NASCAR

A day in the life

By Jennifer Eblin

NASCAR is one of the world's fastest growing sports, and the fastest growing sport for women to be a part of. Fans are privy to the longest season of any professional sport around, as the season starts in February with the Daytona 500 and ends in November with the race at Miami-Homestead.

What does it mean to be a NASCAR fan for a day? Think about those of us lucky enough to spend race day at the track.

7:00 am - Wake up and have breakfast. Many of the tracks offer travelers the chance to spend the weekend camping at the race track, so if you get that chance, do it. You can show up with your tent or truck in tow, or rent a motor home just like the drivers. It gives you the chance to get up close and personal with other race fans, have some fun, and it's often cheaper than renting a hotel. The other bonus? You won't get stuck in the lines of traffic heading toward the track.

8:00 am - Finish breakfast and put everything away before heading to the track. Think you can leave an hour or two before the race starts? Not if you want to meet some real-life race car drivers! Many of the drivers do autograph signings at their merchandise hauler prior to the race. They hand out tickets early in the morning, and only those with a ticket have the chance to meet the driver. