Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

OK, I'm strongly considering going to Phoenix International Raceway for the Checker Auto Parts 500 in November. I have a vacation coming to me that I HAVE to take between October 19th and Thanksgiving, and my sister / brother in law live in Phoenix. I have never been to a NASCAR event and I really want to go. That makes the PIR a perfect solution. However, having never been to an event, I have no idea what to expect or what to look for. Right now, the best seats are turn 1 about 20 rows up. Is this even good for such an event? [b]Any suggestions[/b] would be helpful before I make reservations. I want to cram as much fun as possible in here.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

anyone?

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

Man, you're impatient! It's only been 2 hours!

Your seats sound good. You don't want to be too low to the track, or you can't see the far side over the infield. It's a small track, so it's going to be loud. Louder than anything you've probably heard loud. My first three races were Daytona, Homestead, and Charlotte. Then I went to Richmond and was blown away by the noise. Bring foam earplugs, even if you have the over-the-ear ones.

Find out what the beverage/cooler rules are for the track. I'd assume Arizona is pretty laid back, but it's better to know in advance.

Get there [U]real[/U] early, and take in some of the outside events. I haven't been since Nextel took over the sponsorship, but I'd imagine it's still a carnival.

Bring lots of water and leave a cooler in the car stocked with food for after the race. Depending on where you park and when you leave, it could take hours to get out of there.

That reminds me - do your research on routes into and out of the track. Richmond was a disaster, traffic-wise, and I wish we had known the back routes.

During the race, find a spot where you can hang on the fence (or at least get close if they don't allow that at PIR). It's a helluva feeling when the pack blows by you at 120mph.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

[QUOTE=onlydarksets;454045]Man, you're impatient! It's only been 2 hours![/quote]

For some reason it was no longer on my subscribed threads, so the "anyone?" post was more of a bump.

[quote]Your seats sound good. You don't want to be too low to the track, or you can't see the far side over the infield. It's a small track, so it's going to be loud. Louder than anything you've probably heard loud. My first three races were Daytona, Homestead, and Charlotte. Then I went to Richmond and was blown away by the noise. Bring foam earplugs, even if you have the over-the-ear ones.

Find out what the beverage/cooler rules are for the track. I'd assume Arizona is pretty laid back, but it's better to know in advance.

Get there [U]real[/U] early, and take in some of the outside events. I haven't been since Nextel took over the sponsorship, but I'd imagine it's still a carnival.

Bring lots of water and leave a cooler in the car stocked with food for after the race. Depending on where you park and when you leave, it could take hours to get out of there.

That reminds me - do your research on routes into and out of the track. Richmond was a disaster, traffic-wise, and I wish we had known the back routes.

During the race, find a spot where you can hang on the fence (or at least get close if they don't allow that at PIR). It's a helluva feeling when the pack blows by you at 120mph.[/QUOTE]

Good suggestions, thanks.

Is it possible to get in the infield? I heard those are the best places to go.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

Make sure you get headphones to listen to the radio. It helps to hear the radio announcers tell you what is going on like engine problems, when they will pit, etc. Scanners are pretty cool too. You can hear all the drivers and crew talk through out the race. you can buy one or rent one and get the frequencies on Jayski.com or at the track.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

[quote=onlydarksets;454045]Man, you're impatient! It's only been 2 hours!

Your seats sound good. You don't want to be too low to the track, or you can't see the far side over the infield. It's a small track, so it's going to be loud. Louder than anything you've probably heard loud. My first three races were Daytona, Homestead, and Charlotte. Then I went to Richmond and was blown away by the noise. [B]Bring foam earplugs[/B], even if you have the over-the-ear ones.

Find out what the beverage/cooler rules are for the track. I'd assume Arizona is pretty laid back, but it's better to know in advance.

Get there [U]real[/U] early, and take in some of the outside events. I haven't been since Nextel took over the sponsorship, but I'd imagine it's still a carnival.

Bring lots of water and leave a cooler in the car stocked with food for after the race. Depending on where you park and when you leave, it could take hours to get out of there.

That reminds me - do your research on routes into and out of the track. Richmond was a disaster, traffic-wise, and I wish we had known the back routes.

