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Going to the race in Richmond...

Started by Gone-Camping, Sep 09, 2004, 08:48 PM

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Gone-Camping

What a run of luck...managed to actually get a weekend camping for Labor Day, and this Saturday I'm heading to Richmond for the final race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup regular season....got a couple of free tickets from vendors at work, boss and I are going up there. Will be in Turn-1 Row-5, great view up the pit's and pit exit, as well as good view of the action in Turn-2 where the bulk of the wrecks take place... Unfortunately, it's too late to work out a camping solution, so we'll be making the journey back home following the race!

labontefan

I think I hate you!! (Not really.) I've only made it to Richmond once, and I loved the track. I really want to get back there again sometime!

(Of course, I did get to go to Bristol!  ;) LOL!)

My next big racing/camping trip will be next month. We're going to the race at Charlotte, then leaving Charlotte on Sunday and heading directly to Martinsville. That will give us several days to relax and sightsee before the racing activities start up on Friday! We'll have about 12 days of camping and racing!  :D

Steve-o-bud

Well, here on the wrong coast, I went to the Pop Secret 500 at Fontana last weekend. What a race!
 
Due to the very high temps, I was going to blow off the race, as our normal seats are not at all shaded. Even with this being a late afternoon race, this would have meant about 3 hours in the blazing sun, and I just did not feel like toughing it out.
 
However, my very good freind was supposed to host some clients in his company's sky box suite, right above start finish. One of his clients couldn't attend, so he invited lucky me!
 
After enjoying some appetizers, and drinking some beverages in the Air Conditioned Suite, they took us on a garage walk through tour. That was way cool!
 
Then, we got back, had an early supper, and settled in for the race. They even provided us with programmed race scanners. Our seats were right in front of the suites, had a great view of the track and the start/finish line.
 
The race was outstanding. I was really pulling for Mark Martin. I'm glad he is hanging on in the top 10, and am hoping tomorrow night goes well for him.
 
Have fun at Richmond! I'm sure it will be wild and exciting, with everything comming down to the wire for the so called "Chase."

Gone-Camping

Yep, them Luxury Skybox seats are the way to go. Have watched a few races from Joe Falk's (former Winston Cup #91 owner) Skybox on 4 different occassions, and it really spoiled me...never wanted to sit in the bleachers again! But I'll take what I can get, especially when they are free!
 
Hey Labontefan... When you head to Martinsville, you should drive up to Phillpott's Lake and check out Goose Point Park, it's about 30 minutes from the track, and the absolute best campground in all of Virginia!!! :D

Steve-o-bud

Quote from: Gone-CampingYep, them Luxury Skybox seats are the way to go. Have watched a few races from Joe Falk's (former Winston Cup #91 owner) Skybox on 4 different occassions, and it really spoiled me...never wanted to sit in the bleachers again! But I'll take what I can get, especially when they are free!
 
Hey Labontefan... When you head to Martinsville, you should drive up to Phillpott's Lake and check out Goose Point Park, it's about 30 minutes from the track, and the absolute best campground in all of Virginia!!! :D
The problem is, once you've been spoiled, it is tough to go back. It would be REAL easy to get used to this sort of treatment..., I can only imagine...
 
I'm ok with the cheap seats... unless it means I have to endure physical suffering, such as bakeing in 100 degree weather, on a shiny aluminum bleacher which acts like an EZ Bake Oven... If that's the case, then I'll watch it from home from now on...
 
There is now some real good racing going on weekly in So Cal. We have Irwindale Speedway, which is a paved, banked, short track. They run modifieds, sportsmen, and sprint cars. Mostly NASCAR sanctioned races, nicely run.
 
