The Spectacle of NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway Food City 500
Monday, March 26, 2007
I don't follow NASCAR closely, but as with most popular motorsports, there are a few races that I make a point to watch on TV. In regards to NASCAR, I never miss the Daytona 500 and the two Bristol races each year. This year, I was lucky enough to get my hands on two tickets to the Food City 500! I've been to Daytona and Atlanta, but this short track was going to be a new experience compared to those monster tracks.
It was a perfect day for racing. 85 degrees and sunny, with a slight breeze to cool things off. We made great time to the track, only hitting a little traffic along the way. As we got closer to the track, cars were parked in every crevice possible. Below is a shot of our prime parking lot. It was a front yard that some old folks rented out.
As we walked to the track across the street, hordes of cars, trucks and campers were parked as far as the eye could see.
Sea of cars & campers, as seen from the speedway.
On the walk in, a great view of Bristol Dragway appeared. The entire lot was full of campers.
Getting closer to the track! The size of the speedway was truly a sight to behold.
Once inside, we got some delicious race food and headed to our seats, which gave us a great view of all 4 turns. The crowd was definitely amped, as they all got together before the race and coordinated this American flag pattern. Now that's teamwork!
We had a great view of the pits and infield area, which was buzzing with activity all day.
The work in the pits was something to watch. Fast and efficient, each team made stops with amazing precision.
Restart! This was the first race of the "car of tomorrow" so the drivers seemed to be fairly cautious.
All told, we had a great time at Bristol. If you ever want to be in awe of the spectacle of NASCAR, there's no better place to do it!
posted by Tom T. @ 6:27 AM,
