CHARLOTTE & MATTHEW - NOT A LOVE STORY!

Well, we are back safe & sound from 9 crazy, fun, interesting and WET days in Charlotte, NC!  We did so many interesting things, met some phenomenal people, and saw so many amazing things that I don't know where to begin to tell you all about it!

But today's installment of our adventures has to be about the story that dominated everything, the whole week long - Hurricane Matthew!

When we left on our trip on Sunday the 2nd of October the forecast called for gorgeous weather - sunny and in the upper 70s all week long, including both race days.  And the closer we got to race day, the more grim the forecast became.  Hurricane Matthew was originally not supposed to impact the Charlotte area.  WRONG!

We woke up during the night on Thursday night to the sound of rain on the roof of the RV.  And not just any rain, hurricane like rain.  And so it began ...

Thankfully, we were camping at the former Tom Johnson's campground (which is now part of CMS property) and we were parked on gravel that drained really well.  The same cannot be said for the hearty souls who like to camp in the infield.  This, combined with the past few races at Dover in torrential rains, is why we will NEVER camp on grass at any track ever again.  Ever.

We sat in the camper formulating Plan B for Race Day #1.  And we were going to need it!

We had visited as many museums and race shops as I could take (Hey!  I never claimed to be THAT big a race fan!) so I really just wanted to go someplace fun and non-race related.  Hubby - who is the guy who picks up maps and brochures everywhere we go - got busy doing some true armchair tourist research and he suggested this place - The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.  

I am so glad we found this place!  It is a true German-style brauhaus, with some really authentic German cuisine.  And the beer!  SO good!  This was my lunch for the day (and my afternoon snack for the next day too!)

We tried 6 different beers and left with three six-packs to share with our daughters and sons-in-law who are the real beer lovers in our family!  I'm sure they wish I could have brought home some of this meat and cheese plate too!

It was a great way to spend a few rainy hours on a Friday afternoon!

The rain continued the rest of the day and all night long on Friday.  And it was a wind-driven rain which meant there was no way we could put the awning out and sit outside.  So we did some reading, some napping, and alot of tv watching, hoping that the sun would come out tomorrow.

Well, the Nascar gods were not with us on Saturday either.  Thank goodness for college football on television!  The wind and the rain continued and even got worse.  We tried to take advantage of a little break in the downpours and go for a short walk, only to have to turn around and go back inside. All of Saturday's track action was also cancelled, which meant that the night race we were so looking forward to was now going to be a double-header day race.  Oh well.  With all of the folks who were dealing with damage to their homes, we had no right to complain.

Late Saturday afternoon, I opened the camper door to see if it was still raining and guess what greeted me ...

It was a beautiful rainbow, too!  I could see both ends of the arc over the campground.  No pot of gold, but still a great sign!!  We had a few more showers, and then I saw this ..

This is what the edge of a hurricane looks like!  Pretty cool, huh?!  So while the weather was awful, it was also beautiful in its own special way.

And once we were sure that the rain was outta here, all the campers with cabin fever slowly emerged from their cocoons, and the Matthew Survival party began!  I'll tell you all about that and all the crazy campers we met in my next installment!

FELLOW FANS WHO BECOME FRIENDS!

When we go to the race at Dover and at Richmond, we treat ourselves to seats in a suite.  We don't take long trips to exotic islands, so this is how we vacation.

Suites are interesting places.  Some of the people there are HUGE Nascar fans.  They come with their Sharpies and all kinds of things they want to get autographed.  I have seen motorcycle helmets, various pieces of clothing, and even a very large framed photo of a corn maze in the image of Joey Logano!

Lots of the seats in the suites are purchased by corporations who send their star employees to the race as a reward for jobs well done.  Some of these people don't have a clue what a race is all about.  I get a particular kick out of watching these people become Nascar fans right before my eyes!