During the race, find a spot where you can hang on the fence (or at least get close if they don't allow that at PIR). It's a helluva feeling when the pack blows by you at 120mph.[/quote]
Earplugs are a must. I went to Richmond a couple of years ago and it was the loudest thing I have evr heard.

As for the fence part, I dont think they allow that anymore. In Richmond they have officials every 50 yards or so and they were pretty strict about it the last time I went.

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I have been to one race and we made it a weekend event. Saturday they had the garage racers who had a tool box and a friend for a crew which was fun to watch. Latter they had some other small races and we took turns picking drivers and making little bets to make it more interesting. Thes races were very short and I think we purchased a day pass which was pretty cheap. I think different tracks have different events on Saturdays and I think the trucks raced on Saturday night which we did not go to. Take Saturday to go around and check out all the stuff going on all around the outside of the track (free unless you buty stuff). We called it an early night on Saturday and got an early start on Sunday. Just take what you would take to a football game for tailgaiting before and after the race. The reason I say after we at dinner tailgating and let the trafic die down some before we headed back to our room. It was cool because the Skins where playing and the guy beside us had a TV and the game on. Most tracks allow coolers so take a smaller cooler which you can carry to the track (they do not allow bottles). Have fun and let us know how it goes.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

[quote=jsarno;454059]For some reason it was no longer on my subscribed threads, so the "anyone?" post was more of a bump.



Good suggestions, thanks.

Is it possible to get in the infield? I heard those are the best places to go.[/quote]
Sure, if you're willing to pay. I wouldn't do it without an RV, though.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

To expand on onlydarksets' great suggestions:

Here is a link to the PIR FAQ:
[url=http://www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com/fan_info/faqs/]FAQs - Phoenix Raceway[/url]

Definitely take advantage of the cooler/bag rule. Bring in food/water/etc with you, so you can spend money or other things, or don't spend it at all. And while you can't bring beer in with you (You can thank the State of Arizona for that), it's still an advantage over spending 4 or 5 bucks for a 20oz bottle of coke.

The higher you are, the easier it is to see the entire track. So 20 rows up should be a good vantage point, especially being in turn 1, you'll be able to see the cars come around turn 4 towards Start/Finish pretty easily.

Earplugs are definitely a must. My only experience was at Richmond, and it was quite loud. Louder than I thought. However, since there weren't too many restarts, I ended up taking them out 1/2 way through the race and was fine. Even if you think you'd never ever use earplugs, have some anyways.

If the same is true from my experience at Richmond, they will have the NASCAR Experience set up right outside the track. Food, merch and sponsor trailers and setups. Tons of fun. You can race John Deere tractors, get free tins of dip, and watch a variety of different things. Even if you don't buy anything, it's a blast watching the people walk around. Watch the merch trailers because a lot of times, drivers will come during different times of the day and autograph stuff. My buddy and I busted Robby Gordon's balls when he was signing stuff...he took it in good stride though.

Scanners, radios, etc. definitely help enhance the experience. I didn't use them when I went to Richmond, but my buddy did, and it helped with the stuff we couldn't see (cars disappeared into turn 3 and came out after turn 4, we missed a few wrecks from our seats). If you have Sirius (or have thought about it), they have the race, along with several drivers scanner frequencies during the race.

As far as traffic goes, think of it like a tailgate. Take into account that it's going to take at least an hour to get completely out of the complex, and go from there. Richmond sucked because it's a haul and a half from the track to their parking lots. But as long as you account for it, it shoudn't be too bad.

jsarno - going to a NASCAR race is a helluva experience. Enjoy it to the fullest.

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

great feedback guys.

I am concerned for my wife though. I have a deeper enjoyment of NASCAR than she does. She will watch, and gets into the drivers (roots for Gordon, finds pleasure in a Stewart crash etc) but for the most part she naps during the race. Is this going to be something that she will enjoy, or will she be "bored"?

Re: Suggestions for 1st NASCAR event?
 

