IMG_4544.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chrysler section</td></tr>
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<h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPpEANtTmxQy6VRo-A9wZxmTdYnFwaeKd1iP53XgShQKo_tRKuuSeBSBZtP3n5oueX1hsvc8LlQNTogDyPcpyscmPKJYYxorxs4SiQzg8hMdhWDlJN6tnp_6j7IKNa3CSIpQeOG9ckQ/s1600/IMG_4536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPpEANtTmxQy6VRo-A9wZxmTdYnFwaeKd1iP53XgShQKo_tRKuuSeBSBZtP3n5oueX1hsvc8LlQNTogDyPcpyscmPKJYYxorxs4SiQzg8hMdhWDlJN6tnp_6j7IKNa3CSIpQeOG9ckQ/s1600/IMG_4536.jpg" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thaddeus and Caspian hanging<br />
with Kyle Busch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our seats were over in the Chrysler grandstand, section K. It was a great spot because you have a great view of turn 3 and turn 4, where a lot of the action happens, but you also have a view of pit road.</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
<br />This years race was a little different in that they had the qualifying right before the All Star Race. The qualifying was unique because the driver would take a warm up lap, a green flag lap, pit at full speed, then one more lap. The full-speed pit made it interesting because the drivers usually struggled to slow down, causing seasoned veterans like Tony Stewart to fish tail as he tried to stop, and many missed their pit stall altogether. After qualifying there was a concert by Train, and then the introductory festivities began. </h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bujTkUO51qD3MI6302dzSrSGutOmUvyaRtcd4kYPx4HnnSPBn12Ej9ukTF9bXC0_H0Oix1k7j9MRjuhIXdbAWDtLxNLG7bp49N66j31Y9PVxynfJj_KtzIXerBz85Ofbq1pU0DgyDg/s1600/IMG_4553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bujTkUO51qD3MI6302dzSrSGutOmUvyaRtcd4kYPx4HnnSPBn12Ej9ukTF9bXC0_H0Oix1k7j9MRjuhIXdbAWDtLxNLG7bp49N66j31Y9PVxynfJj_KtzIXerBz85Ofbq1pU0DgyDg/s1600/IMG_4553.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thaddeus reads jokes to<br />
gracious stranger</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5SoUUiI9Vg1L_QkvLPe44yeGwl8KlHrL0viVTKln4pEd_oSUvZSJdXaqmcbAeb_iTIqD5NJyoZT3S9bIILY1vlNZVrbvqUDKGPW1HnlFlJDurezp8yon1pMm1EP_mQU-5R0VPcm9zQ/s1600/IMG_4550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5SoUUiI9Vg1L_QkvLPe44yeGwl8KlHrL0viVTKln4pEd_oSUvZSJdXaqmcbAeb_iTIqD5NJyoZT3S9bIILY1vlNZVrbvqUDKGPW1HnlFlJDurezp8yon1pMm1EP_mQU-5R0VPcm9zQ/s1600/IMG_4550.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brotherly love.</td></tr>
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<h3>
The crew at Charlotte Motor Speedway know how to put on a show. The intros were started and concluded by the singer Jake Owen, and were finished off with a fireworks show to the delight of my boys. We were impressed with the people in our section. This part of the seating was labeled "no alcohol" and I found it very family friendly. The man next to Thaddeus was so gracious. He even tolerated the recorder Thad decided to take out and play while AC/DC's thunderstruck went across the PA system, as well as the jokes he decided to read to him during some downtime. </h3>
<h3>
<br />
The only bad part of the race was the major wreck. The boys watched in abject horror as their hero got knocked into the wall at turn 3 and into 4. I wish I had taken a picture of their faces at the M&M cars was dragged by us by a tow truck. Instead of their faces, I got this picture: (no I WASN'T smiling on the inside) ;)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsquknUIVEUErBrsdT2j7LYKeOFpKOhj35D3fO9Gt6fbUFZRdA-P-tuCai9KXKzwnkPpBGZA5IZy6h9BISiCUgeX0ryUUHJAem0x6N_-jVXHaVNQt9ej3T50a0gHkKvQ2YYkAkujsAQ/s1600/IMG_4560.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsquknUIVEUErBrsdT2j7LYKeOFpKOhj35D3fO9Gt6fbUFZRdA-P-tuCai9KXKzwnkPpBGZA5IZy6h9BISiCUgeX0ryUUHJAem0x6N_-jVXHaVNQt9ej3T50a0gHkKvQ2YYkAkujsAQ/s1600/IMG_4560.PNG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle Busch's M&M car gets towed to the garage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</h3>
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<h3>
Needless to say, the boys had a blast and they are looking forward to camping at this weekend's History 300 and Coca Cola 600! This year I'm going to do a "scavenger hunt" to see how many pictures I can get the boys with Nascar celebrities/personalities. If you don't know who these people are, you probably should get to know them. I'll also put their twitter handle as well. Here's my wish list:</h3>
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<h3>
Marcus Smith: president & COO at Speedway Motorsports @MarcusSMI (and his wife @gassigirl88) </h3>
<h3>
<br />Donald Hawk: VP at Speedway Motorsports @HawkSMI </h3>
<h3>
<br />Sam Bass: Renowned Nascar Artist! (Both my boys love art!) @sambassartist</h3>
<h3>
<br />Matthew Dilner: host of Garagecam @MatthewDillner </h3>
<h3>
<br />Jeff Gluck: Nascar reporter at USA today @jeff_gluck</h3>
<h3>
<br />Jamie Little: ESPN reporter @JamieLittleESPN</h3>
<h3>
<br />Jeremy Clements: Fav. Nationwide Driver @JClements51</h3>
<h3>
<br />Darrell Waltrip: HOF driver @AllWaltrip</h3>
<h3>
<br />Tony Stewart: SMOKE @TonyStewart</h3>
<h3>
<br />Brad Keselowski @keselowski</h3>
<h3>
<br />Dale Jr. @DaleJr </h3>
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<div>
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<h3>
S/O to MRO's own Scott Gentry- we better get a picture with you and the boys eating a hotdog with Slawsa on it!!! @SGentry_MROA</h3>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-86856103893653365252013-10-14T18:13:00.000-04:002013-10-17T21:43:38.703-04:00Post-race blues? Visit the race shops!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPAs46w0okZ4IwF280S3wD_8kD5yF0rsyRlT0s_w-tgYqQB8JZfzLAeAUUMojaC3mJ9SpJbvf7TDVme-B9zfZw374bmmEEhjNjyF4buS3sQhf2LtIXYB0y2T10nLNfAy9Hj3icbGPnQ/s1600/IMG_3612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPAs46w0okZ4IwF280S3wD_8kD5yF0rsyRlT0s_w-tgYqQB8JZfzLAeAUUMojaC3mJ9SpJbvf7TDVme-B9zfZw374bmmEEhjNjyF4buS3sQhf2LtIXYB0y2T10nLNfAy9Hj3icbGPnQ/s200/IMG_3612.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caspian pretends to be Miles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the Sunday following the Bank of America 500, my sons asked me, "When are we going back to the races?" I said to them, "We just went to two races in the past two days! What more do you want?" So, with my father-in-law in town, and having the day off of work on Monday, we went back up near the speedway and even over to the Huntersville and Mooresville area to check out a couple of race shops. I figured it would help us overcome the post-race doldrums.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zXWZ8y5VOQlhOslov5P2tVuuUdqNsUKID4w_lGWIMlUYigvKwyb_NfcMTizubT6r1LkVp_htXqcSqbAJmiPKInfhKTo4UJQFOH2eJURaXeUYqG9ayJutTNVfr5JW6znDllMAcUqmhg/s1600/IMG_3618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zXWZ8y5VOQlhOslov5P2tVuuUdqNsUKID4w_lGWIMlUYigvKwyb_NfcMTizubT6r1LkVp_htXqcSqbAJmiPKInfhKTo4UJQFOH2eJURaXeUYqG9ayJutTNVfr5JW6znDllMAcUqmhg/s200/IMG_3618.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys in the harness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Of course, our first stop had to be Hendrick Motorsports. It's got an amazing museum that can only be rivaled by the Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte, but Hendrick's is FREE! The boys enjoyed strapping into the four point harness driver's chair and my father-in-law and I enjoyed looking at the historical and race winning cars that filled the museum. It's a must-see if you are near the speedway.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLe8tD4tmDvvLQzJlWqx7_thaGnfRK5tNQ1OA2Mm8xvY8pvofqEL2ljOMSa4prU1Xcn8GZHyx6zQ71WD1kxOUaibey2CFpIQkOX3uAJWZG79xO9OjDfYmegKe_PPtW3ly6-4I8cKtmw/s1600/IMG_3621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLe8tD4tmDvvLQzJlWqx7_thaGnfRK5tNQ1OA2Mm8xvY8pvofqEL2ljOMSa4prU1Xcn8GZHyx6zQ71WD1kxOUaibey2CFpIQkOX3uAJWZG79xO9OjDfYmegKe_PPtW3ly6-4I8cKtmw/s320/IMG_3621.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe Gibbs with the boys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNPyLiEsOKj8PQM2iRVu7htJkG__AZGS7r7OeimqRdrjAuAuLT14dHqRMP4hNY4E9QcC2y_sc9Wm-TZNMspULzdcaU6J15k8d7gLZTiPaLiUc0dOKXevgO-CAMyfIiMPnJ94VyK51Pw/s1600/IMG_3630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNPyLiEsOKj8PQM2iRVu7htJkG__AZGS7r7OeimqRdrjAuAuLT14dHqRMP4hNY4E9QcC2y_sc9Wm-TZNMspULzdcaU6J15k8d7gLZTiPaLiUc0dOKXevgO-CAMyfIiMPnJ94VyK51Pw/s200/IMG_3630.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Game Plan for Life<br />
by Joe Gibbs </td></tr>
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Next, we had to swing by Joe Gibbs Racing. While I had already been to this shop before (as mentioned in other posts, my boys are diehard Kyle Busch fans), we had an added surprise. Joe Gibbs was in the house! After we'd already toured the shop and watched them putting on the vinyl wrap on an M&M car, we headed through the store, then back out to the front and there he was! A small line of men had formed and once to the front I asked Joe to take a quick picture with my boys. Not only did he pleasantly oblige, but he also signed books for my father-in-law and I and gave them to us. What an awesome guy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-BH-WqiAXX4GBvzDF_IYyGRTPjI2SYde4yIyR49ceyV1gr5MpFDYr-8CJBwNN5qoY31vZkctLi1AN9gOgJpq50PQuceVxHyFjrvQA-xPwoOFQR9i7xzaAikOmdu0Nl1QHBF8pp20Tg/s1600/IMG_3625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-BH-WqiAXX4GBvzDF_IYyGRTPjI2SYde4yIyR49ceyV1gr5MpFDYr-8CJBwNN5qoY31vZkctLi1AN9gOgJpq50PQuceVxHyFjrvQA-xPwoOFQR9i7xzaAikOmdu0Nl1QHBF8pp20Tg/s200/IMG_3625.jpg" width="149" /></a>Next, we stopped by the KBM shop (Kyle Busch Motor Sports) since we were pleasantly surprised by getting signatures from his crew at the speedway a few days prior (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/10/how-to-meet-drivers-5-regan-smith-bubba.html" target="_blank">see here</a>). While we saw Bubba in the shop, there were no photo opportunities, but we did have a great discussion with the shop's manager. I found it amusing to see that around her desk were a bunch of recent trophies including the Dollar General 300 trophy Kyle had won a few days prior, and the paintball trophy he won at the paintball event where I was present (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013_09_01_archive.html" target="_blank">see here</a>). She said that she just didn't have enough display spots for all of his trophies! (It must be such a problem to have so many!)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyBV5zCYNEtCi8CSdEnOxFQwxLW81qY6YzXmn7eKZXsBPh0VZujtFuXMcUfgCarnNT_jwzTg2TERYcGBiSJIcIxLAWm7ZYjsBSg5Tw2kBJrK9a6RaU1uSZ0KRtfh3rNmZEHIQqGS9wA/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyBV5zCYNEtCi8CSdEnOxFQwxLW81qY6YzXmn7eKZXsBPh0VZujtFuXMcUfgCarnNT_jwzTg2TERYcGBiSJIcIxLAWm7ZYjsBSg5Tw2kBJrK9a6RaU1uSZ0KRtfh3rNmZEHIQqGS9wA/s200/IMG_3622.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Lastly, we stopped by Penske racing. I was very impressed by the view of the shop from their second floor terrace. I'd go so far as to say that I'd give it the "Nascar Newbs Best Shop View Award." While many shops have<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YAPEALl51dO5_ZTJRKG2R5fl_qXQFtR2ymDF3My8-rlX_d0r9ZyoI5jTIo8S7O755ZtM1PO1z8DVyNN7wy7XjR-k4cbg-7f4FNW0A21dABOwekf5EJaOpnr7PUXOMVX3b8E5hCr6gQ/s1600/IMG_3628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YAPEALl51dO5_ZTJRKG2R5fl_qXQFtR2ymDF3My8-rlX_d0r9ZyoI5jTIo8S7O755ZtM1PO1z8DVyNN7wy7XjR-k4cbg-7f4FNW0A21dABOwekf5EJaOpnr7PUXOMVX3b8E5hCr6gQ/s200/IMG_3628.JPG" width="200" /></a>the cars miles away from the spectators, and some don't even have a view of the shop, but at Penske you could see everything that the mechanics were doing to the cars. If I were a Penske mechanic I'd feel like a fish in an aquarium.<br />
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If you get the post race day blues, stop by the shops! It helps to soothe the pain of having to wait months to see another race...<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-69888670822109081452013-10-13T17:01:00.001-04:002015-05-26T08:36:52.167-04:00Bank of America 500- HOT PASS!<div style="text-align: right;">