But my very favorite part of the 'suite life' is all the incredibly interesting people we meet!  Being there a few hours before the green flag waves allows us the chance to strike up a conversation with total strangers.  Nascar is the only thing we know we have in common, but by the time the checkered flag is in the air we have made new friends with whom we discover we have LOTS in common!

This past weekend at Richmond was one of those special weekends. And I want to introduce you to the incredibly interesting people we met ---

First there was the retired couple from Virginia who are both longtime Nascar fans.  They have been coming to Richmond for many, many years!  They entertained us with stories about the track long ago when they sat in wooden bleachers and when they camped right next to the helicopter landing pad. Their young sons would hang out when the copters landed and get drivers' and owners' autographs.

On the other side of us was a couple from Pennsylvania.  We traded stories about our mutual camping escapades and discovered that we had alot in common.  The funniest story of the weekend came from her when she told us about getting on what she thought was a track shuttle bus.  Turns out it was a limo bus that was taking the 48 crew to the infield!  She realized she was on the wrong bus when security came on board and asked to see everyone's hard card.  She was so embarrassed!  But the guys on the bus were so very nice, and the security guy called for a golfcart to take her back where she needed to be!  Her telling of the story had us laughing until we cried!

We also met one of the gentlemen who worked in the suite and in a conversation with him we learned the story of his childhood, growing up as a sharecropper's son in poverty-stricken rural Virginia. He said when he would go to someone's house who had running water and indoor plumbing all he wanted to do was take a bath.  What a great perspective he has on life's littlest blessings.

Do you remember me telling you about the Happy Nascar Wife I met last year?  If not, you can read about her here:  http://nascarwifehappylife.blogspot.com/2015/09/happiest-nascar-wife-possibly-ever.html  Well Jen and her husband Eric were back again this year!  It was great to catch up with them and see new pictures of their gorgeous children.  And guess what Jen's birthday present is for this year .... she is going to do the driving experience at Richmond!  She is SO nervous!!  I really wish I lived closer and could go to watch her.  Something tells me she will have alot to say when she climbs out of that race car!!

And finally, Hubby and I got to meet a Nascar friend I made through his Facebook page several years ago.  Paul runs the Nascar Infield/RV Camping Forum page.  If you don't follow it, you should!  It is about so much more than infield camping.  Paul lives in California but made a two week roadtrip - more like a pilgrimmage! - that started at Michigan and ended at Richmond.  He and some friends combined their love of Nascar with their love of eating and visited stops that were featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.  Check out Paul's page and tell him I sent you!

A Rose Between Two Thorns!  HAHA!!

And with all that socializing I still managed to see two races!  The Xfinity race was not so great, but the Saturday night Cup race?!  Now that was a RACE!

Have you ever met anyone at a race who you became friends with?  If so, I'd love for you to tell me all about it!!

RICHMOND BOUND!

We are getting the RV ready to hit the road and head to Richmond next weekend.  Last fall was our first trip to this amazing track, and we had such a great time we decided to head back again this fall.

We camp about 45 minutes away at the Fredericksburg KOA, however we have heard that the camping at the track is pretty great too.  We usually choose to stay a short distance away from the track, just because we like a little more room and peace & quiet.  But that's just us ...

When we visit RIR we treat ourselves to one of the very best hospitality options in all of racing -- the Torque Club!  Talk about FIRST CLASS!!

I mean what's not to love about a place that serves milk and cookies as a nighttime snack during the race?!?!  For cookie monsters like me, that pretty much seals the deal!

This suite is huge -- as in two bars (woot woot!!), a large sofa area with big screen tv's for socializing and multiple tv's throughout.  But my favorite feature of this experience is that you get a seat outside in the grandstands for watching the race!  You are free to come and go as you please, which is also really nice during cautions or red flags.  It is also a nice option when it is raining or as stinkin' hot as it has been this summer.    

