First Time Live Race Help

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sledhead_79

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"DRIVER'S, START YOUR ENGINES" "BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY, LETS GO RACING"!

Being from Wyoming, I've seen it on TV. I finally get to go to a race live!

AAA Texas 500 here we come!

Wife did an internship in Plano summer of '13. One of my weekends off I went and visited her. We toured Texas Motor Speedway and of course did the 3 laps in the ford van on the track. Pretty sad when Interstate and 2 lane HWY's in Wyoming have faster speed limits than what the tour guide was able to drive on track, but hey it was FRAC'IN COOL! Yes wife and I are oil field baby! So we finally ordered plane tickets. I have a buddy that lives in the DFW region going with us. He went to Nov. '16 race and I was pretty jealous since he's from Olympia, WA. When I first met him in Laramie, WY; this kid was total tree hugin', granola eating, anti redneck individual. Well a full summer with this guy from Wyoming changed him around! Yep I converted him to redneckism! Well since I doubt him and his wife really know what to do at a race, since they've only been to one, what should we do?

Arrival time at track? Race starts at 1:00 pm

He is supposed to get pit passes from work, if not are they worth the experience?

Where to sit at? I've seen race after race after race on TV, expecting it to be like NHRA where its not the same! I've been thinking between turn 4 and start/finish, but not sure how high up. My wife and I ride snowmobiles (ya those 2 stroke toys that go everywhere on the snow, you know the white stuff in the winter time, oh ya, yesterday (OCT 8) I got 7 inches of that awesome white stuff in my back yard!), I used to race MX and met my wife on the MX track in Laramie, so we both have some race in our blood!

Events that I need to look for prior to race?

Our 2nd year anniversary is tomorrow Oct. 10th, so this is our treat to each other, not afraid to spend that well earned oil field $$$$$.

Please chime in and give us all suggestions to what we need to do at the AAA Texas 500!
 
A word to the wise to anyone going to any track for the first time:

Check out the track's website to see what's allowed and not allowed inside the facility.

Not that it's likely to rain at Texas Speedway but I went to a race at Chicagoland on a day when rain was forecast and there were more umbrellas than you could count filling the garbage cans just outside the entry gate as they aren't allowed inside.

In general, there's usually lots of good information on a track's website.
 
Get pit passes, get there early. Lots to do and see while teams setting up for race
 
Welcome to Texas.
First, coming into the track from the south or east will be murder. LEAVE EARLY!!!! If at all possible, come from the north(Denton), traffic is
still heavy, but much easier to navigate.
When you leave, to to the North toward Denton, then swing south on 35E. Your buddy in DFW will know what I mean. 114 and 35W headed
south to Ft. Worth will both be jammed.

And, yes, pit passes are great. Gets you close to pre-race action.

As for seat location, my seats were row 63 just to the turn 4 side of start/finish. The higher, the better because you can see more of the track and the whole garage area.
 
Bring beer

Get pit passes

Beer

Get there early and take in the experience

Sit as high as possible you can see more of the track

More beer

Rent a scanner from racing electronics. Not a fan of the fan vision as I prefer the older modeled thing so I can listen to the mrn broadcast. Fan vision is pretty cool though

More beer

Enjoy the sites and sounds. Nothing on earth can compare to the experience of a NASCAR race.

Did I mention beer?


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Keep in mind pit passes are not garage passes. For a first timer getting down on part of pit road and seeing driver introductions are cool. But don't expect to get near the car, driver or garages without being herded a bit like cattle.
Relax and enjoy the experience.
 
Yes, sit very high up. I have not been to TMS but it is a modern facility with extremely tall grandstands so you won't have to fight for the top 5 rows like at some tracks. At least 3/4 way up should do.

Plan on walking a lot. Drink water. Prepare to wake up early raceday.
 
TMS traffic flow has improved quite a bit. If you get there 2 hours before the race, there will not be much traffic. If you wait at least an hour after the race to leave, you will have very little traffic.

I prefer to sit at the end of pit road, my seats are in section 121. I would recommend rows 35-45. Pit passes are okay, especially if you have never been. I usually go there during qualifying.

You can take in a cooler with any food and drinks just no glass.
 
I don't have experience at Texas, but I agree with most of what has been said already. I will add that the pit passes are best for the days that the cup guys are practicing or qualifying. Usually the day before the race. This is when there are fewer fans around, and the drivers, owners, etc are easier to access and get autographs or pics or whatever. The pit pass the day of the race is still fun but it is almost impossible to get pics or autographs with drivers that day.

