SO MUCH MORE THAN A RACE!

We are back from a truly amazing weekend at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware, and I couldn't wait to share some of the things I learned and some of the pictures I took!

One of the fun things we experienced was spending some time in the pit area during all three days of the weekend.  And the thing that struck me most was just HOW MUCH is going on there and HOW MANY people are working behind the scene to produce the racing event.

Of course, there are the drivers

Ryan Newman poses with a fan

and the owners

Jack Rousch, "The Cat in the Hat"

and the crew members.

But there are also alot of other people milling around there too!  There are lots and lots of media people

TV

Radio

and, of course, Claire B. Lang!!

There are security guards who make sure no one goes where they are not allowed to go

And the fire personnel

This man told me he would be sitting there all day until the race was over.

I stopped complaining about being hot after that!

Dover International Speedway always reserves a special place of honor for our military, maybe because the Dover Air Force base is only a few miles down the road.  We actually observed one pit crew member seeking out every member of the military, shaking their hand and thanking them for their service.  And no cameras were recording it, it was simply an expression of gratitude from a citizen.  Awesome!

Then there is the business end of Nascar.  Every driver has a posse of public relations people who go everywhere they go, tweeting and instagramming their every move!

Don't forget to save room for the helicopters and the Air Titans!

And spotters

And whoever the guy is who has to make sure the tires get where they need to be!

So glad this is not MY job!!

Save room for sponsors and other VIPs, fan with pit passes, and OH YEAH race vehicles!

It is an amazing scene, behind the scenes.  All of this so that folks like us can get our race fix every week!!