RIR also makes a donation to a local church in exchange for volunteers who act as hosts and hostesses in the suite.  They are the greatest people too!  Last year we made friends with the man who was working in the area where we were seated.  He was such a character!  We loved his laugh, which he shared freely, and he was also a great resource for us during our first time at the track.  He made sure we took advantage of every opportunity afforded to us.  I sure hope he is back at the same spot this year!!

Richmond also had (and hopefully still HAS) the best Fan Zone I have ever seen!!  They had a whole section geared to the kids, with things like a whole science building where they could learn about things like speed and friction, all while playing with race cars, and a petting zoo!  It is a very large area, almost like a high-end amusement park!

The racing is usually pretty great -- I sure love a night race!  There is just something about the nighttime that makes it seem so much more fun ... kinda like a Friday night high school football game.  

I sure hope you will put Richmond on your Nascar Bucket List!  I promise you, you won't be sorry!!

RANDOM THOUGHTS ...

I feel like I need to apologize to those of you who have become regular readers!  Lots of you check in with me every week to see what's on my Nascar mind and I haven't had much to say lately.  You see, I usually wait for something noteworthy or controversial or new to happen and then I write about that. And it just seems like 2016 has been a pretty 'quiet' year!  Nothing really stirring the pot, but I do have a few random thoughts to share ....

Dale Jr., Concussions, and Jeff Gordon ...

Having had a daughter who sustained a concussion during her college athletic career, I know firsthand how scary a concussion can be.  Multiple concussions are just plain dangerous.  And they get more dangerous the more of them you get and the older you are.  I am sure Jr. doesn't want to retire, but he really needs to consider the toll the sport is taking on his brain.  Unless he WANTS to be a vegetable when he is 60 ...

And I wonder what Ingrid, Jeff Gordon's wife, thinks about his getting behind the wheel again.  When I heard him speak at Dover he said that she was patiently waiting for his broadcasting gig to come to an end in a few weeks so that they could start to do all the things he promised her they would do as a family.  So - family vacation in Paris, the phone rings, and hubby is goin' racin'.  I'm thinking he might be sleeping on the couch!  No Happy Wife in that family I'm guessing!

Empty Stands, Ticket Prices & Rule Changes

There is no denying it -- there are LOTS of empty seats at these races.  Lots.  Even this weekend at Watkins Glen, which they kept saying was a sellout, looked like there were a bunch of empty seats. There are all kinds of discussions about why that is.  Some fans don't like the rule changes, but I think you can't argue the fact that the racing has been alot more fun this year.  Some say they can't afford to go to the races, but the tracks that we go to have some pretty amazing deals on ticket packages.  I think it probably has more to do with the fact that TVs are so big and the pictures are so good that people are choosing to watch from home.  

Wait Til You Hear! ...

...what we are going to do next week!  We are taking a short trip to the Watkins Glen area of New York and Hubby plans to drive his GMC truck around the track!  I'm not sure if I will be riding shotgun or if I will be the official videographer, but whatever I do, I will be sure to share it with you here, so stay tuned and check back often!

HOW TO MAKE A NASCAR FAN

There has been a lot of talk lately about the future of Nascar and what can be done to get young people interested in our sport.  Tracks are trying all kinds of marketing strategies to draw in the younger crowd - things like concerts (by artists my generation has never heard of! Haha!!) and reduced price tickets for college students and kids who come with their parents.

I discovered a very easy and fun way to make a new Nascar fan, and I am going to share it with you in the hopes that you will do the same and before we know it we will have a whole new generation of fans!

Awhile ago, I introduced you to my friend from college, Wowzee.  (In case you missed that post, you can read it now:  http://nascarwifehappylife.blogspot.com/2016/04/wowzee-wow.html )  Well, Hubby and I went to Wowzee's house last Saturday night to watch the race from Kansas.  We were so happy when we got there and learned that her son Jon and his girlfriend Kristen were going to hang out with us!  It might have been the food, or okay, the beer, but I choose to believe they wanted to be with us on a Saturday night because we are just so darned fun!!!

