Track number 12 out of 23 Sprint Cup tracks, more than
half way to our goal. It may be taking
much more time than we imagined that it would but once we made the decision
that we no longer wanted to work them we then needed to purchase the tickets
and be able to make it to the location which takes money.
We are just so happy because a few years back we would not
have been able to afford being on the infield for most of these races but when
the recession hit a few years ago they lowered the prices and it is now
affordable for everyday folks like us.
We spent a few days checking out the merchandise trailers, got our pin, flag and sticker and we also got all sorts of freebies...love it!
We had so much fun, even with the many knuckleheads drinking
way too much and being way too belligerent.
The second night we were sitting in our chairs just enjoying the
ambiance and waiting for the Nationwide race to begin when out of nowhere I got
hit with a football right on the top of my head. Really took a huge jolt on my neck but I will
survive. Jerry on the other hand went
right over to our neighbors of 2 busloads of guys and expressed his concern and
they all came over and apologized and they were more careful after that
incident.
I was so tired and slept so hard that I did not hear any
noise once my head hit the pillow at about 10:30pm. Jerry said the noise level was high until
around midnight when it all just seemed to stop. I heard nothing and slept hard all night.
We love being on the infield at these races but we have had
better spots for viewing. It makes it a
bit different too since our roof has turned a bit spongy so Jerry does not go
on top any more but the neighbors had offered their platform for him to enjoy
the race. He did not take them up on
their offer and instead we watched it on TV with the roar of the engines live
and it was marvelous. Since the taping
is on a 12 second delay it was strange to hear the roar start or stop and then
see it on the screen but it was interesting and we enjoyed it.
Whenever we decide to be at one of the tracks we thoroughly
look through the rules for what is allowed into the track. We were a bit concerned because absolutely no
bikes, motorized or not are allowed in the infield, also golf carts, skates,
and just about anything with wheels. So
we prepared ourselves to either sign a waiver for us to confirm that we will not
remove them from our carrier or store them in a designated area chosen by the
track. Both of these arrangements have
happened at other tracks but we were not prepared for what really did happen.
Going through all the inspections of dogs sniffing, mirrors
and them entering our rigs we thought we were fine when they waved us on but
then just as we were driving away they motioned for us to stop. Oh, no here we go! But instead of them saying anything about our
bikes they said our new 6’ ladder that was bungeed on our RV ladder could not
go into the infield. Oh, ok even though
we had not seen any sort of rule stating this we just asked where we could keep
it. They all replied they had no idea or
that we could just leave it along the fence and hope for the best. REALLY?
Remember now we have worked these tracks and totally understand
that is the reply we are to give when it is clearly posted in the rules but it
was not so Jerry was a bit upset and got out and took off our ladder and then
proceeded to chain it to the fence with our chain. One of the workers said the chain would
probably be cut off and then about this time a supervisor David Sanders came
onto the scene. By this time the line is
going around us and Jerry is looking very upset chaining it to the fence. As for me, it was my turn to be reasonable
since Jerry was not. So I explained to
David Sanders that we were anal about looking into all the rules since we
travel full time and have certain things with us that may not be allowed and
that we went over all of them and did not see one that stated anything about a
ladder. So he was attempting to contact
someone and this was taking a long time.
First let me back up a moment to when we first arrived and
why by now we were a bit agitated. We
always keep our tickets at Will Call and were informed that we could pick them
up at Gate 39A, we also know this since we have worked plenty of these tracks
before and know that once the event begins that they send them to the gate you
are to go into for camping. So as
instructed by phone we showed up at Gate 39A but were told we could not even
turn into the area and that we are to go into Gate 40. Traffic was so heavy we were unable to turn
back to Gate 40 and had to go the long way around to get back to Gate 40 where our
tickets unfortunately were not there.
The guy on the gate told us to turn around and go to Gate 39A which is a
direct gate right into the tunnel and if they are not there we would need to go
to the Will Call Ticket Office. We
turned around and went back to Gate 39A where we were then instructed that if
we were not associated with NASCAR that we were at the wrong gate and I then
asked him to humor me and to please look to see if our tickets were there and
lo and behold they were, but instead of them allowing us to enter into the same
tunnel but from a different direction they asked us to turn around and go back
to Gate 40…OMG!
Now back to finally having our tickets and being in line, oh
by the way they forgot to put our Pit Passes in our package so after making a
few calls we were instructed we would need to go to Will Call and they would
handle it. But first since we were
already in line we were going to get into the infield and set up and then walk
back to Will Call but in the meantime we needed to wait for some decision on
our ladder.
David Sanders finally came to us and asked what site we were
in and that he would come there and let us know what the final decision would
be about our ladder and I then made him aware of our Pit Passes and he told us
that he would escort us back to Will Call to get them when he came to our site. A short time later while we were still
setting up he showed up with our Pit Passes and asked for the key to the lock
for our ladder. He explained that
apparently a few years prior some fool fell off their own ladder on the infield
and sued the track and won so they put it in the rules but then this year they
omitted to put it in the rules so he apologized and told us if we needed
anything to let him know. He also
stopped by several times over the weekend to see if we needed anything and of
course we did not. We really feel that
he went above and beyond his call of duty and helped to make our stay memorable
and we surely do appreciate it.
The race was a good one and then we stayed up until almost
1am watching the transporters leave the track and then sleep was difficult due
to the loud noises throughout the night.
Not just partiers but the track people cleaning up and more transporters
leaving honking and hollering. Life at a
NASCAR event is not always fun but somebody’s got to do it and it might as well
be us.