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For those Nascar Newbs out there, a "hot pass" is the ticket to NASCAR heaven. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNoCZmuhVK1IycWiwFvFXO54fiF562Q3_tc6i7nuw4Q3ADevTrr_SrsJmnjsLIs62sW6CD0tCZpkCxgZAg9gSWs4PjmOlmRIESbgv5S2nq3TSb3GgUX1GQsWYsrcnyqpjzWgA-RmGhg/s1600/Screenshot+2015-05-26+08.34.44.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNoCZmuhVK1IycWiwFvFXO54fiF562Q3_tc6i7nuw4Q3ADevTrr_SrsJmnjsLIs62sW6CD0tCZpkCxgZAg9gSWs4PjmOlmRIESbgv5S2nq3TSb3GgUX1GQsWYsrcnyqpjzWgA-RmGhg/s320/Screenshot+2015-05-26+08.34.44.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremy chats with Caspian</td></tr>
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This pass not only allows you to get into the pits, but also into the area right where the drivers are walking between the garage and their hauler, the inspection areas, and the garages where the teams are working. By the grace of God, my family was given these passes from a connection with SMI. These passes are not sold; these are given to the race teams, sponsoring companies, and well, people that have a connection to the previously mentioned groups. (FYI- "cold passes" can get you into the same areas- but only during certain times. They are usually given to minors.)<br />
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We used these on both the Dollar General and the Bank of America days, but as I've argued in other places, at the Nationwide races we have much better chances of meeting drivers (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/10/how-to-meet-drivers-5-regan-smith-bubba.html" target="_blank">see here</a>). That day was no exception. We were pleased to get to hang out with Jeremy Clements, one of our favorite drivers and one of the most fan-friendly drivers around. (see why <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-nascar-is-best-sport-interacting.html" target="_blank">here</a>) We also got to meet up-and-comer Kyle Larson. He took the initiative after an interview to walk over to my son to sign his hat. He didn't even have to ask! Lastly, Ryan Newman was walking through the garage area and he stopped to sign both of my sons' hats and had a funny discussion with my four year old.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P9Mryo-OwfYKKh8kURAPzyl-jeVTyKrejaJsr7JcRQSlp6-aOH6e8RE3UtR7USrYsqNQeSa3bqoh-sHM4HVcZpk5IqhFPUvPZGB7AYaFdA7N1P8hi1XnfXeeA52lKxP7OIcXuENAdw/s1600/IMG_3537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P9Mryo-OwfYKKh8kURAPzyl-jeVTyKrejaJsr7JcRQSlp6-aOH6e8RE3UtR7USrYsqNQeSa3bqoh-sHM4HVcZpk5IqhFPUvPZGB7AYaFdA7N1P8hi1XnfXeeA52lKxP7OIcXuENAdw/s200/IMG_3537.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan Newman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUu9g3GxErCeVjXuPOJQXuAwRTvfrr36sVMaJDnHYFm9UA7LiGyKWJ4Haq0mhCLQAPNMWYG8K6iBi5234rhC1Sf79njUAczvHy038ia5PAOLjdPyvyPC3XQY6DA6fZKsOih2kM7NYlTA/s1600/IMG_3535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUu9g3GxErCeVjXuPOJQXuAwRTvfrr36sVMaJDnHYFm9UA7LiGyKWJ4Haq0mhCLQAPNMWYG8K6iBi5234rhC1Sf79njUAczvHy038ia5PAOLjdPyvyPC3XQY6DA6fZKsOih2kM7NYlTA/s200/IMG_3535.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle Larson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQs6hLcER-8dKBV7wPlLg791PEoazIFIkeq4bhbeYdmmLkoDZLTFshMX8_15GKeFhCyjg9K2ygX9Zp9qwYYQNHLsDHa44264SwY-trYdlufisHhOarqF0JK4eL8rnHSVfEiXl-pGIqA/s1600/IMG_3547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQs6hLcER-8dKBV7wPlLg791PEoazIFIkeq4bhbeYdmmLkoDZLTFshMX8_15GKeFhCyjg9K2ygX9Zp9qwYYQNHLsDHa44264SwY-trYdlufisHhOarqF0JK4eL8rnHSVfEiXl-pGIqA/s200/IMG_3547.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jimmie Johnson walking to his garage</td></tr>
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Right before the Sprint Cup practice, we headed down into the garage area and were surprised to see almost every single driver next to their cars and having discussions with their crew chiefs and sometimes even other drivers. At one point I looked up and was shocked to see Jimmie Johnson walking right in front of me. I also enjoyed watching Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch having a conversation behind the M&M car. After a few minutes, an official pushed all the of the spectators back from the garage area and we watched as all of the cars pulled out for a practice run around the speedway.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd8SPWwa5LcLRpf0CnXEdULSoNK7UmdBO_UNwhMLz5O8por2NIi88rTYqJh-rpY6VzGJdX3g_pHsCXptzDyp2Oztp_N9gUAwiKbj7U9C1ivmlSrTIx43-6_xNltl5BwRzxvmI6BEcOg/s1600/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd8SPWwa5LcLRpf0CnXEdULSoNK7UmdBO_UNwhMLz5O8por2NIi88rTYqJh-rpY6VzGJdX3g_pHsCXptzDyp2Oztp_N9gUAwiKbj7U9C1ivmlSrTIx43-6_xNltl5BwRzxvmI6BEcOg/s320/IMG_3546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon chat</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">On Saturday at the Bank of America 500, the crowds were crazy, and the drivers were much less accessible and available. We did see Dale Earnhardt and Brad Keslowski do an interview on pit road- and we got to watch the teams push their cars to inspection which was very interesting. We were also able to go right up to the cars right before they were taken out to the grid!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaXxIjHyuyZi2bAiQklZrzwqnGedgNRCkNQprjKIGGvfr-xh_ThK_xT8x60hDrByv63gfDzM74dzbNpv94SZ7HDGTlzw2Iq6VsJFoYer2AOsD6UjWDzj5N8Fmq2vL-N35IFAyjPKWGw/s1600/IMG_3575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaXxIjHyuyZi2bAiQklZrzwqnGedgNRCkNQprjKIGGvfr-xh_ThK_xT8x60hDrByv63gfDzM74dzbNpv94SZ7HDGTlzw2Iq6VsJFoYer2AOsD6UjWDzj5N8Fmq2vL-N35IFAyjPKWGw/s320/IMG_3575.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad and Jr. discuss the upcoming race</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-31979247312007439152013-10-13T13:31:00.000-04:002013-10-13T19:24:01.264-04:00How to meet NASCAR drivers, Episode #5: Regan Smith, Bubba Wallace (and Samantha Busch!)<div style="text-align: left;">
The more you read this blog, the more you will hear me say this: Go to the NATIONWIDE races! Yes, I do agree that NASCAR steps it up a notch for their sprint races, but there are a number of reasons you should take the time to go the race that usually precedes the "main event." </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialcbGW4LcTunhn9Htd_WN817ISmx1QvfLrZGHt_9vAR_3WaTWSOVjY0gITY4bqMudBY5Q7dUURqwbsNleFW0H17K3mSlU4QltK6xgaXKkfRRSjnFhJYJ4xJAD4kH5_pqin0W2ABpvdg/s1600/IMG_3508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialcbGW4LcTunhn9Htd_WN817ISmx1QvfLrZGHt_9vAR_3WaTWSOVjY0gITY4bqMudBY5Q7dUURqwbsNleFW0H17K3mSlU4QltK6xgaXKkfRRSjnFhJYJ4xJAD4kH5_pqin0W2ABpvdg/s200/IMG_3508.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"How many girlfriends do you have?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joey Coulter</td></tr>
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There's the obvious one: affordability. For the value, Nationwide races have unusually affordable tickets and you still great seats! </div>
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They usually have free kids tickets, and you can usually get a great seat in the grandstands with an amazing view of the huge screen that Charlotte Motor Speedway put in a few years back. You also don't have to fight crazy crowds. There are not as many people for these events, so you can stock up on free stuff given out in the fan area and you have less chance of losing your kids in the massive crowds on Sprint cup days.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8FyROpqP1xXggpF0qXOYQV4_NLxAs0mLuea04McKvn8UxSsHr_0SibZOpKCSYn8T3mcvmSofSx_4Mh4QlYJUKNPR7KdQqcfgzMeI07w6Nwgx9q8IxdHRqo51AMdaG9Th-VfF63HSNw/s1600/IMG_3502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8FyROpqP1xXggpF0qXOYQV4_NLxAs0mLuea04McKvn8UxSsHr_0SibZOpKCSYn8T3mcvmSofSx_4Mh4QlYJUKNPR7KdQqcfgzMeI07w6Nwgx9q8IxdHRqo51AMdaG9Th-VfF63HSNw/s200/IMG_3502.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Parker Kligerman &<br />Chad Hackenbracht</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysu9qOczLG9XefVFtPydlZIWx71E9ytG_x_0VE3c-SsEmko9AzkfA_PcX2dPt1WZEPwiXd0qUDpTC1gTQoebD2MEpH8Ny4jRcov22CNY7dhRsSvXQmYqmd5wRM17YUBaEsAlPW_4NNA/s1600/IMG_3510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysu9qOczLG9XefVFtPydlZIWx71E9ytG_x_0VE3c-SsEmko9AzkfA_PcX2dPt1WZEPwiXd0qUDpTC1gTQoebD2MEpH8Ny4jRcov22CNY7dhRsSvXQmYqmd5wRM17YUBaEsAlPW_4NNA/s200/IMG_3510.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubba Wallace<br />
Samantha Busch</td></tr>
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Secondly, and the reason for this post, is that you have much more access to drivers on these days. On a random walk through the fan area at Charlotte motor speedway we noticed a line forming (a key tip off) and we jumped in the line of maybe ten people. We didn't know who was in the line until we got up front, and were pleasantly surprised! There was Parker Kligerman, Chad Hackenbracht, Joey Coulter, Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr., and Samantha Busch; they were all signing 8x10 cards, and were willing to sign whatever we wanted. After we got through the line, my boys were frustrated that we didn't have anything for them to sign. I said, "Why didn't you just get them to sign your hat?" (We had picked up a bright yellow hat from the Sprint tent.) They agreed, but were frustrated that they hadn't thought of that, but we just got back in line! In three minutes, the boys had their hats signed. The second time through my 7 year old had a detailed conversation with Bubba and Samantha about a) how many girlfriends he had, and b) Playing paintball with Kyle Busch (from<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/09/paintball-with-kyle-busch-and-friends_24.html" target="_blank"> a few weeks back here</a>). It was one of my favorite memories from our weekend: watching him hang out with these two very pleasant ambassadors of the sport. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyfD7xUUSo70j6VncrmR0g0MJcuU7QofiaxA7xKAivBfKFtPL9K7f109BPrlMm6V5hm9KDcIEhJE0-Kz5lSWe6DvnVyPLXHBEfR80egfEgGGY9C6ASsAv5kPhuppA44ZkUxBTmvuLGQ/s1600/IMG_3514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyfD7xUUSo70j6VncrmR0g0MJcuU7QofiaxA7xKAivBfKFtPL9K7f109BPrlMm6V5hm9KDcIEhJE0-Kz5lSWe6DvnVyPLXHBEfR80egfEgGGY9C6ASsAv5kPhuppA44ZkUxBTmvuLGQ/s200/IMG_3514.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad Sweet (right) Regan Smith (left)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad signs for the boys!</td></tr>
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Literally ten minutes later, we wandered over to the merchandise trailers and notcied another line forming. This time it was at the JR motor sports trailer with Regan Smith and Brad Sweet. We got there just in time as they shut the line behind us as we walked in! Them men were very gracious with my boys and happily signed their hats and even gave them high-fives. </div>
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For the price, the great seats, leisurely stroll with hardly any crowds, and the access to the drivers, Nationwide days are a great value!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-64349747604679133342013-09-24T21:17:00.002-04:002015-05-26T12:23:24.950-04:00Paintball with Kyle Busch and friends at Charlotte Motor Speedway Part 2!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkeAGrieRD8WDBLI9JHLXJx3SnNUMvXiilGFXjAbgGrOIHXH4mWMebvK1dJHU_DEnaeOgXB7cIf1mxe7-PaaQQDLrW7CZ4buDZ1nlJzToDskHeiAtJQsXcPlokM-53MPY1Ge0f_eQNg/s1600/IMG_3366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkeAGrieRD8WDBLI9JHLXJx3SnNUMvXiilGFXjAbgGrOIHXH4mWMebvK1dJHU_DEnaeOgXB7cIf1mxe7-PaaQQDLrW7CZ4buDZ1nlJzToDskHeiAtJQsXcPlokM-53MPY1Ge0f_eQNg/s320/IMG_3366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thaddeus and Kyle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLk9CMbiK5m1icF-ddPjVCnZikoMXU1C5s-AuPPZSuRkwZ8mvYQCs64WAcqK7DXLwsAYnLI9hahVqmjgF1BTEVfL1C7zJJ9egiBy5CwDmN4nzigJZptgeVhhWezHZFhRALaepJLi_NA/s1600/IMG_3361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLk9CMbiK5m1icF-ddPjVCnZikoMXU1C5s-AuPPZSuRkwZ8mvYQCs64WAcqK7DXLwsAYnLI9hahVqmjgF1BTEVfL1C7zJJ9egiBy5CwDmN4nzigJZptgeVhhWezHZFhRALaepJLi_NA/s200/IMG_3361.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guys taking some practice shots</td></tr>