Kristen is such a cutie and it didn't take her long to come clean with us -- she is not a sports person. At all.  Not football, not basketball, not baseball.  And definitely NOT Nascar!  She didn't know a single driver's name, but we cut her a break because she just graduated from college in December so she has been a little preoccupied.

As we watched driver intros, we were telling her who the key players are.  Then she saw Kyle Busch in his M&M firesuit, and Kristen boldly declared "I LOVE M&M's! THAT is my guy!"  As the race got underway we told her that everyone should have a 'back-up guy', you know, just in case a lug nut comes off or something (wink-wink!).  She studied the cars for a lap or two and then she said, "Is that a Jimmy Johns car?!  I LOVE Jimmy Johns too!!  That's gonna be my backup guy!"

Well, do you remember how the race ended?  Yup, M&M's won and Jimmy Johns finished #2!!!  And now, Nascar has a new, really big fan!  Simple as that!!

When we left the party, Kristen was trying to convince Jon to take her to Dover on Sunday to see a race in person!!  If you are going to be there, keep an eye out for them.  She will be the one wearing an M&M's t-shirt, so she should be easy to spot! LOL!!

CHAMPAGNE TASTE, BEER POCKETBOOK!

I am on my soapbox today, so I will warn you now.  But I am getting tired of all the comments on Facebook and Twitter from fans who say the seats at the tracks are empty because they are too expensive.

Today I commented back and forth with a woman who bemoaned the fact that every time she goes to a race it costs her $2,000.  She went on to say that she is disabled, she will never be able to take her grandkids to a race, and then she compared her sorry lot in life to "all you rich people" who have season tickets.  I literally screamed out loud!

And me, being one who can't just leave things alone, had to answer her back.  I told her how anyone who really wants to go to a race, can go!  I then proceeded to give her a lesson on how it's done. Then I find out that what she wants to DO when she goes to a race is to have garage passes ($$$) and also to meet Jimmie Johnson in person ($$$$$).  NO WONDER it costs her $2,000!!  So I just stopped the conversation there.

But that got me to thinking ... how cheaply can a race be done?  I have a few tips for anyone who is on a really tight budget that I want to share with all of you.  Hopefully, you will think these ideas are good ones and you will share them with anyone you come across who says they "can't afford NASCAR" anymore!

First of all, you don't need to buy the most expensive tickets.  Buy the best ones you can afford on your budget!  That might mean you don't have the very best spot in the whole place, but there are lots of empty seats so scout out a place where you think you'd like to sit and if there are some empty seats move there after the race has started.  Chances are no one will care.  Or, walk around the stands during the race.  You might see better while you are walking than if you had not-so-great seats.  Also, call the track ticket office and tell them how much you want to spend for tickets.  You might be surprised what you are able to get!  I have also heard of some great deals that people have gotten on Craigslist.  If you are really feeling adventurous, just go to the track on race day and work a deal with one of the people who are trolling the parking lots selling tickets.  They are everywhere, and they will deal!  We went to a race on a whim once and did just that, and we got great seats really cheap! I'm not recommending any one particular method -- try them all for the very best deal!

Secondly, don't stay at a motel within a 50 mile radius of the track!  We are campers, but we almost always stay at a KOA campground that is an hour or two from the track and then just drive in on race day.  KOAs (as well as other campgrounds) all have really nice cabins for rent and depending on the amenities you want, you can stay for less than $100 a night.  And they don't charge more because it is a race weekend.
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Third, take your own food & drink!  This is a real money saver!  Instead of $4 bottles of water and $6 beers you can control exactly how much money you spend.  You don't have to spend one dime on food if you don't want to and you will see the whole race instead of spending time in line at a concession stand.  I know of NO OTHER SPORT, including high school sports!, that allow fans to do this!

