First Race, what to expect?

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. =]
Since you're going to Charlotte be sure to drive up through the Smokey Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's worth the side trip for sure.
 
Since you're going to Charlotte be sure to drive up through the Smokey Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's worth the side trip for sure.

Definitely see how much time we have. Google maps says its roughly 8hrs from Atlanta to Roanoke. I've been told this is highly inaccurate and it should take a lot longer. We are basically staying the Monday after every race just in case of rain delay and then showing up to most hotel packages on the Thursday. I'm sure 1 day can cover from Atlanta - Charlotte and then spend a day there and mosey on up to Roanoke and even better if that Monday is a free day for us, I've been told up north of Roanoke is some lovely mountain ranges etc. I'm into all that kind of stuff.

I remember driving through Central Europe about five years ago and Google maps was grossly underestimated and we got to most places within hours, mind you, autobähn speeds in a motor home had us cruising at 100+ mph through most parts, but I hope the times are somewhat near enough as to what I'm looking at in America.
 
Binoculars are a good option, but if you know someone who has a camera with a good zoom, I'd go with that option instead as it's much easier to see than using binoculars. One of the main reasons I got my camera was for the 50x zoom. Used it at Talladega and it worked pretty well and I will be using it at Atlanta as well.
 
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Definitely see how much time we have. Google maps says its roughly 8hrs from Atlanta to Roanoke. I've been told this is highly inaccurate and it should take a lot longer.
Atlanta to Charlotte shouldn't take you more than 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace. Charlotte to Roanoke will be less than 4, again without being in any hurry.

Both trips can be made on US interstate highways. Those are as close to the Autobahn as you'll find in this country. They're controlled access but there are definitely speed limits on our interstates. Expect about 70 mph outside of urban areas, and 55-60 in cities. Both of these trips are toll-free.

The scenery is better if you go via Knoxville, Tennessee, but that's out of your way and you won't get to the race shops. Don't get me wrong, your chosen route has some pretty stuff, but you won't get into the good stuff until you're close to Virginia. Don't expect the Smoky Mountains to be like the Alps. They're some of the oldest mountains on the planet, and they've undergone significant erosion. They're just a different kind of beautiful. They also have plenty of opportunities for whitewater rafting, ranging from Class 1 rapids all the way to Class 5+.

Atlanta has a top zoo and the visitors center for Coca-Cola's world headquarters. BMW has a plant in Greenville, SC, about halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, with a great visitors center and factory tour. Charlotte has a couple of great gardens, Daniel Stowe and at UNC-Charlotte. Charlotte also has a large indoor water park and a closed-course whitewater facility. Just north of Charlotte and on your way to Roanoke is a center for rehabilitating injured birds of prey. Martinsville has a great little natural history museum. It's good for a couple of hours if you're into that sort of thing.

That should get you started.
 
If you're going to Roanoke , you'll pass though Bristol . Worth a stop to see the track . Bristol ,Tenn. claims to be the birthplace of country music , home of the earliest recording sessions .(Bristol Sessions). I bought a t shirt at a tiny museum there .
 
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:D I love me some Steve Earle.

In the event of a rain delayed race going ahead on the Monday, are our tickets still valid or what happens then? This is probably my biggest concern, I tend to bring rain clouds on my travels.
 
I've been to Daytona and Homestead. Both great tracks. Never got a scanner or anything but when I move home to GA I'm planning on going to the Atlanta race and back to Florida's two races as well.

How's Atlanta?
 
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. =]


As far as Charlotte goes, the Nascar Hall of Fame and the race shops are a must. There are several within a few hundred yards of each other just 20-30 minutes up the hwy from downtown Charlotte where the Hall of Fame is located. The track will be easy to get to as well. Keep in mind besides the big track there is also a dirt track and drag strip. The US Whitewater Center is also a great non nascar stop as someone mentioned. They have great activities and a decent restaurant with a pretty good beer selection. They typically have live music on Thursdays too. It too is just 15 minutes from downtown. http://usnwc.org. We also just built a beautiful AAA baseball stadium in the heart of downtown. It is a good time as well.
 
Wicked. Yeah we'd planned Hendrick and the Hall of Fame. Will the speedway be open at all?
If other shops are that close I'm sure we'll wonder in to them. They sound pretty cool. Thanks. :)
 
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