[Rhodes22-list] NASCAR

[TN Rhodey]

Slim & Rik,

I have lived in the South since 1972 and have never been a NASCAR fan but I 
have attended a couple of races. Bristol TN has a short track so you can see 
most of the race. You are packed in with 150,000 screaming fans. They have a 
night race so the fans have all day to drink in the parking lot. We sat in 
an area known as the "Chicken Bone" section. In the old days the fans would 
eat fried chicken and thow bones at the drivers. The parling lot has areas 
for camping and folks start showing up days in advance to get primed. NFL 
and UT tailgating is pretty tame compared to the NASCAR crowd.

I wore ear plugs pretty much the whole race; conversation is impossible. We 
were almost to close to the action. I went to a race in NC once and we sat 
in a sky box. A little bit different atmosphere.

Rik, Atomic Speedway is right off I40 just west of Knoxville. It is a short 
dirt track; just your style!

http://www.atomicmotorspeedway.com/

Wally



>From: Rik Sandberg <sanderico at earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] NASCAR
>Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 08:37:10 -0600
>
>Slim,
>
>Yep, NASCAR is stock car racing, but the "stock" part has kinda gone out 
>the window. And yep, they mostly turn left, except on a couple of road 
>courses. I think NASCAR came into the big-time after Bill France must have 
>attended a wrestling match and turned his mostly  bootlegger, red-neck, 
>grass-roots country boy racing league into the WWF (World Wacing 
>Federation). I used to really like NASCAR 'til they made such a circus of 
>it. 'Course most of those guys are getting rich now and that wasn't 
>happening before. :) I guess a lot people like that stuff.
>
>Sandy and I went to Daytona once back in the 90s.  It's a 2 1/2 mile track. 
>The speeds are pretty awesome, but you really can't see the race. In fact 
>it's hard to even keep track of what's going on unless you bring along a 
>radio. Soon as the green flag drops the whole damned crowd stands up and 
>they don't sit down again 'til there's a stoppage for an accident or 
>something, so you mostly stand up on a perfectly good seat ....... all 
>afternoon. Oh, and did I mention crowds?? I'd way rather watch a race on 
>tv.
>
>For me a much better in person racing experience can be had going down to a 
>local dirt track on a Friday or Saturday night and watching the local 
>motorheads duke it out.
>
>I used to race sprint cars. Whole different kind of car then a NASCAR type 
>stock car. Actually, on a 3/8 or 1/2 mile dirt track, a car like a NASCAR 
>stock car, but set up for dirt, wouldn't stand a chance in a race against a 
>sprint car. This is what a sprint car looks like.
>
>http://www.signsbyrik.net/rik/71%20cedar%20lake.jpg
>
>If you want to be really amazed sometime, go down to a local track when the 
>sprint car racers are in town.
>
>Rik
>
>salm at mn.rr.com wrote:
>>OK, I'll bite.  What exactly is NASCAR?  Does it include Stock cars,
>>formula, Indy cars, funny cars, sprint cars (that's what Rik races, 
>>right?) drag races, grand prix?
>>
>>Slim
>>
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