-bring lots of beer, preferably bud cans
-smoke 'em if you got 'em, marb reds are the smoke of choice
-rest yer voice so you can do lots of yellin'
-jean shorts and a stained white t-shirt with the arms cut off is yer dress code
-finally, don't sit behind to this guy

[IMG]http://www.funnyhub.com/pictures/img/hairy-nascar-fan.jpg[/IMG]

peace,
matt

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Geez, Matty - there are kids on this site!

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matty...that is sick. LOL. Where did you get that?

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[quote=jsarno;454130]matty...that is sick. LOL. Where did you get that?[/quote]
From the guy sitting behind him.

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I googled nascar redneck and that was one of the first things that came up LOL

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[quote=jsarno;454125]great feedback guys.

I am concerned for my wife though. I have a deeper enjoyment of NASCAR than she does. She will watch, and gets into the drivers (roots for Gordon, finds pleasure in a Stewart crash etc) but for the most part she naps during the race. Is this going to be something that she will enjoy, or will she be "bored"?[/quote]
I'm not a big fan of NASCAR and I had a great weekend going to a race and she will enjoy it and could even get hooked. I have not been back to a race but I did have a good time and would go to another race. I took my wife to the BellSouth Classic Golf tuor. and she had as much if not more fun than I did and I play golf.

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[QUOTE=firstdown;454138]I'm not a big fan of NASCAR and I had a great weekend going to a race and she will enjoy it and could even get hooked. I have not been back to a race but I did have a good time and would go to another race. I took my wife to the BellSouth Classic Golf tuor. and she had as much if not more fun than I did and I play golf.[/QUOTE]

Cool, thanks.
What did you do to make the race fun for you? Any time the wife isn't happy, the husband isn't happy. I want to make this as pleasurable for her as possible, so maybe whatever you did would help?

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[QUOTE=jsarno;454125]great feedback guys.

I am concerned for my wife though. I have a deeper enjoyment of NASCAR than she does. She will watch, and gets into the drivers (roots for Gordon, finds pleasure in a Stewart crash etc) but for the most part she naps during the race. Is this going to be something that she will enjoy, or will she be "bored"?[/QUOTE]

Same here. My wife can't stand watching races on TV as I do every weekend. However, she tends to enjoy a race more if she is there at the track. Like other sporting events (golf, baseball, etc.), being there live is much more fun than sitting in front of the tube. She likes people watching and oh boy, are there some interesting peeps to watch! Aside from the typ. rednecks (are those in AZ too?), she'll see corp. types as well. It cracks me up to see these folks as the women are usually dressed to the nines for a freakin' stock car race. You'd have to be there to appreciate that I guess. Your significant other will also experience the smell (hopefully not from the guy with the "3" shaved from his back), the sound, and all the other sensory stuff. So, I think she will enjoy it, just don't count on her wanting to but a sleeveless Dale Jr. t-shirt or attend another race.

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My wife watches the occasional race with me, and has her driver [SIZE="1"](Casey Mears...well, at the time, when she started watching, she decided to root for the Target car, which was his ride. However, I'm proud of her in the fact that she decided on her own to continue to follow Mears, even though he doesn't drive the Target car anymore...but she's mad at me because I keep calling him Cal Naughton, Jr, now that he's the 4th driver at Hendrick, and will most likely have to push the other 3 to victory instead of winning on his own)[/SIZE], and she had a total blast at Richmond. She may get bored if there is a lull in the race, but other as long as there is people watching to do, your wife should be pretty content.

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[QUOTE=BDBohnzie;454171]My wife watches the occasional race with me, and has her driver [SIZE="1"](Casey Mears...well, at the time, when she started watching, she decided to root for the Target car, which was his ride. However, I'm proud of her in the fact that she decided on her own to continue to follow Mears, even though he doesn't drive the Target car anymore...but she's mad at me because I keep calling him Cal Naughton, Jr, now that he's the 4th driver at Hendrick, and will most likely have to push the other 3 to victory instead of winning on his own)[/SIZE], and she had a total blast at Richmond. She may get bored if there is a lull in the race, but other as long as there is people watching to do, your wife should be pretty content.[/QUOTE]

Mears' days at Hendrick seem to be numbered.

