NASCAR, Part 3: The Race

Have I mentioned how cool it was for Justin and me to be at a NASCAR event and how awestruck we were? Um, yeah. It was so neat being able to actually see a race! Before the race started, we went over to the garage area for the Nationwide cars and got to see them lining up to go out onto the track. As I mentioned previously, the Nationwide race we attended on Saturday is like the minor league of NASCAR, and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday is the major league and the one we usually watch and follow. However, there are several drivers that drive in both leagues, and so I had decided to root for two of the drivers that I like in the Sprint Cup: Carl Edwards and Joey Logano. Here is Carl's crew pushing his car to line up before the race:The drivers weren't in their cars yet - the crew would just push the car out to the right place. But that was neat in itself because a good driver needs a good crew to be successful, so these guys deserve as much respect as the driver!

Then we walked over to the grandstand and took our seats. Here's a view from our seats before the race:
We were in the 10th row, so we were right down on the track! So cool! Here's a video of the cars zooming by in the first lap of the race. Warning: Turn down your volume! It's WAY loud!

We wore earplugs the entire time because it was so loud! You may have also noticed in previous pictures of us that we were in hats and jackets - it was cool and windy. I was glad the race was in the afternoon because if it had lasted after the sun went down, I would've been too cold to stay!

Ok, so I must confess that it's easier to follow a race on TV than when you're there. Unless you pay $50 to rent one of their little video scanners that gives you commentary and lets you know what to look for, it's a little hard to know exactly what's going on. However, it was still exciting to watch them pass each other and spin out, and to root for my drivers. And lo and behold, one of the drivers I was rooting for, Joey Logano, actually won the race! It was an exciting finish and fun to watch.

After a driver wins a race, he celebrates by spinning his car around to make a lot of smoke with his tires - it's called a burnout. So here's Joey's burnout:

So it was such a great experience to actually be able to go to a race and see it all in person! I will definitely have a greater appreciation for what I'm seeing on TV now that I've seen it live.

Note: A friend gave us the tickets to this race completely free, and that was such a blessing!! Many, MANY thanks to Steve and his family who provided this amazing experience for Justin and me!!!