First Race, what to expect?

X

Xlayedoutx

Guest
I've grown up watching Nascar since I was around 8 (now 34), but I've never been to a race. Decided I'm going to take my father-in-law and wife to the xfinity race in Fontana this year. My wifes good friend works for team Penske and when we told her we were coming down for the race she said she would get us passes. Tonight I had my wife text her to find out if we still needed to buy grandstand tickets. Her reply was that she is getting us garage passes and pit passes and that we can watch the race from the pits, if we wanted to watch from the grandstand though we would have to purchase those tickets.

My question though is since none of us have ever been to a race what should we expect? Just want to make sure we are well prepared for enjoying this experience. Also wondering how viewing the race from the pits is going to be and if we should buy grandstand tickets as well. Any type of feedback/tips would be appreciated.
 
Expect to have the time of your life. Pit passes are the best. Watch the race from the stands like TRL said.
 
Thank you for the replies. I tried to explain that to my wife last night but she doesn't understand how limited the view is going to be. I think she's more into watching her friend work and being able to talk to her before and after the race then watching the race. She doesn't get to see her much now that she lives on the east coast. I'm going to talk to my father in law this week and see where he would rather watch the race from. I think my wife is afraid that once we leave the pits to head to the grandstands that we won't be allowed back into the pits after the race.
 
Xlayedoutx said:
Thank you for the replies. I tried to explain that to my wife last night but she doesn't understand how limited the view is going to be. I think she's more into watching her friend work and being able to talk to her before and after the race then watching the race. She doesn't get to see her much now that she lives on the east coast. I'm going to talk to my father in law this week and see where he would rather watch the race from. I think my wife is afraid that once we leave the pits to head to the grandstands that we won't be allowed back into the pits after the race.
Click to expand...
You've got the opportunity to do something that some of us common folk never have the chance to do. You can always go buy a ticket and hang out in the stands. Take advantage of your good fortune and have the time of your life in the pits getting to see the up close action. Make your second race the one that you go watch from the stands. :cool:

Have a blast. I'm jealous.
 
I agree since you have passes that is your chance to see some cool behind the scenes stuff. although a ton of people end up with hot passes, many you wonder how in the world did this goober get a hot pass. I dressed in nice clothing and didn't have a hot pass and security actually thought I was someone official, I could go anywhere I wanted, basically I didn't look like a race fan. So in effect I had a hot pass. I am not sure how this differs from a garage pass however. I could have had the right passes but my dad didn't call the right people in time last year in vegas.
 
It's the Xfinity race, so it shouldn't last more than a couple of hours. Watch it from the pits. If you decide you'd like to watch from the grandstands, you can always buy tickets for Sunday's race on your way out Saturday. There are probably clothing restrictions in the garages and on pit road, mostly for safety reasons, so check with your wife's friend.

No one else has said so yet, but bring or buy earplugs and sunscreen.
 
Good luck with ear plugs. :/ My ears are shaped weird and I can never get the earplugs to stay in my ears.
 
Brent said:
Good luck with ear plugs. :/ My ears are shaped weird and I can never get the earplugs to stay in my ears.
Click to expand...
I use headphones for the scanner so It's not a problem for me.
 
Probably what dp said..... watch it from the pits. although you will be limited in what you will see....... More than likely it will be your only chance to ever see it that way. I have never ever experienced that. I have had suites before and it's just not like sitting in the grandstands. The grandstands are so much better. I can't even imagine what it would be like in the pits.
 
Thank you everybody for the replies. We decided as many of you suggested to use this first race to watch from the pits and enjoy the experience. Now I'm trying to explain to my wife so that shes not disappointed that she will most likely see alot of her friend but she won't get to interact with her much since she'll be working. She thinks that we can just get there early and they can catch up a bit but I told her it's raceday and she'll be working on the car first thing. Better to catch up next time she comes home.
 
Johali said:
I use headphones for the scanner so It's not a problem for me.
Click to expand...

I do have my music ear plugs that have the little strap that fits over your ears which I have to use since the simple ear phones always fall out. I may just go with those instead of using the typical foam earplugs. I will just hide the cord under my shirt that way it doesn't look weird to have ear phones on that aren't plugged into anything. It may not work as well as actual earplugs would, but it can't be worst than using ear plugs that stick halfway out of my ear.
 
