All-Star Race/CMS questions

ChexOrWrex

ChexOrWrex

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so my girl surprised me last night & told me that she bought me tickets to the all-star race. Found a good one right? :D

I havent been to a race since I was a tot. Anyone got tips for the race such as parking/tailgating/leaving, how to get on pit road before the race, ontrack activities, suggestions on getting driver signatures/meet & greets, any good places to eat in the charlotte area etc?
 
Pack a lunch and go to North Wilkesboro . Sit in the stands holding a sign demanding that the All Star race be moved there . TV cameras will arrive and you will be interviewed on National TV . Nascar will be forced to move the race there . We will get to see a great race and give you all of the credit.
 
Your profile doesn't say where you're from. How familiar are you with the Charlotte / Concord area? How much time will you be spending there?
 
The last time I went to CMS, I paid $5 and parked at a church down the street from the track. I got in and out and was able to avoid the post-race parking lot traffic jam.

It was a bit of a walk though.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Your profile doesn't say where you're from. How familiar are you with the Charlotte / Concord area? How much time will you be spending there?
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Been to charlotte once to visit a friend back in the day. Not familiar with area at all.

The Nature Boy said:
The last time I went to CMS, I paid $5 and parked at a church down the street from the track. I got in and out and was able to avoid the post-race parking lot traffic jam.

It was a bit of a walk though.
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2 athletes attending the race, walking is a non issue :)
 
Definitely park away from the track. Don't use the track lots, you'll never get out. The tracks in the Carolinas (Darlington and Charlotte) are well developed enough that you'll see a lot of people rent out spots in their yard. The farther away you can get the better. It's only the All Star Race so you should be able to get a decent deal in a private yard closer to the speedway.
 
If you have time make your way over to Hendricks shop, a lot of cool cars on display from over the years. The MWR shop is also a good one to see.
 
Magnethead said:
park as far from the track as you can. right next to the gate if possible. Everybody will park close...then when it's time to leave, you'll walk right through the traffic jam, get in your truck, and be out the gate well before everybody else.
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This
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
If I'm tailgating, I'm tailgating. I don't care how long I'm there. We normally take a small tailgating grill with us and have a nice dinner after the race. Take a little nap and then drive right out. To hell with the long walk to/from the track. Why be in a hurry?
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I think you have it pretty much have it figured out.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
If I'm tailgating, I'm tailgating. I don't care how long I'm there. We normally take a small tailgating grill with us and have a nice dinner after the race. Take a little nap and then drive right out. To hell with the long walk to/from the track. Why be in a hurry?
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be9ak7ts16 said:
I think you have it pretty much have it figured out.
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Yep.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
If I'm tailgating, I'm tailgating. I don't care how long I'm there. We normally take a small tailgating grill with us and have a nice dinner after the race. Take a little nap and then drive right out. To hell with the long walk to/from the track. Why be in a hurry?
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A little nap? I've been known to nap until they tap on the glass and run me out of the lot.
 
I hate sitting in traffic. I once got stuck at Loudon because some moron from New York decided to tailgate and partially obstruct traffic so we were bottle necked leaving.

(dpkimmel, you aren't from NY, are you? If so, sorry!)
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
If I'm tailgating, I'm tailgating. I don't care how long I'm there. We normally take a small tailgating grill with us and have a nice dinner after the race. Take a little nap and then drive right out. To hell with the long walk to/from the track. Why be in a hurry?
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Sounds like a great idea any other time but I dont wanna be at the track till midnight/1am man haha. And I cant stand traffic either. We got a few friends in the area so we'll stay the night there & head home Sunday morning.

Thanks for all the insider tips yall. I cant wait! I hope the weather holds :)
 
So you'll only be attending the all star race? That's abit of a bummer.
 
That whole week between the All-Star Race and the Coke 600 is a lot of fun in Charlotte. The city really does a good job with it.

If you make it to Uptown, you should check out Dale Jr's bar Whisky River.
 
Reck said:
So you'll only be attending the all star race? That's abit of a bummer.
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What all star race are you attending? Its my fav race of the year :idunno:
Night race, only the best drivers, a million bucks on the line & so much tradition.
The Nature Boy said:
That whole week between the All-Star Race and the Coke 600 is a lot of fun in Charlotte. The city really does a good job with it.

