Sugar & Spice: Came for the Party, Stayed for the Race

Nestled just northeast of Gatlinburg, TN, sitting right on the state line between Tennessee and Virginia, is a cute, quiet little town by the name of Bristol. However two weekends out of the year this pleasant little town turns into a rowdy party, bringing in millions of NASCAR fans to cheer on their favorite driver. And wow – is it ever rowdy! You are sure to have a good time! My sweet husband had been begging me to go see a Nascar race with him for the past year. Talk to any Nascar fan (and I did – some random guy overheard me in Target discussing the trip with a friend and we engaged in convo about the track for 30 minutes) and they’ll all pretty much tell you that one of the best tracks to go to is the Bristol Motor Speedway. Why? Because there isn’t a bad seat in the house! Bristol is only a half mile track, so you can pretty much see and hear everything that happens! My husband said that if I were to agree to go, that Bristol would be the one for me. With it being such a short track I was sure to see a few fender benders… the excitement of the race!! I must admit that I had my doubts. Seriously? Nascar? I had prepared myself in the days ahead for “Hillbilly Hell” but to my surprise the track was filled with a little bit of everything. Yeah, you had your honky-tonk, back woods type folks, but those were not the only fans there. The stadium was also filled with lots of classy fans from every corner of the US. In fact the people behind us were from San Diego, California! Wow – that was a long drive!

Speaking of the people behind us, please, allow me a minute to profile all of the people that were sitting around us. This will just show you how diverse the crowd is. (Yes, this kept me entertained when the drives were not…) So, sitting my right was a lady I referred to as “Chubbykins.” She got to the race late, plopped down in her seat with an overwhelming smell of perfume, and immediately pulled out her bag of cashews and began to dive in. After she finished off the bag of cashews she quickly beckoned her husband for the cheese nips, and proceeded to devour them. Oh me. Then, directly in front of her was a woman who, while there was still some daylight, somehow managed to read a book. After the sun had set she then pulled out her iPhone and played solitaire for 3 hours. I’m sorry, if I paid that much $$ for tickets, I would pay a little attention to the race… Plus, it was CrAzY loud. I guess I get distracted too easily to read. Oh, and I can’t forget the woman directly in front of me. I call her “SUPERFAN!!” Every time her favorite driver, Dale Jr., would pass by (which there were 500 laps…so it was pretty often…) she would stand and wave or raise the roof. Yes. Go on with your bad self, Super fan! Moving on, diagonal to my left was “Beef Jerky.” This is the person that NO ONE wants to sit by. Easily 400 pounds, and for obvious reasons. This boy put away 4 massive beef jerky’s (hence his nickname), party nuts, some Cheetos, and two cokes, but by golly he loved him some racin’. He had the headphones, the handheld TV for a closer view, and every inch of that big boy was covered in NASCAR trademark. WooooWheee! Luckily we had some normalcy beside Josh and behind us…although by the end of the race they were all sloshed! Ha! But that made for a good time!

So how was my first NASCAR race? Well, I actually enjoyed it! I liked the hustle and bustle of the crowds. It was very familiar to the atmosphere of a large college football game. There were lots of different people and personalities, all there for the sole purpose to have a good time…and drink beer! People were really respectful of one another. I found this trip very educational. I learned that it doesn’t matter how chubby, tattooed, or old you are, you can always pair a string bikini top with blue jean shorts (no, I’m not serious people!) But seriously, I did have a good time! It did rain all morning and afternoon, so while we walked around and shopped we got a little wet, but I quickly realized that everyone was wet so I tried to keep my whining to myself. Josh & I finally broke down and bought Poncho’s, and that made a huge difference! My favorite part of the entire trip was the pre-race, where the drivers got to bad mouth each other. It was like an episode of Jersey Shore – JUICY! I do wish that there would have been some more accidents or close calls – and I know that sounds terrible to say, but that is when the crowd really seems to go wild, and I like that part. Oh, and I had my first taste of Moonshine at the race! Wasn’t that impressed, but I love trying new things! Plus, I got a really cool Mason jar, which I love mason jars. They remind me of my Dad. Josh had a good time too! This was actually our very first out of town trip away from Landon! Josh’s Mom came to our house and watched him for the weekend, and surprisingly I wasn’t that nervous to leave him! I thought I would be a basket case, but we called every morning to say Hello, and he seemed eager to chat for a few minutes. We like to know that he misses us! I guess deep down I knew it was time for Josh and I to get away. So, I guess the question now is will I return for another NASCAR race?! Yes! I think so! I told Josh next time I want to go to Talladega…which is known for HUGE crashes! Guess we’ll start looking for tickets!