At Perris Auto Speedway, they run a hodge podge of stocks, mini stocks, modifieds, legends, sprint cars, etc., on a dirt track. This is very fun racing to watch. They run a class called "California Cruisers", essentially they are demolition derby cars (rear wheel drive tanks like Caprices, LTD's, Caddie's, Grand Furry's, etc.) The twist is that they wet the track, making it slick as snot. And, they carry a passenger, who operates the throttle. No yellow flags get thrown, if you hit the wall, either you keep going, or you don't, but they do not stop the race. Rubbing and bumping is encouraged. The only time they will stop the race is if someone is on their roof, or otherwise need help.
 
We also have Orange Show Speedway, in San Bernardino. It is a small, paved, bull ring, and they run a variety of ASA sanctioned classes. The show is fun, but unfortunately not of the caliber of the Nascar races.
 
There are other tracks down in San Diego, Bakersfield, and Ventura. So, those who love racing can get their dose.

Gone-Camping

As and update...

The seats we had were great! We sat right in front of Ricky Rudd's pit, and there opposite the first couple of pit stalls where pit exit is, had a good view all the way up the pits, and bascially all around the track. The only place with a poor view was down the back straight, but not much happens there!
 
We left late, and arrived around 3pm...talk about traffic. We managed to get into the wrong lane (cop flagged us over into that lane) then when we got to the track, we couldn't turn into the parking area's...I think they were full anyway. At this point I started telling my boss where to go...:D
 
Near the main entrance I had him turn down Meadowbridge Rd, and 1 block after the service entrance I had him turn onto a small road that led into a group of houses. Directly behind the first house was a little alley leading into the woods, I had him go down there. He was quite hesitant but followed my instructions. We wound up in the back yard of a vacant house where one of the people next door had been charging people $20 to park there. We must have got in without him seeing us, because we stayed there all day and never paid anything! Nice shady parking site, and I knew the people camping in the next yard as this was the place I always camp at when staying there.
 
Worked out great, beat the traffic out of the track as well, made the 2 hour trip home after the race, was home by 1pm...

byrdr1

How about that Mark Martin #6!!!!!!
Good race on TV.. I can only imagine what it was like to be there when Mark took his spin.... I am glad, maybe I will get to see him win the ole' Championship after all..
Randy

Steve-o-bud

Quote from: byrdr1How about that Mark Martin #6!!!!!!
Good race on TV.. I can only imagine what it was like to be there when Mark took his spin.... I am glad, maybe I will get to see him win the ole' Championship after all..
Randy
That was quite a nail bitter! When Mark spun, we thought, "Oh Please! Don't hit anything, or anyone!"
 
I'm real happy he's in the Chase... I would like very much to see him take the championship. He's a real Journeyman racer, tough as nails, straight up, take it or leave it. I was sure disappointed when he didn't nail the championship a couple of years ago. It was a tough end to a season that had triumph and heartbreak for him. I'll never forget how hard I hoped, and prayed, that he'd win the race following the passing of his father....
 
GO #6!!!:-()

stateparkgrl

Hey Cliff...Sorry we missed seeing you again! We took the camper into the campground behind turn 2 Thursday morning and made a long weekend out of it!  My daughters and son all joined us on Saturday, along with some other friends, and I found myself cooking (AGAIN!) for 8 people! Whew...I had to come back to work on Monday just to rest!

It really WAS a great race...except for Stewart, Newman, and a few other good drivers getting the bad luck of taking a green flag pit just as the caution came out.

We were very pleased with the changes the track has made for us no-hookup campers. The sites were almost twice the size for this race, and they had constant BFI and Waste Management trucks emptying the trash cans and port-o-lets. We even got a free newspaper delivered to the sites each morning! I guess all our complaints were finally heard.

Still on the waiting list for the hook-ups sites, but I'm told someone has to die for a spot to open there!

Maybe I'll see you in May!

Louise

Gone-Camping

Perhaps, it was kind of a last minute thing for me, got some freebie tickets from one of our vendors (Havoline)...

Next time though, I'll talk the boss into letting me take the camper along and arriving on Friday so we can get a good camping spot! Right now, not even sure how to get in official campsites, but I know where an excellent private yard to do so is!!