Brent said:
I do have my music ear plugs that have the little strap that fits over your ears which I have to use since the simple ear phones always fall out. I may just go with those instead of using the typical foam earplugs. I will just hide the cord under my shirt that way it doesn't look weird to have ear phones on that aren't plugged into anything. It may not work as well as actual earplugs would, but it can't be worst than using ear plugs that stick halfway out of my ear.
Click to expand...
Do yourself a favor and rent a scanner/headset from Racing Electronics @ the track. It's well wort the rental fee for the entertainment factor alone. Personally, I would know how to attend a race without one.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Do yourself a favor and rent a scanner/headset from Racing Electronics @ the track. It's well wort the rental fee for the entertainment factor alone. Personally, I would know how to attend a race without one.
Click to expand...

I have been to several races and have not once rented the scanner and have still enjoyed the race. What's so special about it? I ask that because tons of people use them and tons of people recommend them.
 
First , welcome to our forum xlayedoutx , glad to have you aboad , second , spend all the time you can in the garage area , dvr the race , you can watch it any time , third (and most important) take lots of pictures and post some right here .
 
Brent said:
I have been to several races and have not once rented the scanner and have still enjoyed the race. What's so special about it? I ask that because tons of people use them and tons of people recommend them.
Click to expand...
My wife and I each take one so that we can listen to our favorite drivers. If we're not listening to the drivers then we're listening to the MRN/PRN feed. I like to be able to follow my team and that is a great way to do it. I also subscribe to the scanner option for home use during the race. For me, it's a must that enhances the race tremendously. Your mileage may vary. ;)
 
LOL I'm sure pictures won't be a problem. Not that i'm expecting too much but I'm kinda curious to see what strings my wifes friend can pull. LOL.
 
I'll never forget the first time I went to a NASCAR race. It was just the Busch race at Richmond many years ago. Me and a buddy got there early and still had to park about 400 yards from the track. When we got out of the car they were doing Cup qualifying and WOW. That engine noise even from one car and that far away was IMPRESSIVE. It was an awesome race, I think Harry Gant won. I should have had ear protection...I think that's when my tinnitus started. But it was awesome.
 
Xlayedoutx said:
LOL I'm sure pictures won't be a problem. Not that i'm expecting too much but I'm kinda curious to see what strings my wifes friend can pull. LOL.
Click to expand...

Basically you and fifty other people are inside the fence and a few hunded thousand people are outside the fence . The drivers , crews , media etc. are at work . They don't want to talk to you , they are focused and working . You can stand and watch , but try to keep out of the way . Pretty simple really , just like visitors to your workplace. The neat thing is , hardly anyone else ever gets this close .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pat
Racer1930 said:
I'll never forget the first time I went to a NASCAR race. It was just the Busch race at Richmond many years ago. Me and a buddy got there early and still had to park about 400 yards from the track. When we got out of the car they were doing Cup qualifying and WOW. That engine noise even from one car and that far away was IMPRESSIVE. It was an awesome race, I think Harry Gant won. I should have had ear protection...I think that's when my tinnitus started. But it was awesome.
Click to expand...
More than likely back then the Busch cars were running v-6 engines... The difference in the sound between them and the Cup cars was like night and day.
 
I just think it's cool to see all the behind the scenes stuff. I mean i've read articles on what my wifes friend does but to see her do it is a different story. Should be a gerat time. .
 
Xlayedoutx said:
I just think it's cool to see all the behind the scenes stuff. I mean i've read articles on what my wifes friend does but to see her do it is a different story. Should be a gerat time. .
Click to expand...


What does she do anyway? You don't have to drop names if you don't want to.
 
Xlayedoutx said:
I've grown up watching Nascar since I was around 8 (now 34), but I've never been to a race. Decided I'm going to take my father-in-law and wife to the xfinity race in Fontana this year. My wifes good friend works for team Penske and when we told her we were coming down for the race she said she would get us passes. Tonight I had my wife text her to find out if we still needed to buy grandstand tickets. Her reply was that she is getting us garage passes and pit passes and that we can watch the race from the pits, if we wanted to watch from the grandstand though we would have to purchase those tickets.

My question though is since none of us have ever been to a race what should we expect? Just want to make sure we are well prepared for enjoying this experience. Also wondering how viewing the race from the pits is going to be and if we should buy grandstand tickets as well. Any type of feedback/tips would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I'm a California guy and go to Fontana a lot. Pit and garage passes are great, and like everyone said, take a camera. You also might want to consider something for the drivers to sign, if you should happen to get that close. In '02 I had pit passes for my son and I and he bought a checkered flag at one of the souvenir stands and had the drivers sign it in the white checkers of the flag.