And lastly, check out the deals for kids!!  Most the tracks have incredible deals for kids, especially if you buy early.  At Martinsville, a kid's ticket was $10, no matter where you sit!  You can't even go to see a bad movie for that!  And then there is all the really fun AND FREE stuff to do in the Fan Zone... Every kid deserves a trip to a race at least once in their life!

So, NO MORE EXCUSES about not being able to afford to go to a race!!  Get your rear in gear and GO!!!

If you have any other tips or ideas on how fans can afford to go to a race, please leave a comment!  I would love to hear them and share them with the readers!!

WOWZEE WOW!!!

I am so excited to write this post and share this story with you!

As you know, occasionally when I go to a race I meet a Nascar Wife who is having so much fun!  And I love to share their stories with you too!

This Nascar Wife's story is a personal one for me.  She is one of my very best friends.  We met 40+ years ago in college and we were instant friends.  She was the Shirley to my Laverne, the 'Blasting Cap' to my 'Dynamite' - and those were actual nicknames we used to be called!  We had so much fun together and kept each other out of so much trouble too -- but those are stories that are best left in the past!!

As our lives got busy with jobs and families we didn't see much of each other, but once our kids were teenagers we reconnected.  We would see each other several times a year.  Then one day I got a phone call from her.

She had started to participate in a Nascar Fantasy League and she needed my (ok, hubby's!) advice on some picks!  I c-r-a-c-k-e-d up!!

Last fall we convinced her and her hubby (a casual Nascar fan) to come with us to Martinsville.  And they were HOOKED!!

Now, I should tell you that my friend, who I affectionately refer to as Wowzee Wow, or Wowz for short, took my advice early on and "picked a guy."  She settled on Denny Hamlin because the FedEx man who makes deliveries at her office is a nice guy.  Good enough reason!

Last weekend we made a return trip together to Martinsville.  Our first stop, of course, was the Martinsville hot dog stand.  Then we headed straight to the Fanatics tent so she could stock up on some Denny gear.  According to her, she needed to be easily identified by "her people".

After we finished our shopping, we still had plenty of time before the start of the race, so I suggested we head over to the terrace where some of the drivers' motorcoaches are parked.  I also wanted her to see the Hollywood Hotel where the TV broadcast originates.

So ... we are standing there checking things out, and here comes a couple of police motorcycles. Ooo, I said, somebody important is coming!  And wouldn't you know it?!  Here comes Denny Hamlin!! And all of a sudden, these almost-sixty-year-old women became instant teenagers at a rock concert! HAHA!!  Of course, we didn't want to look like desperate stalkers or anything ... so we kept our distance but we did get close enough to get this picture ...

See Denny over her shoulder there?!?!  He got in his golf cart and drove right past us.  She waved, but he was a little preoccupied and didn't wave back.  But that's okay ... he made my friend of over 40 years a very Happy Nascar Wife!   WOWZEE WOW MAN!!!!!

MARTINSVILLE'S TOP 3!

Hubby and I are getting the RV ready to head to Martinsville at the end of the week and I am SOOOO excited.  Probably too excited because I am neglecting things that ought to get done around here -- you know, like paperwork and cleaning and important stuff like that!

So I've been thinking - what is it about Martinsville that makes us so excited to go there?  Here are my Top Three Reasons:

1.  THE RACING!!  At some tracks I find that I look forward to other things like the camping or the town, but at Martinsville it is all about the racing for me.  Such a great little track with just enough 'old school' touches (like the train that runs right thru the property!) to appeal to the history lover in me.  We've seen tons of rubbin' and racin' here as well as Denny's legendary burnout ...

a wreck or two ...

and of course I will NEVER FORGET the race in the Fall of 2015 when Matt Kenseth took out Joey Logano which resulted in Jeff Gordon's final trip to Victory Lane.  The place went W-I-L-D!! (which is my way of saying I don't have a picture of that one - lol!!)