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(see part 1 <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/09/paintball-with-kyle-busch-and-friends.html" target="_blank">here!</a>) After the press conference, we all headed out to the infield where they had brought in four buses and set up barrels and tires in stacks. I couldn't believe they had set all this up for this one afternoon! We hung out for ten minutes or so and Kyle drove over and got out of the car. My son was first to reach him with a hat and pendant to sign. He's met Kyle before but never had the gumption to say anything. This time he actually shook Kyle's hand and exchanged pleasantries. That exchange will be remembered for a while. My son beamed from ear to ear the rest of the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzYZicxdVy2K8sBZoP3aF55JZB0O9fTOG9OPTnkVp2OEHf4-8ycTVJLBuTQ87dLyXUaZ8DnBVi5ej_EcfBv4UxaxCF0N44EcTAblmCdmYiEbVQ9XoCr4Xjqkevg8hxhrel3lDk8xhWQ/s1600/IMG_3377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzYZicxdVy2K8sBZoP3aF55JZB0O9fTOG9OPTnkVp2OEHf4-8ycTVJLBuTQ87dLyXUaZ8DnBVi5ej_EcfBv4UxaxCF0N44EcTAblmCdmYiEbVQ9XoCr4Xjqkevg8hxhrel3lDk8xhWQ/s200/IMG_3377.jpg" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle fills up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLsFg6RjvMtsqBuw8s9ykpupFSY_gSIO0wdoKMlo5hLmNHRwO0KYO9vAcw9GvY-K3nPXps78O_MsRNHVT7bVUPEVJs0xIS_V4KzAKrzSrSH1D3T8l5u0jInOLwVeRMj5Een9AS-gIfA/s1600/IMG_3374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLsFg6RjvMtsqBuw8s9ykpupFSY_gSIO0wdoKMlo5hLmNHRwO0KYO9vAcw9GvY-K3nPXps78O_MsRNHVT7bVUPEVJs0xIS_V4KzAKrzSrSH1D3T8l5u0jInOLwVeRMj5Een9AS-gIfA/s200/IMG_3374.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting some instruction</td></tr>
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The guys from "Boss" paintball called us all over for some basic instruction and safety tips and then started taping our arms to designate the teams. The guys at Charlotte Motor Speedway made sure to put the two of us "fans" on the same team as Kyle, while the other team was made up of the media. The first round was basically a capture the flag game- but as a warm up- you just had to get to the flag and hold it up- then you won! Our team went for speed and sent Kyle out to run and get the flag as we peppered the other team with paintballs at the whistle. It was an easy first win, but was only a warm up round. The second match was no walk in the park. I took shelter behind a school bus and took out a photographer with a headshot, but was immediately hit in the ankle. Eventually our team took out the entire other team, and they casually walked the flag to the other side. The third match was a mess. While we decided to divide our team up and send us equally down each side and the middle, my pair (on the right side) got pinned down behind a school bus by the dastardly Jeff Gluck (see pic). I eventually got hit solidly in the gut and have the nice quarter-sized bruise to prove it. Their team sent most of their group around the other side and overcame our remaining small squadron of rebels. They took that round.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlW3SdiCbmIFaAQ-Vo2L-CSjmHXwKwjFfk3PFiyAsmSYLhTWxzhMGl5Tn1y_k9ZupGeDRZt5vLPVhjNP3KMcfCTvjN0schQ6HgPcIK0Vo5oQ66N9qJr8GMPdSczFvuxjwK_LQoKgbHQ/s1600/IMG_3376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlW3SdiCbmIFaAQ-Vo2L-CSjmHXwKwjFfk3PFiyAsmSYLhTWxzhMGl5Tn1y_k9ZupGeDRZt5vLPVhjNP3KMcfCTvjN0schQ6HgPcIK0Vo5oQ66N9qJr8GMPdSczFvuxjwK_LQoKgbHQ/s200/IMG_3376.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My youngest son Caspian</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilz15DcCdg99yILHuPLG_Kso5lTkFk-bOFebhgrBVICqC7KWUowhoTFFt3_1iuN5sk6rlC45wh2dy6DVa40nxslvet76p4o4nCtyIifpfq7n0Fm9YgVj4Iaylgsf2V3BP5xQtPFApiBg/s1600/2836898_G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilz15DcCdg99yILHuPLG_Kso5lTkFk-bOFebhgrBVICqC7KWUowhoTFFt3_1iuN5sk6rlC45wh2dy6DVa40nxslvet76p4o4nCtyIifpfq7n0Fm9YgVj4Iaylgsf2V3BP5xQtPFApiBg/s200/2836898_G.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me- left, Nigel (fan) middle, Jeff Gluck Right Photo credit WBTV</td></tr>
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The last round, the tie-breaker, was by far the most intense. They started by putting each team in two of the four buses. They said they'd start the round, then after two minutes of shooting from bus to bus, you had to try to "secure" three of the four buses by putting men on each of the three. Our team decided to leave Kyle and I on our bus, then the rest of the crew would try to quickly hustle to the other buses after the two minutes was up. Well, once that match started it was just crazy. I don't recall everything that happened, but I can remember some vivid events: Kyle smacking his knee on a bench and grabbing at it (I thought "oh no, there goes the chase!"), Me dropping a bottle of paint balls and Kyle helping me clean up, I got hit on the dome of my head and the paintball splattered on the ceiling of the bus, and the men yelling that we won.<br />
Then, right after the game ended- a most interesting thing happened: Kyle shot off a few more rounds, and immediately, Jeff Gluck stood up from behind a set of tires and gets nailed right in the eyes of the facemask. Bad blood between media and Kyle Busch? YOU tell me...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFTASvL1JdiBgE8-lub1iP9FKCxKQcvDcxLZX6x-WoTpKUibJa2XwEaAF7VyY6UJ99M6mKhWKnZANdAKW4ik0Q2Uo5BPayhorox3LYY89sDrbt-VJ0N6rVE5uJm-F0-i14f8dwZkusQ/s1600/IMG_3392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFTASvL1JdiBgE8-lub1iP9FKCxKQcvDcxLZX6x-WoTpKUibJa2XwEaAF7VyY6UJ99M6mKhWKnZANdAKW4ik0Q2Uo5BPayhorox3LYY89sDrbt-VJ0N6rVE5uJm-F0-i14f8dwZkusQ/s200/IMG_3392.jpg" width="149" /></a> No matter what really happened there, all I know is that I came home with a trophy that I will cherish for years. Sure, there are a lots of trophies around for the Bank of America 500, but how many people have a Bank of America PAINTBALL champion trophy? I don't know, but this one's priceless in my book. No matter, the day was priceless and I wanted to thank Charlotte Motor Speedway for taking such good care of my boys!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3VkoQcO7SwyI-aY_b1MQ67YX27hl4Jgg1xvAcEzcbsAz6yLx-sls1lm8w0h_YlSgDIUNzXhwKz5Gkb2pJoOpC7vAODTfADPALHMIhjYyoVbO1NbNP1HG7G3uYUxqy7JPhyphenhyphenhHhVy4jw/s1600/Screenshot+2015-05-26+12.21.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3VkoQcO7SwyI-aY_b1MQ67YX27hl4Jgg1xvAcEzcbsAz6yLx-sls1lm8w0h_YlSgDIUNzXhwKz5Gkb2pJoOpC7vAODTfADPALHMIhjYyoVbO1NbNP1HG7G3uYUxqy7JPhyphenhyphenhHhVy4jw/s320/Screenshot+2015-05-26+12.21.09.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My boys got some shots in!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-31322261691458781272013-09-24T20:00:00.001-04:002015-05-26T12:21:55.105-04:00Paintball with Kyle Busch and friends at Charlotte Motor Speedway Part 1!<br />
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I don't know how I did it, but I won. On Monday of this week I saw a post on twitter from the Charlotte Motor Speedway (<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">@CLTMotorSpdwy) </span>mentioning a contest that said something like: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TRYZyQ-BPLSIMcDTu62MEXp8fLhDqlG9lOnxU9fDSAimf8k6LRvpu8hpNP6dX7LVPN_lVVNr1BnLTO0YP0sPJt686rTdPN0QsYPOect0vICcgmKdFxnsV445nDRipNzpGH2rRS3kJQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-24+at+7.39.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TRYZyQ-BPLSIMcDTu62MEXp8fLhDqlG9lOnxU9fDSAimf8k6LRvpu8hpNP6dX7LVPN_lVVNr1BnLTO0YP0sPJt686rTdPN0QsYPOect0vICcgmKdFxnsV445nDRipNzpGH2rRS3kJQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-09-24+at+7.39.43+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
"RT to win a round of paintball with Kyle Busch!" Well, if you've read any of my other posts you'll know that I'm more of a Tony Stewart guy (but am no Kyle Busch hater), but you'll also know that my sons are huge M&M/Kyle Busch fans. So I hit the RT button on my phone and started to go about my day. It wasn't much over an hour when I received a direct message saying that I'd won. My first reaction was, "What? I don't ever win this sort of stuff!" My second reaction was, "My sons are going to be pumped!" and so they were.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2_pP2Cdz90XyuVcvn9lHc9YJ8lMZZ5SzUP6lWWDWCnL7f3ouM_onDAPcxA_YgXi5e-qYTY01-Ookm2UjYxNjx5xLlAX87IRZVyCHWhel7KtZIkmcYR5DcBWHYYOmkqMhys0_MT70ow/s1600/IMG_3393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2_pP2Cdz90XyuVcvn9lHc9YJ8lMZZ5SzUP6lWWDWCnL7f3ouM_onDAPcxA_YgXi5e-qYTY01-Ookm2UjYxNjx5xLlAX87IRZVyCHWhel7KtZIkmcYR5DcBWHYYOmkqMhys0_MT70ow/s200/IMG_3393.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff Gluck and I!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6npPEo7FybeiIzf3UoQD8RNrt2cvjE5wNCyPOq9iHlVXIjJz-KfUHYpz-ZFvJRaBuyqKv92pAg6SDZdIaXt2icL2H4QsBeegIiIvARgVijIZ6yFoi6leohw8RlA9lWna3YtkTA5jCAQ/s1600/IMG_3355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6npPEo7FybeiIzf3UoQD8RNrt2cvjE5wNCyPOq9iHlVXIjJz-KfUHYpz-ZFvJRaBuyqKv92pAg6SDZdIaXt2icL2H4QsBeegIiIvARgVijIZ6yFoi6leohw8RlA9lWna3YtkTA5jCAQ/s200/IMG_3355.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Thank goodness I work at a school that allowed my sons and I just to take off for a special day like this. We headed over to have lunch at the speedway's media center about 11:30, and after we picked out our turkey sandwiches and amazing BBQ Chicken grilled cheeses, I noticed that we were surrounded by many of Nascar's media team. I have been following many of them on twitter for years and it was great to shake their hands. One of my favorites, USA Today's Jeff Gluck, was present, and it was an honor for me to introduce myself. If you don't follow him yet on twitter, you are missing out! (@Jeff_Gluck) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYTKuVTnBtoPRgDws54XdwAoOXwLNDSpfUMrHzBDPJxckkhc_voB7Yyu3CPpNmKR8Xpd2P8NOLq8CFx8-MGtXl6DKJmA4q0PS2KJlvQ_qvqz84zq2uD2mH2rDTaAlpptLQjT0nY8Lgg/s1600/IMG_3346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYTKuVTnBtoPRgDws54XdwAoOXwLNDSpfUMrHzBDPJxckkhc_voB7Yyu3CPpNmKR8Xpd2P8NOLq8CFx8-MGtXl6DKJmA4q0PS2KJlvQ_qvqz84zq2uD2mH2rDTaAlpptLQjT0nY8Lgg/s200/IMG_3346.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfVIM73DxDe9rUhBZq32PhjfK71VPMkw4cwyTC8jOG47zJhrzkWuhQt2PKRzVsKx0Gmx4-HbkyaA8ouvh7ziw7zbxaeSOcBCupO-LK07IRqeiYbj-4iuNCIyUmAfuWTbhsnklluN_3Q/s1600/IMG_3342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfVIM73DxDe9rUhBZq32PhjfK71VPMkw4cwyTC8jOG47zJhrzkWuhQt2PKRzVsKx0Gmx4-HbkyaA8ouvh7ziw7zbxaeSOcBCupO-LK07IRqeiYbj-4iuNCIyUmAfuWTbhsnklluN_3Q/s200/IMG_3342.JPG" width="200" /></a>After lunch, we moved into one of the press auditoriums, and we sat in the back with all of the cameras. <br />
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Our next surprise was that not only was Kyle Busch on hand, but so was Hall of Fame inductee Dale Jarrett. After the press conference, the press surrounded Kyle and we headed over to meet Dale. I already knew this man was not only a great driver, but had heard that he was a class act, and his welcoming spirit proved that fact. What a great guy!<br />
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Then, after this, we headed out into the infield for a little paintball! (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/09/paintball-with-kyle-busch-and-friends_24.html" target="_blank">next blog here</a>)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-3747190482720027302013-09-21T17:02:00.002-04:002013-09-21T17:04:11.285-04:00NHRA nationals at ZMAX 4-wide dragway<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UaodukWmkd05-2_RKBHJa5fKTFw6nmW1Szugdha5tUR3rTSwIDRkzxv2tvLVDJUmfeZDgTPvrrv3z3ZE1Syjqi_oC_yD0Vkqo_DBmsAlplFHrMWtOdtHG8T44eH_9QUr0E0vvabUMg/s1600/IMG_3277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UaodukWmkd05-2_RKBHJa5fKTFw6nmW1Szugdha5tUR3rTSwIDRkzxv2tvLVDJUmfeZDgTPvrrv3z3ZE1Syjqi_oC_yD0Vkqo_DBmsAlplFHrMWtOdtHG8T44eH_9QUr0E0vvabUMg/s320/IMG_3277.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Show cars on the way in...</td></tr>
