What do all Americans do at least 2-3 times in their lives? Well go to the races of course. This past weekend saw the Ramsey family at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon Tennessee. Mr. Fix-it was ever so happy to find the NASCAR Truck Series running a race near us here in Tennessee. He kept talking about it until I finally said to go ahead and get the tickets. Racing is so Mr. Fix-it's thing and he loves everything about it. He used to race before he joined the Army and is from a big racing community in western North Carolina. He is most proud of the fact his name made it into a NASCAR yearbook one year. The Army kind of put a damper on the racing thing and here he is 20 years later sitting in the stands. The next best thing right?
There was lots of excitement at the racetrack. We arrived early on Saturday evening after about a two hour drive. The stands at this racetrack were facing east so as the sun set, we were shaded by the stands. What a relief! A few years ago we traveled to Indianapolis to watch the Brickyard 400 and there we sat in the full sun all day long. We might not have been so early had it not been for the fact we could never figure out if the race was scheduled for Eastern Time or Central Time. Indiana is a weird state in that most of the counties set their own time and counties right next to each other can be in different time zones. Whew. It made for complications when Mr. Fix-it was a recruiter in Indiana. Anyhow, there was also some confusion at the Nashville Superspeedway as to when the race would start and whether or not it was Eastern or Central time. I knew it was to start at 8 pm Central time but obviously folks come from far and wide to watch racing and some fans near us were wondering when the race would start. When will the race start seems to be a universal question at the races but it never stops the fans from packing them in.
Racing seems to be a big deal in America and is considered the working man's past time? I've heard that and also the fact that racing was at one time one of the fastest growing spectator sports in America. I think racing is still doing well but has suffered a little drawdown in the number of fans visiting but visit we do!
Where else can you get a fix for your need for speed, have a cold beer, enjoy hot dogs and scream and shout and let it all out in a family oriented atmosphere than at the racetrack? Can you see the trucks passing by in the above picture? They go really fast for 150 loops! I took a little break (well actually about 45 minutes of the two hour race) and Mr. Fix-it was wondering where I went, but geez, unless you have a favorite driver to cheer for and are really into racing it can-ahem-get a bit boring. I was looking for some good landscaping at the track but there was none. Wink. Wink. There were no major crashes on this evening (made the race go faster!) and the favored driver (Todd Bodine) won. All in all it was an interesting outing and makes our second time attending a race-guess we can cross that off our bucket list.
The good thing about truck races is they are not as loud as the car races. That was a good thing for me. Another great thing on this evening was that the racetrack was not totally packed and everyone had their own spots and room in the stands. Everything is so clean and neat and people so friendly that the evening was fun for all. And since this is so not a gardening post today and totally all about family and fun, here is a great shot of the Jimster and his latest girlfriend. Teenagers are pretty terrific most of the time and these two were fabulous. Jimmy definitely perked up when the President of Gibson guitars came on stage. It was either him or the three scantily clad ladies, not sure which one really piqued his interest but I'm leaning toward the guitar man. Both Jimmy and Tiffany had a great time but Tiffany was a bit distressed that some fans were booing during some of the introductions of drivers. Hey, that is all part of the race culture and really not such a bad thing. Favorites and those people we all love to hate are what brings back the fans to the races week after week....
in the garden....
Have you ever been to a fast vehicle race?
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
