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What a Ride! RVing NASCAR
By Mike McLeod
 Men and women have always loved speed and a good race-whether competing in
one or watching it. Car racing actually traces its roots back to the old days of
horse racing. (Some car racing tracks were originally horse tracks.) When horse
owners found there was not only prestige and bragging rights, but also big money
to be had in breeding the fastest mount, horse racing became a serious business.
In time, car racing naturally took most of the spotlight from horses. Car racing
was probably born as soon as Henry Ford rolled his second car out of the garage.
Now NASCAR racing is all the rage with about 13 million fans attending 2000
race events annually held at 135 tracks in 41 states. Stephen Hawking probably
can't calculate how many fans watch it on TV each year.
Roger Vandesnick,
Managing Director of NASCAR Brand & Consumer Marketing, explained how RVing
NASCAR all started. "As the sport grew, there weren't facilities around for the
fans in the early days, or they were cost prohibitive for staying for so long."
Fans wanted to spend several days at the track, rubbing elbows with drivers, the
pit crew and their friends. Naturally, camping and RVing at races made that
economically possible.
If you doubt the popularity of NASCAR, look for its
newest sponsor: grocery store produce. You've seen the photos of Dale Earnhardt,
Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin on the cereal boxes, soda cartons, boxes of
detergent and just about everything else. Now, you'll see the NASCAR logo on
packages of fruit and vegetables. The Castellini Group, one of the largest
produce companies in the U.S., will be branding lemons, potatoes, tomatoes,
oranges and onions with that logo. Why? Because studies have shown that NASCAR
fans are three times more likely to purchase an item bearing that multi-colored
logo.
Need more proof? NASCAR's website, www.nascar.com
gets 400,000 hits
daily from a universe of about 75 million fans.
But I'm probably preaching
to the choir or at least to half a choir. It seems like you can't swing a dead
cat around without hitting a NASCAR fan these days. And pretty much the same
goes for NASCAR RVers. Many fans and NASCAR stars RV the race circuit. Both
arrive mid-week or earlier before a race weekend. The fans are there to meet and
greet, tailgate and have fun while the drivers get down to business.
And boy,
do they have fun. The fans, that is. Barbecuing, all night poker games, talking
NASCAR, music, dancing, giving away beads (Mardi Gras-style), visiting the pits,
watching movies, sitting and visiting around the fire, taking Monday off from
work (just in case Sunday's race is rained out), and of course, watching the
races are just a start to the fun. Where can you find the most fun? Read on.
The Top 7 NASCAR Tailgating Racetracks
About.com on the Internet has
experts who write about everything under the sun. Steve McCormick is a member of
the National Motorsports Press Association, and he is the NASCAR expert on the
website. He's compiled this list of the top tailgate parties at NASCAR events
(http://nascar.about.com/cs/winstoncuptracks/tp/tailgaters.htm):
1. Bristol Motor Speedway (in August), Bristol, TN.
Steve thinks the
friendliest fans are here, and that it's easier to find a tailgate party here
than to get tickets to a race.
2. Lowes Motor Speedway (in May), Charlotte, NC.
Here's where you'll find
the diehard fans, says Steve, and the 3-day Memorial Day weekend makes for
plenty of party time.
3. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN.
This is a serious party
place since Indy has been a race/tailgating town from way back with the
Indianapolis 500.
4. Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA.
Steve doesn't have anything good to say
about the racetrack or the traffic getting there, but he says the tailgate party
here is "surprisingly rocking."
5. Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA.
The wine and cheese crowd meets
dyed-in-the-wool NASCAR fans here, which makes for an interesting party mix, to
say the least.
6. Dover International Speedway, Dover, DE.
This one makes Steve's list
because of strangeness. Something about a guy in the altogether dancing to the
dulcet tones of a banjo. Somehow, he thought this was a better party than the
one at:
7. Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL.
Miles of tailgate parties
surround the longest NASCAR track.
Well, everyone has his or her own opinion about which party is best, but you
can be assured there is always a party at a race. In fact, finding the party
isn't hard. Getting tickets to the race and finding a place to camp are really
the only challenges.