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My sons and I had the pleasure of visiting Zmax this September for the NHRA nationals at ZMAX dragway in Concord, NC. The trip was again, a kid favorite! This year we were a little more prepared and had a pack lunch in the parking lot (not as much tailgating going on than at a Nascar Race) and brought in a cooler of sodas and water. Obviously, as with any of these events, make sure you bring ear protection for everyone in the family!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKkLym6QZBWmNIeDr_t0H3j20_f66SO8_AQsLeBVIJAqROGTGcfm8vvcN0MuZRiJaL8bWwWzoGzKMqNhUXK8jd22Gd9MXvOMpNM_WV_EFIlJlhPnzSUrvFYT7yx9AHIkWKWeKQSpfyg/s1600/IMG_3312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKkLym6QZBWmNIeDr_t0H3j20_f66SO8_AQsLeBVIJAqROGTGcfm8vvcN0MuZRiJaL8bWwWzoGzKMqNhUXK8jd22Gd9MXvOMpNM_WV_EFIlJlhPnzSUrvFYT7yx9AHIkWKWeKQSpfyg/s200/IMG_3312.jpg" width="200" /></a> As with any racing event, the kids love to go through the vendors to get free stuff, experience games and rides, and just have fun! The two favorite things my boys loved during this obtaining of NHRA swag was a personalized dog tag from the Army promotion, and the free molded penny from the Toyota vendor (this machine squashes a penny and molds an image into it)-this one had a funny car on it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EporPAIAqOqSA6o9j6Do7RlFcH_4CK4nASWy8wOUKfb5uZwSoG2_6RTyXZ-tgKP3_Z5naxuQOcC77ZptxAEmlhhFXpW1z5U5YxiFZedW24RIFZkCbqSUcoMzMsKGyj7XDgr4WYToyw/s1600/IMG_3280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EporPAIAqOqSA6o9j6Do7RlFcH_4CK4nASWy8wOUKfb5uZwSoG2_6RTyXZ-tgKP3_Z5naxuQOcC77ZptxAEmlhhFXpW1z5U5YxiFZedW24RIFZkCbqSUcoMzMsKGyj7XDgr4WYToyw/s200/IMG_3280.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gentleman folding the parachute</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys enjoy the Harley Davidson tent</td></tr>
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After enjoying the inflatables, taking pictures with some of the cars and grabbing an slushy style refreshment, we headed into the stands. For those who have never been, there is something unexplainable about the amount of noise that these cars generate.<br />
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When they pop off the line and pass your seats your internal organs feel like they literally shiver. Obviously, a video won't do it justice, so, you'll have to go yourself!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-76061834499192220222013-07-01T21:46:00.001-04:002013-07-02T11:57:56.291-04:00My first "sheet metal" find! A Travis Kvapil door panel!(Vocab For the NASCAR Newb: Race Used "sheet metal" are pieces of the body of the car that are collected by some NASCAR enthusiasts. )<br />
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I have to admit that I never thought that I'd find a piece of sheet metal that I could afford. As a teacher with limited means (mentioned merely as a fact- not discontent), I simply never thought I'd have something like that to hang on my wall. Well, this past Saturday I found one.<br />
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I'm an avid garage sale scavenger and auction goer and Saturday was no different. We were out to buy my oldest son more books to read and to stop and get a bagel, and on the way home we noticed some boy scouts holding a sign for a garage sale. It was on the opposite side of the road from where we were sitting and I turned left to go home. My son pleaded with me to do a u-turn. Oh gosh. I relented and rolled my eyes- unbeknownst to him of course, made the u-turn and found ourselves in the parking lot of a little church off of a back road. It was already late, and I was sure all of the good finds had already found new homes. Boy was I wrong...<br />
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As I walked in their fellowship hall style room, I saw the normal stacks of books, some beat up bikes, kitchenware, then something caught my eye in the corner. It was a race-used door panel to a stock car. There was even a 8x10 photo taped to the corner. Travis Kvapil? I know that name. But from where? Nationwide maybe? I have to admit, I didn't know which series Travis drove. (Yes, more proof that I'm still a newb...) I looked at my son and said, "Wouldn't it be cool to get THIS signed?" He smiled, then after a few seconds we realized that it had already BEEN signed (you can see it near the middle of the 3.) Then, we casually walked away.<br />
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No joke, we just walked away to look at other things. I had seen sheet metal on sale before at races, on the web, and even during our tours of local race shops; I knew I couldn't afford it. The more popular drivers go for $200-300 right? I mean, it had to be at LEAST $100. Even $50 was too rich for my means.<br />
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As we walked away a lady yelled "Everything is half off!" and we continued our search for anything worth procuring. My son brought me a book and asked if I'd buy it for him. The same lady passed and I asked her about the book. She replied $.25. "Oh ok. Just out of curiosity, how much for the #38 panel?" As she replied, time stood still and I watched her utter this magic number, "Five dollars." At first it didn't compute. Did she think I was pointing at something else? Was there anything else that had the number 38 on it in the room? After a minute I regained my composure, smiled and stated matter-of-factly, "I think I'll take that."<br />
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After I walked back over to the panel with a much keener eye, I noticed that there was a $10 tag stuck on there. What were they thinking? I don't know, but I know what I was thinking: score. Not only did I get a panel that, I later learned, was run in a Sprint Cup race, I got it at half price. The only negative was that it did not reveal which race it had been run. After some research I found that Travis ran the white Long John's Silver car in over half of 2011 races and had many brushes with the wall as well as with other cars. </div>
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It could have been here with his brush with Dale Jr. : </div>
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Or even here in the "big one" at Daytona: </div>
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I don't know if I'll ever know the answer to this mystery, or whether the marks on the panel are from a wall or another car, but man, it's going to look great hanging from my wall. </div>
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After posting this blog, I received a polite tweet from Travis Kvapil. Thanks Travis! Honored to have your panel- I'll take good care of it!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-85241190555884483342013-06-01T20:23:00.001-04:002015-05-26T12:08:01.911-04:00NASCAR SWAG: Coca Cola 600 edition! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Kids are weird. If you are a parent, you know what I am talking about. I have been blessed with two boys, currently 6 and 4, and they have different "tastes." Personally, I like to sleep in, enjoy a late lunch, and wander to the race an couple hours prior to the start. Not my sons. They want to be there at 8:30 A.M. While I think they are crazy, there is a method to their madness. </div>
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There's hardly anyone there that early in the morning. Is very relaxing to walk up to the Krispy Kreme trailer, with no line, and buy a hot donut or two. This has become a race weekend tradition in our family. The smiles on their faces is worth the couple dollar investment. </div>
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The ease of getting sponsor freebies this early in the morning is laughable. We walked up to the "sticky fingers" promotion because a) they had a "spinny wheel" that my son loves and b) they were giving away free bottles of barbecue sauce. Once we got to the front, my son said that he wanted to win a shirt. He spun the wheel and was one peg away from a shirt, but didn't get it. As they started to hand him a bottle of sauce the lady asked, "Did you want a shirt instead?" and in two seconds there he smiled holding his a shirt. Ironically, all I wanted was a bottle of sauce, and I ended up on a koozie. The man asked, "did you want the sauce instead?"- I walked away with a big bottle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHxG0OdffY_Vi_hmVXgoKzR4aTLYTZWNzAIM2hrZkNSBjULBqs-az3BDudpS6WiwMByWzhd7VEXbOQfpiIOT1Vbc3f7PtXp6geh_FlF9cyhN0QDKy4IG-Yf6iYncILEf9oFEeYj5eig/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHxG0OdffY_Vi_hmVXgoKzR4aTLYTZWNzAIM2hrZkNSBjULBqs-az3BDudpS6WiwMByWzhd7VEXbOQfpiIOT1Vbc3f7PtXp6geh_FlF9cyhN0QDKy4IG-Yf6iYncILEf9oFEeYj5eig/s640/photo.jpg" width="640" /></a>The photo above is only a partial selection of the freebies we received. We received 3 posters (National Guard #88, Goodyear, and Sprint), "swamp people" sauce, silly putty, a couple collapsable coolers from Kentucky Speedway, Banana Boat lanyards and samples (which were needed!), bandanas, scope mouthwash samples, plenty of coupons, and Aaron's grocery bag, and a multitude of koozies. </div>
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Both of my sons' favorite booths was the Smithfield tent. They received free "Fueled by Bacon" magnets, little piggy keychains, and a young lady administered "Fueled by bacon" temporary tattoos, and each of us walked away with a mini-cup of bacon. YUM!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxCG3zneyLuW88VdjSDEgfgFcMXNZYRF1Vfr1AofXwpKkuRpGMkhZPY0TdQbu_DRhwRVIqC1Dpa858hsl9V6Hn93DkPFC3v5GPTiteus93nID8zFMd7zcwF1fjUPF780vlzUvwFXc7w/s1600/IMG_2397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxCG3zneyLuW88VdjSDEgfgFcMXNZYRF1Vfr1AofXwpKkuRpGMkhZPY0TdQbu_DRhwRVIqC1Dpa858hsl9V6Hn93DkPFC3v5GPTiteus93nID8zFMd7zcwF1fjUPF780vlzUvwFXc7w/s320/IMG_2397.JPG" width="320" /></a>My personal favorite was the Goodyear Tires promo tent(s). I have never seen a bigger game of plinko in my life! They created a board almost three stories tall and you used Goodyear tires as your plinko disk. The announcer asked me a Nascar based question as one of his helpers had my sons color down at the table below. I got the question right (he asked what NASCAR stands for) and so I got to drop two tires! They also had a photo booth where my boys and I received a dated picture. </div>
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Oh, the pictures. At almost every tent they had someone take a picture of us and give us a card to download it online. Here's a picture of my 4 year old son Caspian with Miles (the trophy) and a short/super-imposed version of Denny Hamlin. Also, on the right, the surprise of the day, they had Grave Digger on hand for pictures. That made Thaddeus' day!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-56829460729408378042013-05-29T21:23:00.003-04:002013-05-30T13:33:16.708-04:00How to meet Nascar Drivers: episode #4 - Kyle Busch PART II (and Samantha Busch!)Meeting stock car racing drivers is easier than one might think. In fact, it's one of my<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-five-reasons-why-nascar-should-be.html" target="_blank"> top five reasons that</a> NASCAR is my favorite sport. Here's our SECOND encounter with one of the giants in the sport: Kyle Busch. (You can see our first encounter <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-meet-nascar-drivers-episode-4.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thaddeus approaches Samantha Busch for help</td></tr>
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In November we went and picked up our camping tickets for the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway, not only did we get to take our awesome Chevy Astrovan around the track (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/11/driving-around-charlotte-motor-speedway.html" target="_blank">Video HERE</a>), but they also gave me a choice of a large diecast car. Since a Kyle Busch car was offered, I picked it out for my 6 year old son who loves the M&M driver.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u5-yAr-nAMSiPz3e2yIjFI95VGeunOuep_v4cvJ7MOFytPG8FHLYLVGAZFI3JIpHgod9bjAtPccNPoJyZB2I43BHUVal1vk9jXwObq7da4TOOqziOHOWB9kuMmTcfGAImy8OesvZbA/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u5-yAr-nAMSiPz3e2yIjFI95VGeunOuep_v4cvJ7MOFytPG8FHLYLVGAZFI3JIpHgod9bjAtPccNPoJyZB2I43BHUVal1vk9jXwObq7da4TOOqziOHOWB9kuMmTcfGAImy8OesvZbA/s200/photo.JPG" width="200" /></a>Once the Coca-Cola 600 rolled around, we received pit passes from a friend, and ended up in pit road during the driver introductions for the Nationwide Series' History 300. I realized that Kyle would be coming to his car soon, so my son and I booked it down to the Monster Energy car. Pretty soon, Kyle hopped off the truck, and there was my son holding out his car and a sharpie.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomJWCYLegstT716nwAPqyhQgpVpZwTzib9lGHveoXyLDW-GDMI_ffmM6Fhaa0KokdmHrwZJecJ8PkrUaOzFR02R47n_04GY_3S9L_lxC2tDtTLY53x8EroQxZKJNDJQVwejoPFxsKUg/s1600/IMG_2423.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomJWCYLegstT716nwAPqyhQgpVpZwTzib9lGHveoXyLDW-GDMI_ffmM6Fhaa0KokdmHrwZJecJ8PkrUaOzFR02R47n_04GY_3S9L_lxC2tDtTLY53x8EroQxZKJNDJQVwejoPFxsKUg/s320/IMG_2423.PNG" width="213" /></a>Unfortunately, Kyle walked by; he needed to take some pictures with some sponsors. (This is the nice way of saying that he ignored my little guy.) Surprisingly, my son, who is sometimes timid in these situations, brushed this off and was ready for round two. A man behind us suggested, "Why don't you go talk to his wife, she's really got a heart for the kids." (This is the third time a fan has helped us in an autograph situation!) I pointed Mrs. Busch out to Thaddeus and he was off! I didn't have to say another word... (He's got on the red and white M&M hat in the pictures.)<br />