I can't wait to see what excitement this weekend's race will hold!!

2.  THE "PAPERCLIP" - Short track racing at its finest!  Such a cool place to watch a race!  Short straight aways with little banking in the corners make this track so unique, especially when compared to the super speedways.  

And you may have guessed what my #3 reason is ....

3.  THE FOOD - I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the famous Martinsville hot dog, but there are lots of other goodies that you don't find at any other track I've been to ...

Happy Hubby loves the Martinsville hot dogs!

Fried Bologna Sandwich

And my personal favorite -- the Virginia ham sliders!!

So, how about you?  What would be your Top Three reasons for going (or wanting to go!) to Martinsville?

A REAL CLASS ACT

By now you have probably heard about Jimmie Johnson's hard hit into the wall at Phoenix during the third round of qualifying ... at 200 mph ... with no steering wheel!  Once he was released from the infield care center, the media was there to get his comments about what happened.  And much to Jimmie's credit, he decided to withhold his comments until he was able to talk to his team.

What he knew at that point was that he was coming out of turn one looking into the steering column of his car and he was holding the steering wheel in his hands, but it was not attached to that steering column.

What must have been running through his mind when he was asked what had happened?  What would I have said if I was the one in the same circumstances?  What about you?

It would have been so easy, and so understandable, for him to blame his crew!  "How hard is it to make sure the steering wheel is attached to the steering column?!"  "People on this team need to learn to do their damn job!"  Those are the kinds of comments I expected to hear.  But Jimmie, being the seasoned professional that he is, chose to wait until his crew had the chance to examine the car and determine exactly what had gone wrong before he made any comment.

Good thing, too!  Because what had happened was that Jimmie himself had screwed up!  He was the one who just didn't get the steering wheel on correctly.  What?!?!  This was a mindless, routine little thing that he has done probably tens of thousands of times over the year!  It couldn't be that!  But it was.  And Jimmie said so.  He didn't try to deflect the blame or minimize the seriousness of his screw-up.  He told us all exactly what HE did.  No one else.

And that is the kind of athlete our kids need to look up to - a man who is slow to blame others for things that happen to him, a man who is willing to accept the blame when things go wrong.  A real class act!

HELLOOOOOOOO!!

Thanks for checking back in with me!  I have been absent for a LONG TIME!  No excuses, it's just been a crazy busy time for me.  And honestly, by the time the season is over I feel like everyone else has said just about everything there is to say about our sport .... in a hundred different ways!

I was going to comment after the banquet.  But my comments had nothing to do with racing, and everything to do with how those women were dressed!!  But then I remember my momma telling me that if you don't have anything nice to say you should just keep quiet. ;-)  But seriously ... does anyone on earth believe that some of these women would be with these guys if they were just a bunch of poor schlubs?!?  No.  Gotta give kudos to Joey Logano's wife, though.  Such a sweet young thing, and obviously a little overwhelmed by the red carpet experience.  When the reporter asked her 'who' she was wearing her response was priceless - "I don't know, Nieman Marcus I guess.  I just saw it on the rack and liked the color!"  So genuine and so real.  Unlike Samantha Busch, who needed an entourage (as in, her MOTHER!)  to carry her dress and stage it just-so for when the camera was around -- seriously?!

Okay, enough with the pettiness!!

Hubby and I have started to talk about our racing/camping plans for 2016.  Not sure which ones we will try to get to this year.  When we initially started to go to the races in person, our plan was to go to both Dover races and one other track within driving distance.  Well, the problem with that is every one of those other tracks is so cool that we want to keep going back there too!  So now we want to go to Dover -- although we have decided to give up the fall race there for reasons I'll talk about later maybe -- Martinsville x2, Richmond in the fall because we like the night race, and one new one but we just aren't sure which one.  We'd like to visit New Hampshire and maybe make a week's vacation out of it, or maybe Charlotte during the all-star week.  Anyone have any suggestions for us?