If you make it to Uptown, you should check out Dale Jr's bar Whisky River.
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Totally forgot about Jr's bar. Ill try to make time for it.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
What all star race are you attending? Its my fav race of the year :idunno:
Night race, only the best drivers, a million bucks on the line & so much tradition.

Totally forgot about Jr's bar. Ill try to make time for it.
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Dont get pissy now.
 
I have parked a long way from the track and still have been able to tail gate and see the eye candy walking around.
 
If you're not going to get back to Charlotte for a while, I'd go into the city. Charlotte isn't New York, DC or Boston, it's perfectly easy to drive into. Traffic on the interstate is a pain on weekdays but you should be fine on the weekend.

But yeah, I would concur with not going into Charlotte on a weekday. For a city its size, it has atrocious public transit so EVERYONE who commutes into the city is jammed onto 77 and 85.
 
Charlotte's Web.
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I lived there for a short time. That city is weird. On the other hand, it is a nice place. You just need to slow down and relax. It is a good place to spend the week. There are so many race related places to see. Of course Concord is closer to most of it.
 
Pat said:
Charlotte's Web.View attachment 18426 I lived there for a short time. That city is weird. On the other hand, it is a nice place. You just need to slow down and relax. It is a good place to spend the week. There are so many race related places to see. Of course Concord is closer to most of it.
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Haven't been in Charlotte since before the HoF opened. We had a great time when we went there and I won't hesitate to go back when I get the chance again.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Haven't been in Charlotte since before the HoF opened. We had a great time when we went there and I won't hesitate to go back when I get the chance again.
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I've been back once for a 600 race. We camped at the track for 4 days. I've wanted to spend a week around there since then but it isn't likely to happen now. I hope you get the chance to go back.
 
Pat said:
I've been back once for a 600 race. We camped at the track for 4 days. I've wanted to spend a week around there since then but it isn't likely to happen now. I hope you get the chance to go back.
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Oh, we'll make it back. We're probably only a couple years away. Going to go back down the next time for both the All-Star and 600 races. We'll me camping right off Morehead Road outside turn #2.
 
Pat said:
Charlotte's Web.View attachment 18426 I lived there for a short time. That city is weird. On the other hand, it is a nice place. You just need to slow down and relax. It is a good place to spend the week. There are so many race related places to see. Of course Concord is closer to most of it.
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I know that rail is tremendously expensive but I would at least construct two lines that roughly parallel 77 and 85. It would make getting in and out of the speedway WAY easier.
 
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dpkimmel2001 said:
Oh, we'll make it back. We're probably only a couple years away. Going to go back down the next time for both the All-Star and 600 races. We'll me camping right off Morehead Road outside turn #2.
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We camped right outside turn4. We got to watch the teams walk in right by our camp site. It's easy to see why the teams love to have a race at home.

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The Nature Boy said:
I know that rail is tremendously expensive but I would at least construct two lines that roughly parallel 77 and 85. It would make getting in and out of the speedway WAY easier.
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They do have a lot of traffic problems but we didn't have problems coming and going for sight seeing. We didn't fight the traffic after the race though. We stayed until Monday morning. Then a storm came through and nearly tore the awning off the camper. We decided it was time to go.
 
I have a couple of friends who live/work in the Charlotte area.

I remember one conversation (and we were in Huntersville) where I asked to go into the city. In a lot of places, that would involve getting on a rail line and going. My friends decided that they didn't want to go because of having to deal with traffic in Uptown and finding parking.

As someone who likes the Epicenter, I would also appreciate being able to go out and drink with my friends when I'm in town and not having to find a DD.
 
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The Nature Boy said:
I have a couple of friends who live/work in the Charlotte area.

I remember one conversation (and we were in Huntersville) where I asked to go into the city. In a lot of places, that would involve getting on a rail line and going. My friends decided that they didn't want to go because of having to deal with traffic in Uptown and finding parking.

As someone who likes the Epicenter, I would also appreciate being able to go out and drink with my friends when I'm in town and not having to find a DD.
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I had a friend who worked downtown. It seemed when I was there the parking is mostly for people who work there and not much for visitors. However, downtown Charlotte is a trip.. a beautiful place to work.
 
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