A Day in the Life of a First Timer at a NASCAR Race

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 6, 2019)

So not too long ago, I was invited by one of my friends (you know who you are) to go to the Pocono 400 this past Sunday. Now let me preface by saying this: I’ve liked NASCAR, never loved it. I’d watch the occasional races here and there. The biggies: Daytona, Bristol, Charlotte, and Homestead Miami. I was for all intensive purposes new to this. So how’d it all go, and would I go back?

We get there early in the morning, and I’m talking really early. 8:30 early for a race that’s supposed to start at 2. Not really a morning person myself, but I was going to have to be in order to meet the gang there. So I get in the parking lot, and I see a massive tent (one of the largest there) with my friends waiting for my arrival. On the tent is about 10 flags, each with one of our favorite drivers. You got your Chase Elliotts, your Jimmie Johnsons, and my guy, your Kevin Harvicks. A setup that was elaborate to say the least

We got a grill set up all ready to cook some breakfast. Eggs, bacon, taylor ham, typical breakfast fare. My earlier breakfast at the nearby Comfort Inn was not phenomenal, so I was happy to get something in me before going into the track.

Then came the pong. Not beer pong or anything but one of the guys brought a pong table with him and it came to good use. We played for a couple of hours before getting some cornhole set up and did that for a bit. At this point it’s about 11 ish and it’s time for lunch. Burgers and hot dogs. Tailgating at its finest. By this time, we were in the process of getting the tent down when suddenly…

“Yo, fellas, you guys up for a game of pong? I know you want to!”

Sure, whatever. Two guys from our party went while I took a seat on the sidelines. This dude’s tent had everything. It was absolutely incredible. A full bar with vodka, Corona, Tito’s, any alcohol you could think of. The tent surrounded with flags devoted to Daniel Suarez. Our boys ended up winning, we shook hands, and told each other to enjoy the race.

That’s the biggest takeaway from being at a race in person. NASCAR fans are among the nicest people in the world. Nothing bonds people together the way NASCAR does.

We finish packing up the tent and start heading in. At this point, some of my newfound friends were already hammered, and I didn’t touch alcohol in fear of getting caught. Once we got past security, merchandise trucks filled the premises. Every team had their own. Joe Gibbs, Team Penske, and Richard Childress all in some way or another had a truck filled with shirts of every driver. It was like Gov Ball, except it was for NASCAR and it was way cooler. I had to check out what was available from my Stewart-Haas boys. Some cool shirts, for sure, but I had to cut down on spending. I’ll get some Harvick merch on Amazon soon anyway. I ended up just getting my usual souvenir program and some much needed earplugs. We rounded up the gang, and got to our seats just as the line “rockets red glare” was sung. We heard and screamed the four words we love to hear at the start every race.

“Gentlemen, start your engines!”

And just like that, the 2019 Pocono 400 was underway.

William Byron has the pole and he was sitting pretty through the first 20 or so laps. About 15 laps later, a wreck happened. My first ever live NASCAR wreck. Austin Dillon blew out a tire and went crashing right into a wall in front of all of the spectators. I felt really bad, I like Auston a lot and it’s really scary to see that happen so quickly at the speed he’s going. Anyways, the first two stages are up before I know it and Kyle Larson took both of them. A great day for the #42 car indeed.

By the final stage, your usual bunch was at the top. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and…Daniel Suarez? Weird for sure to see him near the top at such a crucial point in the race, but I’m all for it. I was always part of Suarez’s amigos and I would love to see him win his first race of the season live and in person. Before I knew it, darkness hit me hard. Harvick was penalized for speeding on Pit Road, and that dropped him about 30 spots that he couldn’t recover from. Aric Almirola caught up at this point, but he had to pit about 15 laps before the end. That left four guys in contention: Busch, Keselowski, Suarez, and Erik Jones. Suarez fell out of it eventually and fan favorite Chase Elliott came back up. However, no one could stop Kyle Busch, as he sped past Keselowski after a caution lap. He won his 3rd race at Pocono and 4th of the season. He did a burnout to celebrate, grabbed the checkered flag, and did some interviews in Victory Lane. Keselowski, Jones, Elliott, and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 5. It vaulted Busch to first in the standings, and Rowdy Nation celebrated. Just like that, my day at Pocono Raceway was over.

I said goodbye to the boys and headed back home. Would I do another NASCAR race again? Absolutely! There’s something special about seeing a race live in person as opposed to on TV. The fans. The sounds. The pit crew. The atmosphere, just to name a few. Everything is just so lifelike at the track. It may not be for every northeastern resident, but NASCAR made a lover out of me for life. I’ll definitely be back in July, for sure.

Hopefully Stewart Haas does better next time. Fingers crossed, as always.