Jsarno, try to get access to the garages so you can walk around before the race and meet the drivers

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[QUOTE=SmootSmack;454173]Mears' days at Hendrick seem to be numbered.[/quote]

I saw that briefly go across the screen, then my wife changed the channel so I couldn't rewind it...but I think it said Mark Martin will race for Hendrick next year, is this true? (my eyes very easily could have deceived me.)

[quote]Jsarno, try to get access to the garages so you can walk around before the race and meet the drivers[/QUOTE]

any suggestions as to how to do that? What avenues should I pursue etc?

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[QUOTE=BDBohnzie;454171]My wife watches the occasional race with me, and has her driver [SIZE="1"](Casey Mears...well, at the time, when she started watching, she decided to root for the Target car, which was his ride. However, I'm proud of her in the fact that she decided on her own to continue to follow Mears, even though he doesn't drive the Target car anymore...[b][size="5"]but she's mad at me because I keep calling him Cal Naughton, Jr,[/b][/size] now that he's the 4th driver at Hendrick, and will most likely have to push the other 3 to victory instead of winning on his own)[/SIZE], and she had a total blast at Richmond. She may get bored if there is a lull in the race, but other as long as there is people watching to do, your wife should be pretty content.[/QUOTE]

That is funny. I never thought of him like that before, but it totally applies. Although, Mears seems to like to help to bottom 10-15 more than Johnson / Gordon / and Jr (all of whom are in the top 10). Still funny though.

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[QUOTE=jsarno;454228]I saw that briefly go across the screen, then my wife changed the channel so I couldn't rewind it...but I think it said Mark Martin will race for Hendrick next year, is this true? (my eyes very easily could have deceived me.)



any suggestions as to how to do that? What avenues should I pursue etc?[/QUOTE]

Yup Mark Martin will race the rest of the season for Hendricks

Call the ticket office and see if you can get some pit passes

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[QUOTE=SmootSmack;454234]Yup Mark Martin will race the rest of the season for Hendricks[/quote]

This season????
I thought he was semi retired?

[quote]Call the ticket office and see if you can get some pit passes[/QUOTE]

cool...that's a good idea. I'll try that. Is it easy to get them?

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[QUOTE=jsarno;454236]cool...that's a good idea. I'll try that. Is it easy to get them?[/QUOTE]

I don't how easy it is for...well, we call you "normies"

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Wear sunscreen so you don't get mistaken for a redneck.

Seriously, sunburn can really suck.

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[QUOTE=SmootSmack;454249]I don't how easy it is for...well, we call you "normies"[/QUOTE]

classic. :goodjob:

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[IMG]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-8/1275969/peter.jpg[/IMG]

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Jsarno, getting pit passes is not easy...you do kind of have to "know someone" more or less....but explore that to the fullest! hit up everyone you know....try ebay even....i got to stay in the pits for the allstar race 2 years ago and i had 1 mission and 1 mission only...to try and meet Gibbs...and I did!!!! And cooley was with him so i met him too. He'll be there most likely walking around in the pits and he always seems to be ready to meet a Redskins fan. Not to mention you'll be right in the mix to meet some of the drivers/crew chiefs whatever. now you know i'm a gordon fan too, but that day was all about Gibbs for me...it was awesome!

So imagine if you could go to your first race, meet Joe Gibbs and Jeff Gordon wins the race!!! Now that's a good day!!! Hey if you're gonna go, go all out!!!

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[QUOTE=Redskins247;454365]Jsarno, getting pit passes is not easy...you do kind of have to "know someone" more or less....but explore that to the fullest! hit up everyone you know....try ebay even....i got to stay in the pits for the allstar race 2 years ago and i had 1 mission and 1 mission only...to try and meet Gibbs...and I did!!!! And cooley was with him so i met him too. He'll be there most likely walking around in the pits and he always seems to be ready to meet a Redskins fan. Not to mention you'll be right in the mix to meet some of the drivers/crew chiefs whatever. now you know i'm a gordon fan too, but that day was all about Gibbs for me...it was awesome!

