Short Track in Richmond, VA!

It’s been about 5 years since I went to my first and only Nascar race in Bristol, TN.  Being a city girl with a constant need to indulge in the urban, the chic, and anything and everything global, I’ve never been a huge fan of the sport.  BUT because we love sporting events in general, we figured, why not give it a go?

And, we did!  We packed our car with the standard tailgating items, including some bison patties, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, and a 12-pack of beer.  We got there 5 hours before the race was supposed to start.  Yes, that’s  just a tad early, but it was worth it, even though it was a thunderstormy kind of day.  It rained…and rained…and rained.

The race started at 7pm and the moment they said, “gentlemen, start your engines”, we could just feel the intensity.  Our hearts were literally pounding as they made that first lap around the track.  Seriously, the adrenaline rush was unreal!  And, thank God we had gotten blow-up seats and some earplugs from the nice boy scout (whom G tried to negotiate with, as usual).  It was wet and loud.  Very, very loud.  And dusty.  And greasy.  And all sorts of other fantastically rugged things.

The greatest thing about it was that the people were MUCH more open-minded than we had expected.  Genuinely friendly.  Like holding every door for you friendly.  Which made me feel like I could let down my guard, not pass judgment, and be open-minded as well.   I have a new-found appreciation for Nascar, I’ll admit it.  And, on that mushy, campfire, om-like note…cheers to embracing everyone.  Did I mention I love downpours?

Check out more pics on our flickr account  here

-k