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!