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I have no idea what he said, but pretty soon Samantha Busch had my little guy by the arm and was leading him to her husband. You can see the video below, but notice that my son was totally shellshocked at the end. I later asked him what he said to Kyle, and he smiled and said, "nothing." I don't think he could get a word out!<br />
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After the race, and Kyle's win of the History 300, I sent Samantha Busch a tweet with the picture above attached, thanking her for her help, and got a response! I'm not a fan of Kyle Busch, I'm more of a Tony Stewart guy, but I tell you what, Samantha Busch has a new fan. Thanks Samantha!</div>
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After posting this blog, I got ANOTHER personal message from Samantha! What a great ambassador of the sport. Nascar (and Kyle) are blessed to have her...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-89685669270177508632013-04-28T16:07:00.000-04:002013-05-06T20:43:46.510-04:00Touring Charlotte's local Race Shops! This episode: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing! <br />
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Living in Charlotte has its perks. Not only are we in the town of Charlotte Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but we also have many of the racing teams shops right here in our backyard. This series of blogs will review the racing shops in the Concord area. If you haven't visited a race shop before, they offer new insight into the racing industry. You can watch the team work on cars, pick up your favorite driver's gear and race used memorabilia, and most of all- they are free admission! (None of the ones we visited charged for entry.) </div>
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This visit was at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing 8500 Westmoreland Drive Concord, N.C. 28027 704-662-9642</div>
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My son and I did not know what to expect when visiting Earnhardt Ganassi. It was the race shop for which we had done the smallest amount of research. All I knew was that it was close to all the others, so why not give it a shot? Boy are we glad that we did. What a cool race shop!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKLP7z4ZkGmzdcjNgsnkAQOZAqAoWUmU65UKDjAg_Nz4H_9bp6fP1JEtIas46pLCaGAySmRSUyY9Lbwb7TaAoOsoaId3KS6iuRx2uVhlQGIR9C_RnuWjRqel9ywIpS6kBAM9hlo2GdQ/s1600/IMG_1946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKLP7z4ZkGmzdcjNgsnkAQOZAqAoWUmU65UKDjAg_Nz4H_9bp6fP1JEtIas46pLCaGAySmRSUyY9Lbwb7TaAoOsoaId3KS6iuRx2uVhlQGIR9C_RnuWjRqel9ywIpS6kBAM9hlo2GdQ/s200/IMG_1946.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJO2h89OMrz8wDrf8nJEwqiVDGDfM8GEVJtlhVLnQgcy1BtFA5kpYgg1q325zTYfH45Q_Vfwx5eAjme1UX-VTK8QbZ_l6Sni0KJvJz3obro94jDRNwlnTjt1TckxyrAl2GBD6d2_RwA/s1600/IMG_1945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJO2h89OMrz8wDrf8nJEwqiVDGDfM8GEVJtlhVLnQgcy1BtFA5kpYgg1q325zTYfH45Q_Vfwx5eAjme1UX-VTK8QbZ_l6Sni0KJvJz3obro94jDRNwlnTjt1TckxyrAl2GBD6d2_RwA/s320/IMG_1945.jpg" width="239" /></a>First, not only did they have their show cars for Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya in the foyer of the shop, but they also had their trophies sitting on glass tables- out in the OPEN! Every other shop we visited had their trophies behind glass, these weren't. Of course, you weren't supposed to touch, but having the glass removed made it a much more interesting experience. (And it made it much easier to take pictures with a flash.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTo27BgfeIjgak1fNuXjlB7LLui_fppLLUqjZgkZ3B8sBWIvorjv0AnpynJvvTeg4d9D_nNhkTqE6NvwVwJXs1EwBviM4uKVGc3tIa0hsC-H0CbKBi1oPIfESOVICFYJf5_gFMF-oqQ/s1600/IMG_1953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTo27BgfeIjgak1fNuXjlB7LLui_fppLLUqjZgkZ3B8sBWIvorjv0AnpynJvvTeg4d9D_nNhkTqE6NvwVwJXs1EwBviM4uKVGc3tIa0hsC-H0CbKBi1oPIfESOVICFYJf5_gFMF-oqQ/s200/IMG_1953.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvmkxqJjhkSENMbAtkLah725zLBIYeyse5D0vDJwbHoBi36HqAZp6p9dYTKSGywSGe84MEUPdneFeWV__16RjnyMXVz9tLGrApN4sblHgeetNB34r5coDRJ8Ve5vum5_Xcx-kUkYVJQ/s1600/IMG_1952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvmkxqJjhkSENMbAtkLah725zLBIYeyse5D0vDJwbHoBi36HqAZp6p9dYTKSGywSGe84MEUPdneFeWV__16RjnyMXVz9tLGrApN4sblHgeetNB34r5coDRJ8Ve5vum5_Xcx-kUkYVJQ/s200/IMG_1952.JPG" width="200" /></a> Also, they had a couple of cool areas for us Nascar Newbs! They had a locker full of gear, along with firesuits, that you could actually try on! My son really liked trying on the gloves! In a separate section, they had a tool chest full of different engine and car parts, helmets, steering wheel, etc. for you to check out and learn what each part does for the stock car. </div>
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The shop itself was massive! Whoever designed this shop did a great job. They actually had an open-air platform that you were allowed to walk out on, right in the actual shop, that was surrounded by panels of five foot glass. They had many winning cars sitting close to the glass so we could get pictures. But the only work that was happening was half-way down the building. We could see one of the engineers under one of Jamie's car, but that was about it. Hopefully you'll have better luck when you get a chance to visit.</div>
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Earnhardt Ganassi was a unexpected surprise! Visit when you are in the area!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-24564132621182952262013-04-21T21:00:00.000-04:002015-05-26T12:20:03.677-04:00NHRA Championship at zMax raceway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGE8p20-vlvwEFAtF9wYvHgr9Ff_fX4hPyEo_XV9Ba649AZzwXXAFU-I0jT-oQBsSbtvXf8ZNwWD6tMRnyoXJcyGwlYF_BxKzVcPsnPLwzqMhH37MyKq-WmNj1-DKw_RCVOpwHLmQ5w/s1600/IMG_2141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGE8p20-vlvwEFAtF9wYvHgr9Ff_fX4hPyEo_XV9Ba649AZzwXXAFU-I0jT-oQBsSbtvXf8ZNwWD6tMRnyoXJcyGwlYF_BxKzVcPsnPLwzqMhH37MyKq-WmNj1-DKw_RCVOpwHLmQ5w/s320/IMG_2141.JPG" width="320" /></a> I have done some calculating and I figured that it's been around 15 years since I'd been to a drag race. The last time was during my college years at Moroso Motorspeedway in South Florida. This week I was given some tickets by some friends of mine and we had a free weekend, so the four of us headed out to zMax Dragway after church on Sunday morning. </div>
There were quite a few things that impressed me about our afternoon. First, every ticket was also a pit pass. We were able to walk right up to the cars and their drivers at almost every turn, except for when they were just about to get into their lane. I saw numerous people walk up to drivers and ask for photos right next to their cars. The teams do not have garages, so they simply set up their haulers, pull out the awning, then work on their cars and motorcycles right there on the spot. So you can watch every team work on their cars when they are not on the track.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyxumYD-jzy-RyZHqlIZlyZgakHOBTbK2sBEWaG9wojUykMPBEKqx4B7IFW-rhXKv7DItNC-vILA75cG0TE14ciq0DBsDJ-0-PtKGatIRk5JXSgRhN7FKP7AzWRuXgquEnIUef04eWw/s1600/IMG_2175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyxumYD-jzy-RyZHqlIZlyZgakHOBTbK2sBEWaG9wojUykMPBEKqx4B7IFW-rhXKv7DItNC-vILA75cG0TE14ciq0DBsDJ-0-PtKGatIRk5JXSgRhN7FKP7AzWRuXgquEnIUef04eWw/s320/IMG_2175.JPG" width="320" /></a> The crowds were not nearly as daunting as a NASCAR race, so you can stroll through the vendors with much more ease and comfort and interact more with the people in each sponsor tent. For instance, we often stopped by the ARMY tent at the NASCAR races, but here we got a more full experience. One of the men working there offered to take this picture of me and the boys in front of their drag racer. The people working the tents seemed very hospitable and made a point to talk with the people who were wandering in their section, without being pushy.<br />
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The people there were extremely hospitable. I know that some of them were trying to promote their product, but even the concession and the ticketing (and bag checking) and the workers in the kids/inflatables section were very friendly. My six year old even asked one of the TRAXX models to get a picture, and she was more than happy to oblige!<br />
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Lastly, the actual drivers were super friendly! My son and I were watching the motorcycles make their way back to the pits and one of the riders asked my four year old son if he wanted to sit on the bike. He courageously hopped on and Hector Arana Sr. pushed him about 50 feet back to his pit stall. My son smiled and waved at the people who walked by as if he were in a parade. About halfway back to his hauler, a random lady stopped in front of his bike, which made him stop, and she asked him what happened. It didn't take us long to realize that he had just LOST his race and was no longer in the competition; but here he is smiling and giving my kid a ride. Needless to say we are now fans of the Lucas Oil team. One of his sons that was also in the race, Hector Arana Jr., ended up winning the competition. The incident with Hector reminded me of the time that Nationwide driver Jeremy Clements took time to get my sons name and talk to them, like a real person, and not a fan. (See <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-meet-nascar-drivers-episode-2_25.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html" target="_blank">here</a> for JC blogs.) It's guys like these that keep the sport alive for the fans.<br />