Like football fans, NASCAR RVers are an extremely
devoted lot, so consequently, infield camping (and sometimes camping around the
track) can be sold out, for years in advance at some tracks. The same often goes
for the RV parks close by. But that won't stop a true fan because where there's
a will, there's a fan willing to take that challenge.
Like finding the
closest parking space to the front entrance at the mall, finding the closest
spot to the racetrack is a feather in your cap. If everything is booked, find a
POP (private property owner). Jo Ann and Jimmy Hlavack and Frankie Meadows are
the owners of www.laidbackracing.com, and they coined the "POP" term. Actually,
they call them "Pop Odom's" because that's the guy who rents them space in
Darlington. Check their website.
To find a complete listing of nearby RV
parks and Pop Odum's for just about every track. On the home page, scroll down
to "Track Preview" in the left column and then click on a track.
Laidbackracing.com has all the information you need about NASCAR races,
including exhaustive lists for every track of: Pop Odom's, RV repair shops,
restaurants, grocery stores, liquor stores, golf courses, bars, gas stations,
locksmiths, radio and TV stations, ATM and first aid locations, Wal-marts,
hotels and B&Bs, directions to the track, and on some pages, tattoo
parlors.
At Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville, the farmers and landowners
rent space and offer honey truck and water truck service. They charge from $50
to $80 a night for tent campers and pop-ups and $100 to $250 per night for RVs,
depending on how close they are to the track.
And Now For Tickets
Now some say-like Steve McCormick above-that it's hard
to get tickets to some races. Not if you know the tricks of the trade (or if you
read www.laidbackracing.com). Here are some of laidbackracing.com's tricks:
- Always order tickets by phone rather than online. Being friendly with the
operator can work to your benefit. "Many times because I asked the person's name
and chatted a moment, the operator has taken extra time to get me the best seats
she could find. I even have had them tell me to call back in two days, and I
could get what I asked about on sale," Jo Ann said.
- Ask about ticket
packages. "I called Talladega the Thursday night before the race and asked for
Sunday tickets. The ticket saleswoman said they didn't have any Sunday tickets
left. Then she asked if we would be there for Saturday, too, because they had
packages left. We sat on the top row in the Tri-Oval Tower at the start/finish
line. Killer seats! Also, while you are on hold, listen to the announcement. I
have found out about buy one/get one free Friday tickets, free pit passes, $5
off Saturday tickets, etc."
- Ask about military, AAA, AARP, Boy Scouts,
Emergency personal or any other discounts the speedway may offer.
- Go to the
city's webpage, find the local newspapers, and read them online. Look for
sponsors or other companies that are giving tickets away. "I've gotten free
Saturday tickets, vouchers for free pit passes, etc. They will also have driver
appearances listed for the week of the race." Also, read the classified ads for
tickets for sale. Bear in mind that some of the older tracks aren't in cities,
so check the newspapers of nearby towns; for instance, check the Charleston
newspaper for Darlington and Rockingham tickets.
- Walk the RV campgrounds at
the track or near it. You'll almost always see signs in the windows of RVs
selling tickets at face value.
- Check these message boards, but only pay
face value: http://www.racelink.com/checkerboard/;
http://2dalestickettrader.20m.com/
; or
http://www.tracktix.com/tickets/default.asp
Some more hints from Jo Ann when
you call the racetrack for tickets:
- Before calling, go to the track's
website and download the seating chart. Start by asking for tickets in the
section you want and go from there.
- If the seats are number 10, 11 etc.,
they are in the middle of the row. Ask about aisle seats. Tracks sell from the
inside of the rows so it looks full on TV.
- If you want four seats
together, mention you'll take two seats in front of the others.
Get Lost
Actually, you don't want to get lost, but it's easy to do once
you're there. (See "Are You Lamar's Cousin?") Get great maps before you leave
home of not just the interstates, but also the local city map (mapquest.com,
expedia.com, welcome center, etc.). Why? If you have to ask, you've never been
to a race. Here's why: 200,000 people going to the same place at the same time.
Sitting in a traffic jam for hours, going and coming. Plot alternative routes to
and from the track that avoid the interstate and main roads.
Also, you want
to park where you can leave in the right direction. After the race, traffic will
be routed in certain directions. Know which way you need to go. If not, you will
really need a map, and you'll waste an hour or two in traffic,
guaranteed.