So imagine if you could go to your first race, meet Joe Gibbs and Jeff Gordon wins the race!!! Now that's a good day!!! Hey if you're gonna go, go all out!!![/QUOTE]

well, I guess it's early enough, because they are offering pit passes for $50 each right now on the website. I even called and they said they were available. Maybe people in Phoenix aren't as gung-ho about NASCAR as the people in other areas.
The pits close to fans 90 minutes before the race, so I am unsure if I would be able to meet Gordon.

I'd love to meet all the Hendrick's guys. Johnson / Gordon / Jr. / and Martin...that's the best 4-some ever assembled!

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Try to meet Jeff Burton. I doubt you'll meet a nicer guy.

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For the money, which section would you guys pick?
There would be 4 of us going and if we're in turn 1 (allison), it's $440 for all of us. We could do another section for a lot cheaper...like lower center for around $288 total and have a view of the pits. (not including pit passes which are $50 extra each).
I feel stupid asking that, but I want to have the best time possible, and I don't know if being in turn 1 is the best possible seat as the website is suggesting. $110 a ticket seems steep to me ($160 each with pitpasses), but if it's not, let me know.

here is a link FYI: [url=http://www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com/]Home - Phoenix Raceway[/url]

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[QUOTE=SmootSmack;454407]Try to meet Jeff Burton. I doubt you'll meet a nicer guy.[/QUOTE]

I was waiting for when you'd say that. LOL.

So it appears that Stewart will be out after 09...you prepared for that?

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[QUOTE=jsarno;454411]For the money, which section would you guys pick?
There would be 4 of us going and if we're in turn 1 (allison), it's $440 for all of us. We could do another section for a lot cheaper...like lower center for around $288 total and have a view of the pits. (not including pit passes which are $50 extra each).
I feel stupid asking that, but I want to have the best time possible, and I don't know if being in turn 1 is the best possible seat as the website is suggesting. $110 a ticket seems steep to me ($160 each with pitpasses), but if it's not, let me know.

here is a link FYI: [url=http://www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com/]Home - Phoenix Raceway[/url][/QUOTE]
The trade off is in turn 1, you can be higher up, which means you can see the more of the track. It's funny...the closer you are to the track, the cheaper the ticket usually is...

While center gives you great vantage point of the pits, you may not be able to see the start/finish line very well...

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Clint Bowyer is kind of cool too, but he's all over the place when you try to talk to him. Save yourself the trouble, and stay away from Kurt Busch. Not a bad guy really, but you're not going to get much out of him most likely.

As for Stewart, I think ultimately he'll have some sort of ownership yet still be affiliated with JGR. But who knows for sure? Either way, my loyalties lie primarily with Joe Gibbs Racing, not Tony Stewart.

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By the way,

[url=http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3463385]ESPN - Hendrick announces Mears' departure at end of Sprint Cup season - Racing[/url]

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Just an FYI, I odered my tickets. I will be in Allison section 2m row 19. I got pit passes as well. Hopefully I can meet Jeff Gordon.
Any advice for someone trying to see their favorite driver?

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[QUOTE=SmootSmack;454423]By the way,

[url=http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3463385]ESPN - Hendrick announces Mears' departure at end of Sprint Cup season - Racing[/url][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the link. I saw that on the ESPN ticker too. I am not upset about this at all. Mears has done nothing for Hendricks all season. I'd love to see Martin go full time for us though.

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[QUOTE=BDBohnzie;454421]The trade off is in turn 1, you can be higher up, which means you can see the more of the track. It's funny...the closer you are to the track, the cheaper the ticket usually is...

While center gives you great vantage point of the pits, you may not be able to see the start/finish line very well...[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. I decided to go with Allison section turn 1/2. I think I'll be closer to turn 2.

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[QUOTE=jsarno;454436]Just an FYI, I odered my tickets. I will be in Allison section 2m row 19. I got pit passes as well. Hopefully I can meet Jeff Gordon.
Any advice for someone trying to see their favorite driver?[/QUOTE]
From those seats, you should have a great view of the cars coming out of 1 and shooting down the backstretch.

As far as trying to see Gordon, look to see if he's doing any signings. Probably the best way to see him. With the Pit Passes, just wander around, find his trailer, pit stall, etc.

Should be a blast man.