A TEAM'S GOTTA EAT!!

I have a confession!  I am a bit of a foodie.  There, I said it.  It's not that my whole world revolves around food, and I don't enjoy massive quantities of food.  I think what I like is the fun and relationships that happen over food.  Tailgating?  That is probably my idea of ultimate fun!

So naturally, when we are lucky enough to get an early morning tour of the pit/garage area at a track, I want to know -- what and where do all of these people eat?!  I mean, it's an early start of the day for these guys.  And they work hard.  They have to get hungry and it's not like they can just take a lunch break and run out to the local McDonald's!

So this last time at Dover I decided to check out how the teams get their nourishment, and I was not disappointed!  These teams know how to do it right!!  I have been known to be a little bit over the top when I'm in charge of the tailgate, but they put me to shame.  I mean check out this ham ready to bake ...

I know you can almost smell this picture!  I asked this guy what time lunch was served, hoping he would invite me to join them, but he just looked at me and chuckled.  His facial expression was kinda like "Go away Stalker!"  He obviously didn't know who I was - hahahaha!!!

Most of the time the hauler driver also fills the role of chef.  Here the grills are lined up in front of the haulers at Richmond ...

I couldn't find anyone there to talk to so I didn't get invited there either. ;-)

Some teams set up their kitchen right in back of their haulers in the garage area -

And others look for an open space and set up canopies and full kitchens!

(I understand this guy does some amazing things with sweet potatoes.

I LOVE sweet potatoes - HINT, HINT!!)

And just like tailgating at your favorite track or stadium, you can tell that there is a certain kind of "one-ups-man-ship" among the cooks, which makes for an interesting and yummy-smelling infield on race day.

Race day is a very busy time for these teams, and pit crew members don't always have alot of time to sit down to a nice meal.  Food has to be the grab-and-go variety and it has to be healthy because these guys are serious athletes.  This spring I caught this crew member of Alex Bowman's having a bowl of fresh strawberries while they waited to go through inspection.

Maybe I should consider combining my love of tailgating with my love of Nascar and figure out how to become the cook for a team.  Nah!  That's way too much work at this stage of my life.  I guess I'm just gonna figure out how score an invitation to tailgate with a team and not be considered a stalker!!

Stay Happy!!