Nascar at Charlotte

This weekend we went to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the big Nascar race.  Marty went as  freelance photographer for a media company.  I went as a lowly spectator. (We tried to get me in as an assistant, but they are firm about that...no family members or friends under the guise of "assistant.")

It was a big opportunity for Marty and he was really looking forward to it.  The race is a big one and it's also a long one....six hundred miles!  (That is 400 laps, for those counting.)

There he is, loaded down and ready to walk all over the place for several hours...

And there's me.....

And there's the military.  They were out in droves in honor of Memorial Day.  The whole opening show was a salute to the military.

Happy to pose for a picture.....

We got to walk around on the track ahead of time and cruise pit row.  We saw several cars.

And you would not believe the amount of people there. Thousands.  I mean it.  Thousands.  The place was sold out and it was hot, hot, HOT outside.

Lots of drinking, lots of smoking, lots of everything you might imagine at a race.  It was an immersion into a whole sub-culture.  Even approaching the racetrack itself was a hoot....mile after mile of shanty towns....tents and more tents, RV's, campers, etc....hundreds and hundreds of people who drove in from all over the country, camping out in fields, barbequeing in the weeds, tailgating, hanging out and smoking, watching the cars drive by.  There were people all along the side of the road selling tickets, T-shirts, hot dogs, snacks and drinks.  It was HUGE.

There's also a whole inner world I do not understand. (And that's okay with me.)  For example, there are some drivers that are heavily adored.  Then there are some that are uniformly booed.  I don't know why, but that's how it is.

Fans tend to wear lots of gear advertising their favorite driver...shirts, hats, socks, beer can wraps...etc.  I saw at least two grown people walking around in pajama bottoms advertising their favorite car and driver.

Notice Marty on the right as we stroll pit row with the masses.

 

Marty in front of the Red Bull car.......

And here's the start of the race!

I'm so glad I got to go on the trip and be part of Marty's first big assignment.  He did an AWESOME job.  He took AMAZING photos. I wish I could post them here, but they are not our property.  Take my word for it, Marty knocked that first assignment out of the park!!