The day you're going will be great because there will be a lot going on in the garage area. Cup practice, Busch xfinity practice/qualifying and race. Get there early.
You will get the best view for the race in the stands for sure. What we did was watch the start and a few laps of the race and then went to our seats in the grandstands. You will have plenty of time to do that, but it is a little bit of a walk. We actually got to watch the race right on pit row, watching the pit crews is amazing, Camera,camera,camera :D

The roar of those cars on the start is amazing. Have fun, I'll look for Ya :D
 
Xlayedoutx said:
Her name is Andrea Mueller. She's race engineer for team Penske in the xfinity series.
Click to expand...

Well you dropped a name so I did a bit of research. Lol. Literally a rocket scientist. That is awesome!

But yeah I'm thinking she will be quite busy on Saturday.
 
LOL. Yeah I guess NASA wasn't exciting enough for her. LOL. She grew up racing and knew thats where she wanted to end up. Yeah I told my wife that she'd be pretty busy and that she might have a better chance to catch up with her after the race.
 
Brent said:
I have been to several races and have not once rented the scanner and have still enjoyed the race. What's so special about it? I ask that because tons of people use them and tons of people recommend them.
Click to expand...
The MRN / PRN broadcasts alone are worth it. When the broadcast goes to commercials, you get to hear the talent talking about which drivers are really doing well or screwing up. Also, the NASCAR feeds are useful for learning clean-up status, how much longer they'll be under yellow, penalties, etc. And, of course, the driver / crew chief / spotter conversations.

Rent or borrow one for a weekend and see for yourself.
 
Any Canadians on here that know if we can get MRN radio? I just can'
t stand the booth anymore.
 
Try your best to pick a favorite driver to root for,

Also, binoculars would be nice to have. That track is huge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pat
Matthew2470 said:
Try your best to pick a favorite driver to root for ... Also, binoculars would be nice to have. That track is huge.
Click to expand...
I don't think binos are going to make much difference in the pits. They'll just be something else to keep up with. I agree completely regarding picking a driver, although if you're sitting in someone's pits it's pretty poor manners to cheer for someone else.

Team Penske said:
Any Canadians on here that know if we can get MRN radio? I just can'
t stand the booth anymore.
Click to expand...
You can stream MRN. I'd appreciate it if someone would give some hints about how to get the radio stream synch'ed with the TV images.

http://www.mrn.com/?homepage=true
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I don't think binos are going to make much difference in the pits. They'll just be something else to keep up with. I agree completely regarding picking a driver, although if you're sitting in someone's pits it's pretty poor manners to cheer for someone else.


You can stream MRN. I'd appreciate it if someone would give some hints about how to get the radio stream synch'ed with the TV images.

http://www.mrn.com/?homepage=true
Click to expand...

They aren't looking at the same thing as the cameras are.
 
Pat said:
They aren't looking at the same thing as the cameras are.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know that; it's one of the things that makes their broadcast superior. I meant getting them synch'ed in time, so that when I'm watching the green flag drop I'm hearing the radio guys announce the start, etc.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Yeah, I know that; it's one of the things that makes their broadcast superior. I meant getting them synch'ed in time, so that when I'm watching the green flag drop I'm hearing the radio guys announce the start, etc.
Click to expand...

Ok sorry. I didn't know it was out of sync that way. I usually turn it on after I've become totally frustrated with the booth.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I don't think binos are going to make much difference in the pits. They'll just be something else to keep up with. I agree completely regarding picking a driver, although if you're sitting in someone's pits it's pretty poor manners to cheer for someone else.


You can stream MRN. I'd appreciate it if someone would give some hints about how to get the radio stream synch'ed with the TV images.

http://www.mrn.com/?homepage=true
Click to expand...

Can you stream directly from their website? I always thought you had to tune into one of their affiliated station …
 
I'm bringing my missus and a mate over from Australia to the chase races @ Talladega, Martinville and Texas. We've booked through There And Back Again.

If anyone has any advice for those tracks or tricks of the trade so to speak, I'm all ears. =]

We are also traveling by car from Atlanta - Roanoke VA and back again to fly to Texas. I plan on stopping in Concord, Charlotte to visit Hendrick Motorsports. We haven't even begun to plan the road trip but any advice on that part of the country would be appreciated. Where to go and where not to go. Etc.

We will be in Texas for a full week after these races and hopefully plan on getting to a football game. Tragic Broncos fan here, had dreams of watching the not only play, but they have to WIN in Denver for me to accept the dream as completed. I'm thinking hopefully either Dallas or Houston have a home game to go to. =]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Pat
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom