| | | | | | | | |  | | | | Come this Sunday, most race fans will sit down and tune in to their local ABC station and watch 500 miles of door-to-door pushing and shoving racing at Martinsville Speedway. Some will do it on large screen TVs with surround-sound systems putting out enough watts to be heard in the next county.
Why do we do this? Simple. NASCAR fans are just like any other sports fan: We want the most realistic experience possible no matter the cost. By the way, I'm no exception either. As a reporter, I’m also a NASCAR fan at heart. So if you come in my living room on Sunday you might want to bring the ear muffs.
While thousands of dollars of technology gear may very well produce a life-like experience, of course nothing compares to being there and seeing the spectacle that is NASCAR. Last weekend at Lowes Motor Speedway, I was lucky enough to have a ticket for the Bank of America 500. If you’ve ever had a ticket to a NASCAR event, you know the week preceding it is the longest week of the year.
After getting hardly any sleep on Friday, I was up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning. I already had my camera and cell phone fully juiced up, along with two sets of batteries for each. With a quick stop for gas at drive-thru station to save time, I settled in for the three hour trip to where I belong, the track. The drive was fairly calm until we saw the NASCAR Holy Grail: The sign that reads “Exit 49 Lowes Motor Speedway.”
Welcome to NASCAR country! Here’s where the crowd picks up and you truly see Americans of all different shapes and sizes mesh together as one. The topic is no longer about your background or your tax bracket, it’s about one thing: Which car number do you have stuck on your window? Some fans give rebel yells, others just nod and smile.
After blazing straight to the parking lot we headed to our seats, just feet from where 43 cars, each with 800 horsepower, would come to life in just under two hours. We passed through the pearly gates of Lowe’s Motor Speedway and entered heaven for the next four hours.
Stepping out into the grandstand, the view was breathtaking. Everything you see on television -- the pit boxes, the logos, the cars -- is brought to life in blazing color and detail. It puts HDTV to shame.
With the simple command, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” the mass of horsepower took on a living, breathing, life-form of its own. The stands below my feet vibrated, the hairs on my neck stood up and I realized I had arrived!
For most fans, the race is about cheering their favorite driver to victory. I have favorite drivers, but for me it’s about respect. I am always awed by the tremendous amount of money and man-hours that go into the 800 horsepower machines hurling forward at nearly 200mph.
To race inches apart in million-dollar machines takes a talent few have. I was lucky enough to be able to see 43 of the best drivers in the world compete to win the Bank of America 500. When the checkered flag waved, Jeff Burton took home the trophy.
When the race day had started, my mind was a blank canvas. Now it’s filled with images and memories that will last forever.
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