I am frequently asked one question from friends that don't understand Nascar. Ryan, why do you like going to those racing events? Some people watch for the crashes, a possible fight, fast speeds, people watching or to observe a true american sport. For me it's simple. I like all of the things above. But it is really about Father/Son bonding. Roughly 10 years ago, my parents gave me one of the coolest birthday presents. Usually, I know in advance what presents I am going to receive, but this year was different. I had no clue. I opened the gift and inside were two nascar headphones along with a scanner (I guess it was a present for Pops as well). My father and I used these to go to atleast one NASCAR race in each of the next seven years. We made it to Martinsville twice, Bristol, Dover, Charlotte, Darlington and of course Richmond.
The race at Richmond was special to me. Growing up in Virginia, we were fortunate to have family living in Richmond. We stayed the night at my Mom's Aunt's house. Instead of purchasing Nationwide tickets, we decided to spend time with family and watch the race from their home. We looked at some racing memorabilla and enjoyed a nice home cooked meal. The next day we contacted my Mom's cousin, a cop in Richmond. During events in Richmond, specifically NASCAR races at the speedway, officers are prevelant around the track to help with parking and the flow of traffic. For anybody who has been to a NASCAR race, parking is difficult to find unless you camp out the entire weekend or arrive really early on Sunday. We had a connection!! We called Tony and he gave us directions. Our instructions were to contact him when we got to a specific street near the track. Pops was driving so I called Tony. As soon as we got close to his location, we were told to get in the far left lane. He saw us and immedicately stopped all of the traffic. Pops and I were shocked. We followed Tony and backed right into a researve parking spot. While we were backing up, I noticed a few members of the pit crews walking by. We had better parking than the Pit Crews!! Tony chatted for a few minutes, but then got back to work so Dad and I gathered our headphones and coolers and headed towards the track.
We had arrived early so we still had plenty of time to check out the vendors and things to do around the track. Growing up both Dad and I were Dale Earnhardt fans. I stuck with Dale Jr. and am a part of Junior nation while Dad was a big fan of Denny Hamlin. We first came to the FexEx #11 vendor. Dad purchased a Hamlin hat. I thought the one he chose was a little dorky, but he liked it so that's all that mattered. We then headed to one of the many Dale Jr. vendors. Yes, there were many. At that time he drove the Budweiser #8. I was already wearing my Budweiser hat so I purchased a red Jr. shirt. We were also enjoying some ice cold brews (I was only 20 at the time, so nobody tell my mother). After walking around a bit more and taking a few photographs we headed into the track.
When we got to our seats, Pops put all of Jr's information into the scanner. From previous races, he knew I wanted to listen to the #8 pit crew. He also entered in #11 and a few other drivers incase our favorites ended up in a wreck. But that never happened. We never needed to listen to any drivers other than Jr. or Hamlin. Jr. started in the top 10 and never fell lower. Hamlin started ahead of Jr. and was in contention during the entire race. I remembered the exact instant when Dale took the lead for the first time. He was nearly halfway through the race and the entire crowd rose out of their seats and went crazy. It was true then and it still is today. Jr is one of the most popular drivers. The crowd also got a little rowdy when Virginia native Denny Hamlin took the lead for a few laps. That included my Dad when he was yelling and pumping his fist as his boy passed Harvick for the lead. However, in the end nobody had anything for the Budweiser chevrolet. Jr took the lead with almost 50 laps remaining. There were a few cautions that brought drivers back into it, but Jr held on for the victory. This was the first time I had seen Dale Jr. win and Hamlin ended up 2nd. So it was a win-win for pops and I.
Unfortunately, I cannot attend any more races with my father as he lost his battle with Melanoma two years ago. Never the less, I have continued going to atleast one race a year!! Why do you like NASCAR races? Is it for your favorite driver, fast cars, wrecks........
We had arrived early so we still had plenty of time to check out the vendors and things to do around the track. Growing up both Dad and I were Dale Earnhardt fans. I stuck with Dale Jr. and am a part of Junior nation while Dad was a big fan of Denny Hamlin. We first came to the FexEx #11 vendor. Dad purchased a Hamlin hat. I thought the one he chose was a little dorky, but he liked it so that's all that mattered. We then headed to one of the many Dale Jr. vendors. Yes, there were many. At that time he drove the Budweiser #8. I was already wearing my Budweiser hat so I purchased a red Jr. shirt. We were also enjoying some ice cold brews (I was only 20 at the time, so nobody tell my mother). After walking around a bit more and taking a few photographs we headed into the track.
When we got to our seats, Pops put all of Jr's information into the scanner. From previous races, he knew I wanted to listen to the #8 pit crew. He also entered in #11 and a few other drivers incase our favorites ended up in a wreck. But that never happened. We never needed to listen to any drivers other than Jr. or Hamlin. Jr. started in the top 10 and never fell lower. Hamlin started ahead of Jr. and was in contention during the entire race. I remembered the exact instant when Dale took the lead for the first time. He was nearly halfway through the race and the entire crowd rose out of their seats and went crazy. It was true then and it still is today. Jr is one of the most popular drivers. The crowd also got a little rowdy when Virginia native Denny Hamlin took the lead for a few laps. That included my Dad when he was yelling and pumping his fist as his boy passed Harvick for the lead. However, in the end nobody had anything for the Budweiser chevrolet. Jr took the lead with almost 50 laps remaining. There were a few cautions that brought drivers back into it, but Jr held on for the victory. This was the first time I had seen Dale Jr. win and Hamlin ended up 2nd. So it was a win-win for pops and I.
Unfortunately, I cannot attend any more races with my father as he lost his battle with Melanoma two years ago. Never the less, I have continued going to atleast one race a year!! Why do you like NASCAR races? Is it for your favorite driver, fast cars, wrecks........
Dale Jr. Wins!!!