"It is good to know where you are at all times because you may
have come in from the left, but they may make you leave to the right. You need
to know where you are parked in relation to your seats and the interstate that
gets you home. Always look to see where the infield tunnels are because you do
not want to be in a lot that has to funnel out in the wrong direction. At
Talladega, for example, if you are coming from the east and have seats in Turn
1, you do not want to get stuck in westbound traffic on the backstretch,"
counseled Jo Ann.
After parking, find a stationary object to navigate by-not
the big RV with an American flag on it. Rarely are the parking lots marked
properly. (Again, read "Are You Lamar's Cousin?") You don't want to find your
vehicle by a process of elimination two days later.
Start Your Engines
In the end, it is all about the roar of the engines and
having fun. For an upcoming RV trip, plan to hit a race along the way. You won't
regret it.
Well, you might. But you will never forget it. That's for
sure.
Do you have any great tips for RVing NASCAR or
had any funny experiences? Mail or email them to us, and we might make you
famous (for 15 seconds) in an upcoming issue.
Our thanks to the crew at
www.laidbackracing.com
for all the great tips and information. It really is the
best website for not only helpful information, but also recipes, funny articles
and lots of photos. There are lists there of just about everything you need to
bring to a race to have the most fun. Be sure and read, "Bubbate's Tips for Race
Mammas." (Click on "Race Ready" on the home page.) A great tip from it: "ALWAYS
take a cold weather outfit to a hot track and a hot weather outfit to a cold
track." Read it to find out why.
NASCAR CAMPING DIRECTORY
Daytona International Speedway
(386) 253-7223
1801 W. International
Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, Fla. 32114
Expanded - new parking areas
available- some with hook-ups
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com
Homestead-Miami Speedway
305-230-RACE.
1 Speedway Blvd.
Homestead,
FL 33035-1501
RV Parking onsite - Sold
Out
www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com
Atlanta Motor Speedway
(770) 946-4211
1500 Highway 41
Hampton, GA
30228
Reserved and non-reserved RV parking (expanding this
year)
www.atlantamotorspeedway.com
Darlington Raceway
866-459-7223
1301 Harry Byrd Hwy
Darlington, SC
29532
Reserved infield & terrace RV parking areas- dump station &
water available
www.darlingtonraceway.com
Lowe's Motor Speedway-Charlotte
(800) 455-FANS
5555 Concord Pkwy
S
Concord, NC 28027
The Fleetwood RV Camping Resort™
Reserved RV
parking with hookups on the property-no infield
parking
http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com
Richmond International Raceway
866-455-RACE
602 E. Laburnum
Avenue
Richmond, VA 23222
All reserved RV parking;
currently a waiting
list.
http://www.rir.com
Nashville Superspeedway
866-RACE-TIX
4847-F McCrary Rd
Lebanon, TN
37090
Reserved and non-reserved RV parking; self-contained only, limited
availability.
www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com
Martinsville Speedway
877-RACE-TIX
1 Speedway Rd.
Martinsville, VA
24112
No advance payment or reservations required or accepted.
No infield
RV parking; water and dump station
available.
www.martinsvillespeedway.com
Bristol Motor Speedway
423-764-1161
Blue Ox Campground at Bristol
Dragway (BMS Owned Property)
Water and dump station available; showers.
Many adjacent campgrounds (non-BMS owned; see
website). www.bristolmotorspeedway.com
Kentucky Speedway
888-652-7223
5120 Sparta Pike
Sparta, KY
41086
Reserved trackside & general RV camping (first come-first
served; shuttle service). Dump station
available. www.kentuckyspeedway.com
Talladega Superspeedway
877-Go2-DEGA
3366 Speedway Blvd
Talladega,
AL 35160
Reserved infield & general RV reserved camping (limited
availability); dump station & water available.
www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
Pocono Raceway
1-800-RACEWAY
Long Pond Road
Long Pond, PA
18334
Infield, grandstand & trackside reserved available, self-contained
only.
www.poconoraceway.com
Kansas Speedway
866.460.RACE
400 Speedway Blvd.
Kansas City, KS
66111
Reserved infield, terrace and campground. Pumping service & water
service available (additional fee). Waiting list for
all.
www.kansasspeedway.com
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