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And oh yes! The RACING! They say a picture is worth a thousand words- but how about a video or two? Here's one of the regular drag racing cars and another of the funny cars. We casually grabbed a seat about 14 rows up and enjoyed the races. We are definitely looking to repeat our NHRA experience next year!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-53178210626435949872013-04-17T18:29:00.000-04:002013-04-17T18:29:40.202-04:00Touring Charlotte's local Race Shops! This episode: Stewart-Haas Racing!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittr0BtB9Evyl76h82E-EaFfhi0uo7qip_bKsN_GEvAGWBaLrPjm_LkJvfhERgNbyHXbuMgstELjDdwM1bBhtmWyHvzs6Ph1e6TOQHQOIgT2POb45AdfgYtsckMy6GJ4qyScXjtxhTvQ/s1600/IMG_1935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittr0BtB9Evyl76h82E-EaFfhi0uo7qip_bKsN_GEvAGWBaLrPjm_LkJvfhERgNbyHXbuMgstELjDdwM1bBhtmWyHvzs6Ph1e6TOQHQOIgT2POb45AdfgYtsckMy6GJ4qyScXjtxhTvQ/s400/IMG_1935.JPG" width="400" /></a> Living in Charlotte has its perks. Not only are we in the town of Charlotte Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but we also have many of the racing teams shops right here in our backyard. This series of blogs will review the racing shops in the Concord area. If you haven't visited a race shop before, they offer new insight into the racing industry. You can watch the team work on cars, pick up your favorite driver's gear and race used memorabilia, and most of all- they are free admission! (None of the ones we visited charged for entry.) First stop: Stewart-Haas racing. They are located at 6001 Haas Way Kannapolis, NC. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAow3eTBvR1XaovgUau7lN0BJusrauPNJtVAFhxBHAsYZbM3frUnK7-Ad9Zz-vgIymmpbFNCDwhNKCDjK-QN82Jyky_O9SmmK1zOT8z3jiOTp0V9q2brnyhyphenhyphenX3TKv6Tigj5DKyIARlw/s1600/IMG_1936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAow3eTBvR1XaovgUau7lN0BJusrauPNJtVAFhxBHAsYZbM3frUnK7-Ad9Zz-vgIymmpbFNCDwhNKCDjK-QN82Jyky_O9SmmK1zOT8z3jiOTp0V9q2brnyhyphenhyphenX3TKv6Tigj5DKyIARlw/s320/IMG_1936.JPG" width="320" /></a>While I am a personal fan of Smoke, this was my first visit to his shop, and honestly, I had low expectations. I'd visited the big-wigs of Hendricks and Roush, so I figured that Tony's home would be less appealing. While it was smaller as expected, the Stewart-Haas shop had a sense of charm and tradition that was a breath of fresh air. While the outside was industrial, the interior had a "contemporary farm" feel that appealed to me. Once in the front door you will be automatically greeted by a few of Tony's cars. Behind them the shop sits on the other side of huge, glass windows. We could easily see Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick, and Tony's cars being worked on. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMcV26IE4d1V7nopRyZkuocZ3bRrdGOzE5L1rkNtj6uVhJolxvAy7WINS7J9mHrRnkLZBhhychm6ca8_80g5p52SMeJCAQyN80BG3PgBUi9pJCvq7tDAitQ3GQ9edrqQy_AqKm_kp5Q/s1600/IMG_1944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMcV26IE4d1V7nopRyZkuocZ3bRrdGOzE5L1rkNtj6uVhJolxvAy7WINS7J9mHrRnkLZBhhychm6ca8_80g5p52SMeJCAQyN80BG3PgBUi9pJCvq7tDAitQ3GQ9edrqQy_AqKm_kp5Q/s200/IMG_1944.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Wofq3vpi9rDLutWR9q17Vn8q9reHeasLPFs86nQzYiU1D0yyNGJVQYr_3lklZM6ePyOfdvbaFeIi4klwvNZTi87pOkRsvtRR1pEcO2ZiT3khn97p85CgkJ-fSb-jaEb_aTw7YE0Rrw/s1600/IMG_1940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Wofq3vpi9rDLutWR9q17Vn8q9reHeasLPFs86nQzYiU1D0yyNGJVQYr_3lklZM6ePyOfdvbaFeIi4klwvNZTi87pOkRsvtRR1pEcO2ZiT3khn97p85CgkJ-fSb-jaEb_aTw7YE0Rrw/s320/IMG_1940.JPG" width="320" /></a>We were so enamored by the shop, we almost missed Tony's Orange County Choppers motorcycle in the corner. I wonder if he ever rides that home and then back to the shop? After spending some time checking out the cars and the motorcycle, we headed into the gift shop and was surprised by how many race used pieces scattered the store. We saw front ends from Bristol and Daytona (only $300!), rear end, spoiler, splitters, tires, etc. They also had shirts and other memorabilia with cool, updated graphic designs for the Stewart-Haas family of drivers. While none of the drivers were sighted on this day, we heard that it was relatively normal to see them around during race week. My son and I will definitely try back in the future!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-90745674126234485792013-04-17T17:08:00.000-04:002013-04-21T20:01:19.069-04:00Touring Charlotte's local Race Shops! This episode: Roush Fenway Racing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQKAyBnO1QIVbLMvJ179L3B129AbBaIUgp7SNR2A9n1rixAc8QEp09T9vzfJtHe80yVd7bZ-p-IIy6i_fXDFlp5b5DgetBPRRVwrPfyeVreIH1EEDQRSDZZDfDp9pXrF_8Px8WLs66w/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQKAyBnO1QIVbLMvJ179L3B129AbBaIUgp7SNR2A9n1rixAc8QEp09T9vzfJtHe80yVd7bZ-p-IIy6i_fXDFlp5b5DgetBPRRVwrPfyeVreIH1EEDQRSDZZDfDp9pXrF_8Px8WLs66w/s320/IMG_1971.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Living in Charlotte has its perks. Not only are we in the town of Charlotte Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but we also have many of the racing teams shops right here in our backyard. This series of blogs will review the racing shops in the Concord area. If you haven't visited a race shop before, they offer new insight into the racing industry. You can watch the team work on cars, pick up your favorite driver's gear and race used memorabilia, and most of all- they are free admission! (None of the ones we visited charged for entry.) Next stop: Roush Fenway, 4600 Roush Place NW Concord, NC.<br />
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When we first pulled into Roush, we saw some of their cars off to the side in their pit road practice area. My son and I walked over just to watch them start the cars and pull back into the garage. It was toward the end of the day, so we'll have to come back one morning and watch them practice. It was worth the small walk to feel the rumble of those engines and take a brief whiff of the ethanol fumes. This area of the facility was by far the best "pit road practice" area of any of the race shops. Hendrick Motorsports has a pretty nice pit practice area, but it's not obvious- you'd have to ask someone to see if the crew was allowing spectators on that morning, then they'd direct you to that area. This one is obvious and, while there is a fence present, you can still walk up pretty close to the action.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDKJkQLT-lmnHqlkoMgZpgvUuOOqsSvKjaN_HLPXTm_OO-STXNyIwG8twTki5GZ28QrKY_I55aa0IBCG8DY7ljkpaJDdBKulChuCAIxCekBTp6-_djmpN9Ws3en3-__fRKYG20ZPFIw/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDKJkQLT-lmnHqlkoMgZpgvUuOOqsSvKjaN_HLPXTm_OO-STXNyIwG8twTki5GZ28QrKY_I55aa0IBCG8DY7ljkpaJDdBKulChuCAIxCekBTp6-_djmpN9Ws3en3-__fRKYG20ZPFIw/s320/IMG_1975.JPG" width="320" /></a> Here's the one downside to Roush, there's no glass windows for onlookers to watch them working on the cars. Lucky for me, I have a former student who is now one of the "simulation engineers" on Roush Fenway's team. Unlucky for all of us, they wouldn't let me take pictures inside any of the facilities... apparently they are very covert in their operations at Roush. (I've heard rumors over the years of engineers dressing as tourists down in Daytona, just to get good pictures of their competitors cars!) No matter, we had a great time walking through every building of the Roush factory. We saw where they actually manufactured the chasis and went from room to room to see how they built each car from the ground up. I think we saw over 60 cars that day- from naked chasis to complete and ready to be loaded on the hauler. This of course, is not the average Roush experience, so I'll take you back to the museum.<br />
<object class="BLOGGER-picasa-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF84yjNP6DoORQBt1bYDDF_sVYHwrF4x8NC2QGGZIOLKmNH89PhS6aElweFui3pFL7RrO9k6RNAYtLTQnI70tJAvXQaHD0u6HHlQtZa1oKIDOUUc07jar2GIvw2x7vJOL7Go4W-mG4Mg/s1600/IMG_1974.MOV" height="266" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Df740a4f172f5faa5%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1368664413%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3D505472A15C732EE3EA04723C35388CD2090B838D.CB7A90487C7AFF555D3274D1B99DFFFF83F318A3%26key%3Dlh1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fredirector.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Df740a4f172f5faa5%26itag%3D18%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1368664413%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Csource%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3D505472A15C732EE3EA04723C35388CD2090B838D.CB7A90487C7AFF555D3274D1B99DFFFF83F318A3%26key%3Dlh1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> The Roush museum and shop is pretty impressive, even without the view of the engineers at work. They have numerous cars from past and present drivers, a large auditorium with a movie playing about their team, multiple trophies, this amazingly wrecked #60 (in picture), and my sons favorite part, their race simulator. Notice how gingerly he turns the wheel and the car has already spun out. In all honesty, I tried after he did and only made it to turn two, but I took a few cars down with me in a blaze of glory. It was the end of a day, and there were hardly any other people there, so we spent about twenty minutes on this game and it was the highlight of the museum.<br />
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On a last note, Petty Motorsports is in a smaller facility right there on the grounds of Roush, but on this day they just happened to be closed. We'll have to stop by another time!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-9581006390848166972013-02-27T18:09:00.000-05:002013-02-27T18:10:44.105-05:00My first true Nascar SWAG! (I need help identifying a signature!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-S5IHCOOTMFPbhpuvCCxvRTCKNgKXgKs5oQad8yUkFtNuUPlj4BP9lXo6OSKNkouJy5yjSrJ4zV_o0GZ5PAMxPdTsZ2QvIh8CEqobbTm7XzeANSW8FHTAcYwVzr-ndncmOZfBZu9Ew/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-S5IHCOOTMFPbhpuvCCxvRTCKNgKXgKs5oQad8yUkFtNuUPlj4BP9lXo6OSKNkouJy5yjSrJ4zV_o0GZ5PAMxPdTsZ2QvIh8CEqobbTm7XzeANSW8FHTAcYwVzr-ndncmOZfBZu9Ew/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a> I got an interesting email about a month ago by a person who does marketing in Nascar (well, actually for Walmart). She said she'd found my blog online and asked if I'd be willing to promote Walmart's and the fan's involvement in the Pocono race <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2013/02/wowwalmart-lets-you-name-fan-driven-400.html" target="_blank">(seen here</a>). Heck, I'm never been to any of the Pocono races, but I am always willing to help the Nascar machine keep running, so I obliged. A few days after I posted this, they asked for my address, then today I got this from UPS. How cool is that? My first true NASCAR swag!!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUAYnyWnJogv4BKfaHrDqWLpjHiqxsM0H7ZypJytbm-Nn1kV-zE7ZqfrUOa2Fkt_nXjnHmQPTTCoKCnLpgV-8eaZvNtzUzTWEkj-3kg7eNzqVnrfJ4kmjmbmCHBim_aTg3bSh_ijgRQ/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUAYnyWnJogv4BKfaHrDqWLpjHiqxsM0H7ZypJytbm-Nn1kV-zE7ZqfrUOa2Fkt_nXjnHmQPTTCoKCnLpgV-8eaZvNtzUzTWEkj-3kg7eNzqVnrfJ4kmjmbmCHBim_aTg3bSh_ijgRQ/s320/photo2.JPG" width="320" /></a> A #48 Jimmie Johnson calendar and magnet, a Denny Hamlin Hot/Cold mug (I really needed one of these!), and a note reading, "Thanks for your support. Drive fast, Take Chances!" from Doerl Kiergy - at least, that what it looks like to me. Do any of you have any idea what Nascar brass- or intern- this could be written by? It's on NASCAR letterhead, so I thought it'd be cool to figure it out! Any ideas???</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-79381383393333472512013-02-16T11:55:00.000-05:002013-02-16T12:37:43.289-05:00Heck with Danica and Stenhouse, I'm looking forward to the Gyrocam!A few months back I had a life changing experience. Ok, it wasn't that influential, but it did forever change my view of Nascar and the driver's experience. My family and drove our Astrovan around Charlotte Motor Speedway. I dedicated a blog and a video here: <a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/11/driving-around-charlotte-motor-speedway.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE!</a><br />
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So, what does that have to do with this year's racing? Fox has included a new weapon in it's arsenal against monotonous NASCAR races: the Gyrocam. It's been used for some time in the motorsports world (mostly on motorcycles), but now they've mounted a few inside our favorite Nascar driver's cars. <br />
Take a peek at this simulation here:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NstXCsDJ3gc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Immediately when I saw this I remembered how it felt to drive our own vehicle around the speedway. The tilt helps me to have a better understanding of the relationship between car, driver, and road. Now the viewer can see how difficult it must be to pass and turn on such a high degree turn. What the video doesn't show, which I explain in more detail on the blog I mentioned above, is that the banking actually forces you down the track, so you have to steer somewhat toward the wall to keep from falling down on the apron. Whatever you are thinking, just know that it's not a simple U-turn.<br />
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For our NASCAR Newbs out there, the degree of banking (what Nascar calls the angle and tilt of the turns) has a proportional affect on the speed at which the drivers can travel. So, the more banking, the higher the potential speed. Here's a great article on that nascar fact, as well as the difference between dirt and track racing: <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/race-tracks/nascar-tracks.htm" target="_blank">HERE</a>. <br />