Definitely bring your comfy walking shoes.
Beer is good but drink plenty of water too, I'm sure it will get pretty warm at TMS.
One of the most fun parts of the day is the tailgating. Try to get there as soon as the gates to the parking lot open. If the race is at 1pm, the lot will probably be open at 9am. You can find out on the track's website. The earlier you get there, the better parking spot you get, the lines to buy merch are shorter, plus you get first pick at merch. Then head back to the car to start tailgating by 10am.
Have lunch at the car so you don't have to carry anything all day long. Get your grub on and a beer or two and then head directly to pit road!
I don't know if TMS has this, but at PIR they let you sign the start finish line. I thought that was kind of cool.
They usually have a prerace concert for the pit pass folks so be sure to check that out too.

Good luck and Have fun!
 
Sunscreen. Comfortable shoes and clothes. Earplugs if you don't have scanners. Stay hydrated; water, not just alky. Check the TMS web site and see if you can bring in a cooler; most tracks allow it. You can save a ton of money on food and drink when you bring your own.

I dunno about Texas, but most track web sites now have an interactive page where you can check the view from each grandstand. As others have said, get as seats as high up as you can afford.
 
Here's what I learned from the one race I've been to,

Wear good walking shoes. You'll put on more miles than you expect.

Drink plenty of beer but don't forget a few bottles of water here and there.

Rent scanners, they are absolutely worth the money

Sit as high as you can.
 
Easy...

Tennis shoes
Sunscreen
Hat
Ear plugs or a scanner if you're within 20 rows of track
Light beer in an easy carry bag

Last one is important. You don't want anything plastic or bulky bc so much walking. And I've seen people take IPAs and heavy beer only to look like they're about to keel over. Lol stick to the basics
 
Never been to TMS but I would suggest 2 simple things; a scanner and a cooler of beer. Have fun!
 
Mispeedway15 said:
Easy...

Tennis shoes
Sunscreen
Hat
Ear plugs or a scanner if you're within 20 rows of track
Light beer in an easy carry bag

Last one is important. You don't want anything plastic or bulky bc so much walking. And I've seen people take IPAs and heavy beer only to look like they're about to keel over. Lol stick to the basics
Click to expand...

I second what he said. The lives of the party in the grandstands are usually passed out early.

Pace yourself drinking and have a few bottles of water. Just don't half ass it either.


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Look at the weather forecast and dress accordingly. Pack light. As for the cooler, I wouldn't use much (if any) ice; freeze some bottles of water instead. It'll save weight and still keep your beers cold. By the time the waters thaw and are ready to drink, you probably won't have any beer left to worry about keeping cold :D
 
Lots of beer, a couple bottles of water, and a pack of Goody's headache powder. Oh yeah, a 10 pack of tacos from Taco Bell is good racetrack food to bring.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Tater salad is fine for tailgating but I wouldn't take it into the stands. I'd worry about it getting warm, and I didn't buy tickets for Sam and Ella.
Click to expand...
Get a cooler big enough for beer chicken and tater salad. That's what we do. The wife doesn't drink adult beverages so that helps. :D
 
Charlie Spencer said:
It's a Stuckey's on steroids. If you've seen one tourist trap, you've see 'em all.
Click to expand...
Stuckey's or 7-11? Nice ninja edit. Now go yell at a kid to get off your lawn;)

To the OP...it's not a tourist trap...gas, beer, snacks, ice, etc are very competitively priced and they carry a lot of cool stuff.
 
HOLY $HIT! That was awesome! My buddy got us tickets for the infield and we ended up on turn 3 where an equipment rental place had bbq and scaffolding for us to stand and watch the race, good thing he's in project management for a general contractor so he had connections there. We did some walking around with 70-20 laps to go and the rigs on the infield were pretty random (bada$$ coaches to homemade tailgaters)! Ran into Ted Cruz right before the national anthem and was able to get a photo with the Senator of TX! I am hooked, we are thinking of Phoenix next fall! How about the boys brewing beer on the infield during the race! The beer they was brewing is called "Dale Jr's Regretfully Last Pale Ale"

Unfortunately we didn't have time to participate in any pre-race functions, my buddy loves to be late for everything.

Congrats to Harvik

Wishing there was going to be more drama between Elliot and Hamlin after last weekend.
 
Glad you had a good time! Flat, 1-mile Phoenix is a completely different track. Vegas and Kansas are also options; they're banked 1.5-mile tracks like Texas.
 
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