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Once we have some actual racing with these cameras, I'll post a video below, and while it's against what's socially acceptable in NASCAR to want to see a wreck, I can't wait to see the result of a gyrocam in a flipped car.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-38169846963322929652013-02-11T20:30:00.000-05:002015-05-26T12:24:22.266-04:00Pit Passes: Pay or Pass? A Newb's look at buying tickets to the Pits.<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We'd been going to races faithfully at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the past two years and wanted to try something different. After briefly visiting the pits for last year's Coca-Cola 600 (<a href="http://nascarnewbs.blogspot.com/2012/11/why-nascar-is-best-sport-god-and-country.html" target="_blank">see here</a>), I thought it would be interesting to get pit passes for the Bank of America 500 in October. I obviously wanted to return to the pits, but even more so, I wanted my 3 and 6 year old boys to get close to the racing action. <br />
Honestly, I was completely clueless (a true nascar newb) when it came to the pits. Most of our time we spent wondering around, eating all of the free Cargill Hamburgers we could handle, and simply soaking in the sights of pit road. While we did not have a hot-pass (the pass that gets your right next to the drivers' garages) but the basic pit pass still gave us some serious access to the cars, pit boxes and even the drivers themselves. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joey Logano about to do practice laps</td></tr>
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There were many favorite moments with these pit passes over the weekend, I don't know how to pick, so I will mention more than a few! Two of these moments were on the day before the "big" race. During practice and qualifying, there was around 50 people lining pit road with my son and I as we hung out and and watched the big dogs line up on pit road and make their way onto the track. They came out in segments and we watched our favorite drivers as they slowly went by. It was almost like a mini-personal parade of NASCAR. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thaddeus is in Nascar Heaven: Snow Cone <br />
and the Biggest LCD screen!</td></tr>
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Secondly, an hour or so later, my son and I noticed a bunch of people over by the main building in the infield at Charlotte Motor Speedway, like bugs to a zapper we were attracted. After standing in the midst of 40 people, the doors on the side of the building flung open and a bunch of drivers walked out in their fire suits. We had unknowingly camped right outside of the pre-race meeting for the Nationwide drivers. I lifted my son up and he watched as Ricky Stenhouse, Austin Dillon, Danica Patrick, Elliot Sadler, and Sam Hornish Jr. walked right by us. I don't mean that they were a few feet in front of us; they literally squeezed through the crowd (like the freshman do in the hallways of a highschool.) The best part was the surprise of it all. We went from hanging out with random Nascar fans, to being surrounded by Nationwide drivers in a matter of seconds.<br />
On the day of the Bank of America 500, things got much more chaotic on pit road, so we took a few minutes to wander to other areas of the pits. Another one of our favorite memories was having an Italian Ice and watching the largest big screen LCD screen in the world. It was one of those relaxing moments, where you enjoyed a treat and just soaked in where you were.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick Wallenda walks the tight rope across<br />
to the infield at Charlotte Motor Speedway</td></tr>
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A few hours before the start of the race, the family and I were hanging out by the camper. I realized that we only had an hour before the race started, and had forgotten that there was supposed to be some pretty impressive events before the race. One of those events was that Nik Wallenda was going tight rope walk from the roof of the upper deck to the infield. My son and I decided that we wanted to get as close to Nik's performance as possible. We went down to pit road and noticed that he was about to start! While we rushed to see Nik's performance, I noticed that golf carts passed us with passengers in firesuits. Suddenly, the golf carts got clogged and I looked over at the golf cart next to us. Who was sitting there in his jump suit with water bottle in hand? Mark Martin. I am usually the type that does pretty well with famous people. This time was not one of those times. I honestly can't remember what I said, but it was probably something silly like "Have a good race." He was very cordial, but I think I'd like a redo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clint Bowyer over my son's shoulder!</td></tr>
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We followed Mark Martin's golf cart and it led right under the crane holding Nik Wallenda's tightrope. We were apparently, again, at the right place at the right moment. Not only did we get to watch Nik's descent from the top of that crane, my son and I also watched over half of the drivers getting dropped off right at the gate to go out to driver introductions. I have a bunch of pictures of my son and drivers walking (or driving) by, but I chose this one of Clint Bowyer in his 5 hour energy fire suit because he ended up winning the race that night. As a fan, I don't know how much closer to the action I could have been without actually sitting on a pit box for the race.<br />
Obviously, in my opinion, if you've been to the races before and are interested in checking out the pits; the pit passes are definitely worth the investment! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-26259905932531188302013-01-06T17:07:00.002-05:002013-05-06T21:01:35.895-04:00Guest Post: A true NASCAR fan’s best racing memories aren’t all at the racetrack. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;">Guest Post: Megan Leben is a Middle School student from Georgia and an avid NASCAR fan. She's also contributed to SBNATION and you can read Megan's other article <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2012/11/14/3644638/nascar-life-lessons-young-fans-2012" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZ0oRTnEcd3EyZHFlBr8MtWXs6vxMqAOuz9838BiWlZeh4zHxs2zPdDTsatJQsUrB_u653v10xV9Z94odW9_JQzDuBwc2kBlCZ2Xgc-YL6p8rr4-qhFWlyW9Rzfqe_Mqjp2k2hDdXBg/s1600/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZ0oRTnEcd3EyZHFlBr8MtWXs6vxMqAOuz9838BiWlZeh4zHxs2zPdDTsatJQsUrB_u653v10xV9Z94odW9_JQzDuBwc2kBlCZ2Xgc-YL6p8rr4-qhFWlyW9Rzfqe_Mqjp2k2hDdXBg/s320/blog3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> During summer vacation
most kids choose to go to the beach or Disney, but one year I chose to go to
NASCAR country! I spent weeks researching and planning our visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought the day would never arrive, but
eventually we were in Charlotte!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s
so much to do and see for NASCAR fans that we couldn’t fit it all in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did our best, driving around from dawn to
dusk and it will always be one of my favorite summer vacations!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPd4nY83pTXyQg7HyEmpIXXAOnf6odWlUwVubvznVn79O-_SX3NPit6oatj9mA4Pv6gHWOxINvcSuQO0dwnSaLxLPILigFJU_46E-IJwu_fcYu-3Jg2NldtPJVei_TT_6LrJ4tAbTGdA/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPd4nY83pTXyQg7HyEmpIXXAOnf6odWlUwVubvznVn79O-_SX3NPit6oatj9mA4Pv6gHWOxINvcSuQO0dwnSaLxLPILigFJU_46E-IJwu_fcYu-3Jg2NldtPJVei_TT_6LrJ4tAbTGdA/s320/blog.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">Victory Junction was
one of the top places on my list! When we got there, it looked deserted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gift shop was closed and the camp was
behind a big set of locked gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
so disappointed. My mom called to see if they would be open another day, but I
would never guessed what happened next. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead
of coming back another day, one of the volunteers met us to take us the gift
shop inside the gates! On the way in, I got to see the different sections of
the camp – many donated by some of my favorite drivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were visiting the Gift Shop, I told
the volunteers that I had donated some money to the Camp as part of a school
project and my project had even made it in the Victory Junction newsletter! He
picked up the phone and next things I knew I was riding back to the parking lot
in the pink truck that Taylor Swift gave to Victory Junction!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzQKgIfhAO2rHMD1pMayz6oO2B9IGCJ9SopDKAFZFLyVUk_YpC_Aolj4iIody9j07gAhRvrcQvrgjgrnmi2zH8u2sKR2nxrATd5-BsgssFmQf4OLsCFK-hbHt3j00N8ouDk_s-cNAoQ/s1600/blog1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzQKgIfhAO2rHMD1pMayz6oO2B9IGCJ9SopDKAFZFLyVUk_YpC_Aolj4iIody9j07gAhRvrcQvrgjgrnmi2zH8u2sKR2nxrATd5-BsgssFmQf4OLsCFK-hbHt3j00N8ouDk_s-cNAoQ/s320/blog1.png" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzQKgIfhAO2rHMD1pMayz6oO2B9IGCJ9SopDKAFZFLyVUk_YpC_Aolj4iIody9j07gAhRvrcQvrgjgrnmi2zH8u2sKR2nxrATd5-BsgssFmQf4OLsCFK-hbHt3j00N8ouDk_s-cNAoQ/s1600/blog1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></a><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 16pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> Our visit to Charlotte
couldn’t be complete without a trip to Hendrick Motorsports! When I was there,
Dale Jr and Mark Martin shared one shop while Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon
shared the other. When I say shop I don’t mean the kind people have in their
backyards! These buildings were clean and shiny with car after car lined up
with people preparing them for the racetrack! Each building also showcased
trophies that the teams had won and each driver’s show car. The gift shop had
everything NASCAR you could imagine! We got lucky and got to watch one of the pit
crew practices. We were the only people out there so when they finished practicing
they let me get in the car! They even started the car for me and the roar of
the engine was music to my ears! The racecar they were practicing with was one
of Mark Martin’s that he actually drove in a race!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">We took our trip in
2010 which was the same year Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500. (I was at that
race!) When we went to Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Jamie McMurray’s show car greeted
us as we entered the lobby and right beside it was a Daytona 500 trophy! It was
neat to be able to stand next to car that took the checkered at my first
Daytona 500 race!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8I_tPbZCo4jYV6nM6STvIQVWpyUUns027hB71L4Nq8WJj6HM6tgiTArfPQtKsCTcN4ok_GkbAtz41Ew40MGh9Z61viFJ6NSs-bKm1qX9sUM_bnAYg8ie0PSqMyYxMEBl9YgMfSSpSDg/s1600/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8I_tPbZCo4jYV6nM6STvIQVWpyUUns027hB71L4Nq8WJj6HM6tgiTArfPQtKsCTcN4ok_GkbAtz41Ew40MGh9Z61viFJ6NSs-bKm1qX9sUM_bnAYg8ie0PSqMyYxMEBl9YgMfSSpSDg/s320/blog4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">Charlotte Motor
Speedway didn’t look anything like it does during race weekend! We signed up to
ride in a van through the infield and around the track! While our speed wasn’t
anywhere close to 200 miles per hour, it was so cool to feel what the drivers
feel like while they are on the track during a race. I felt like I was sitting
sideways in the seat! We even got to go in Victory Lane!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> Where else but
Roush-Fenway Racing can you see the Cat in the Hat himself? We were looking through
the glass at the guys working on Greg Biffle’s car and next thing I knew Jack
Roush walked up and started looking at the car and talking to the crew! We went
in the museum at the complex which had everything from trophies from wins to
part of the plane from one of Jack Roush’s plane crashes. We saw Matt Kenseth’s
pit crew practicing their stops.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> We went to Penske
Racing, Kevin Harvick Inc., Michael Waltrip Racing, and JR Motorsports too!
They had a cool viewing deck at Penske above the floor where they worked on the
cars! It was towards the end of the week so the cars for the race that weekend had
already left for the track, but many people were still hard at work! At Michael
Waltrip Racing, we took a tour that went around the outside of the building to
show us where the pit crew trained and the haulers. The tour also went inside
and we saw where they work on the cars. After the tour ended, we spent a lot of
time in the museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had racecar seats you could sit in, part
of Michael McDowell’s car that he crashed in 2008 at Texas qualifying, and you
could see into many of the different sections of the raceshop where people were
working. When we walked in the door at Kevin Harvick Inc. a giant vase of
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups was sitting on the front desk! We asked the
receptionist about it and she told us that every time a Kevin Harvick car won a
race, their sponsor sent candy! At JR Motorsports you could only go in the gift
shop, but there was a window where you could see in the shop and right behind
the window was the #3 Wrangler car that Dale Jr. won in at Daytona that
year….Victory Lane confetti and Gatorade included!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tu-Ivi5LeTlM6pafTgpDRDajsQF6wx-NbnSIMigpt31jr3wkhI2rU20F_Ky-uUlwtFrfA9JEe8BnPR6uU6-E8VWzRnGKgNvFHc5VFHTaw9t9tJPiJ86HFN_C1ae5x1ByIz2NLPRJlg/s1600/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tu-Ivi5LeTlM6pafTgpDRDajsQF6wx-NbnSIMigpt31jr3wkhI2rU20F_Ky-uUlwtFrfA9JEe8BnPR6uU6-E8VWzRnGKgNvFHc5VFHTaw9t9tJPiJ86HFN_C1ae5x1ByIz2NLPRJlg/s320/blog5.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">We went to Richard
Childress Racing and toured their racing museum and saw their shop. This was my
dad’s favorite shop. Dale Earnhardt was-and always will be- his favorite
driver! I liked this shop a lot too! It really told the story of Richard
Childress Racing and the famous #3 car! In the museum they had lots of cars and
pictures from past years. There was also a wildlife section that had things
from hunts Richard Childress has been on. They even had the car Dale Earnhardt
won the 1998 Daytona 500 in!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguV1MQexkRQIlT-cefX_49DYTWIYZhyphenhypheniPHW6rC2oavF9IWepC9BFflGTMgpkhTNog9AFobcwG-ZNFqAvkuLgaF-KSEb2_GGrcTk8CSY1g8Li77Hd9vL2-aYRnNiuxZYLhWqeGXCAkvTw/s1600/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguV1MQexkRQIlT-cefX_49DYTWIYZhyphenhypheniPHW6rC2oavF9IWepC9BFflGTMgpkhTNog9AFobcwG-ZNFqAvkuLgaF-KSEb2_GGrcTk8CSY1g8Li77Hd9vL2-aYRnNiuxZYLhWqeGXCAkvTw/s320/blog6.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"><i> </i>Our last stop was the
NASCAR Hall of Fame. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">It was AWESOME! There were lots of old racing things and
it was really interesting! I liked the interactive section the best! You could
change a tire, hold a gas can (it’s heavier than it looks!), call a race, and
even wave flags from a flag stand!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-size: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"> Whether you’re a
NASCAR newbie who knows only a little about racing or a veteran fan that knows
every track, every owner, and every driver (and their numbers!), a visit to
NASCAR land is a trip you must take! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time a driver wins a race he thanks his
team, but he’s not just thanking his pit crew. Going to the shops made me
realize how many people it takes to run a race team. Receptionists, engine
builders, decal experts, PR staff, and so many people that I didn’t even see
are essential parts of a successful race team!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I’m already planning my
next trip to Charlotte! Hope I see you there! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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You can follow all of Megan's Nascar adventures on twitter at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;"><s style="text-decoration: none;">@</s></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px;">mleben88</span><br />
As well as her new blog at : <a href="http://flagtoflag.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">http://flagtoflag.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6767619.4018;sz=180x150;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463471;pid=58000000002778140010000D013.0;usg=AFHzDLtV5xpf-ZSDswgLPLJaQa9UhZGQ9A;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.dsw.com%252Fshoe%252Fdale%252Bearnhardt%252Bjr.%252Brevo%252Bcamber%252Bsneaker%253FprodId%253D277814;pubid=635499;price=%2459.95;title=Dale+Earnhardt+Jr.+Rev...;merc=DSW.com;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fs7d2.scene7.com%2Fis%2Fimage%2FDSWShoes%2F277814_001_ss_01%3F%24search%24%26wid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26fmt%3Djpg%26qlt%3D100;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=396269;usg=AFHzDLs21h-bIrc943YP5hap0W4rSG4Zzw;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-396269%252Ffathead-nascar-dale-earnhardt-sr-wall-decal.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=635499;price=%2489.98;title=Fathead+Nascar+Dale+Ea...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F396269%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1283222;usg=AFHzDLuBT_Z55ln-BivVE1eSYhDJRD8YuA;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1283222%252Fdale-earnhardt-jr-vintage-stripe-tee-men.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=635499;price=%2422.48;title=Dale+Earnhardt%2C+Jr.+Vi...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1283222%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1409984;usg=AFHzDLvk2U67z_9wJTJMCSLU2WVDXzURkw;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1409984%252Fkevin-harvick-race-fan-home-pack.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=635499;price=%2444.99;title=Kevin+Harvick+Race+Fan...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1409984%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1409972;usg=AFHzDLtLxirH76wt2gBaomv9htHnrYUASQ;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1409972%252Fdale-earnhardt-jr-race-fan-home-pack.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=635499;price=%2444.99;title=Dale+Earnhardt+Jr.+Rac...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1409972%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1410075;usg=AFHzDLssdqjYv53AwZdDeP7U2LjrkPCB8g;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1410075%252Fdanica-patrick-race-fan-home-pack.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=635499;price=%2444.99;title=Danica+Patrick+Race+Fa...;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1410075%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=85;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4417116169843458408.post-62274214842687588712013-01-05T21:50:00.002-05:002015-05-26T12:24:59.631-04:00The Impossible Search for Dale Earnhardt Sr. ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzyc9zny5otb09LHV_uUyQguWbOcgJL9a4Lq38NHzrXd6o48SycYkQgmblRhjfCgQHwPu2zkfFhx2MjAJxZ-Wc8NomPSGf6fNa6r2C_7rF9QS7C-AFcs9so6-kj2Q0d0_xS3_xye_ww/s1600/IMG_1666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzyc9zny5otb09LHV_uUyQguWbOcgJL9a4Lq38NHzrXd6o48SycYkQgmblRhjfCgQHwPu2zkfFhx2MjAJxZ-Wc8NomPSGf6fNa6r2C_7rF9QS7C-AFcs9so6-kj2Q0d0_xS3_xye_ww/s320/IMG_1666.JPG" width="320" /></a> While eating at Fuddrucker's the other night, I got an email that asked if our 6 year old was available for an audition on Saturday for a commercial. While it didn't give much information, it did tell us that it involved ESPN and NASCAR. So, we submitted him for this audition and he got the opportunity, but there was one catch. Apparently the commercial is a Dale Earnhardt / Austin Dillon #3 commercial and we needed to be an "actual fan" of the #3 and have some of his memorabilia. Well, I've always loved the Earnhardt legacy, and was interested in teaching my son much more about Dale Jr.'s father, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to travel up to DEI (for NEWBS, that's Dale Earnhardt Inc.) on Friday afternoon. It was a great trip, and while we arrived really late in the day, we were still able to see most of the cars they had on display, and especially the #3 and the massive Winston Cup Championship Trophies in the trophy case.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIWygSXa7k0_j3MAXo7PZmKhfPEg8kN283c0CS4VmXkdJXrmHGdRpIHsqDoYHZEt1PZBaB6jnBQ20xERnExy2BuZx7S7CQynWo_ZfacJnECe9_X889K598IZhgEq8yyQ0257_RtA7xQ/s1600/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIWygSXa7k0_j3MAXo7PZmKhfPEg8kN283c0CS4VmXkdJXrmHGdRpIHsqDoYHZEt1PZBaB6jnBQ20xERnExy2BuZx7S7CQynWo_ZfacJnECe9_X889K598IZhgEq8yyQ0257_RtA7xQ/s200/IMG_1662.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
After the visit, we went into the DEI shop thinking that I could buy as much #3 gear as I needed for my son to "look the part" for this NASCAR audition. Well, they were sold out of all of their kids gear except for girls, and the hats were way too large for his head. This is when the panic set in. Where am I to find #3 gear for my son if DEI doesn't even have any? Well, I tried the Walmarts in the area with no luck, we visited the Nascar Speedpark in Concord and found only girls gear, and we even put a call into Charlotte Motor Speedway to no avail. On Saturday, the day of the audition, we visited multiple thrift shops and only found a trash can. (Actually, for $2.99 I thought it was a pretty rad find.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20JUje2hj6enparLi3lbGDATak0-dYEs6RS657WXuQiDF9seRJBk5ZHvrXJktl6c6L0poHsEkTGygNgwVJTekXHnCLsgHBN5VgmG6_ifwWWpIaFZO7YmKj1fLsbrX81r1TWnpbPo9aw/s1600/IMG_1681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20JUje2hj6enparLi3lbGDATak0-dYEs6RS657WXuQiDF9seRJBk5ZHvrXJktl6c6L0poHsEkTGygNgwVJTekXHnCLsgHBN5VgmG6_ifwWWpIaFZO7YmKj1fLsbrX81r1TWnpbPo9aw/s320/IMG_1681.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
Well, our last hope was the Nascar Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte. YES! Success! I don't think I've ever paid twenty-four dollars for a hat, but at that point I thought that it was worth the price to end the search.<br />
The audition went well and the casting agent loved him. He was asked many questions about going to Nascar races and was very believable, even though he said that his favorite driver was Kyle Busch. Oops. No matter, there is no doubt in my mind that he was much more "NASCAR" than anyone else in the room, but it's up to the producers to decide that. I'll post if he gets the gig, or maybe you'll just see the kid on the left in the next Nascar commercial.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018368547519521835noreply@blogger.com0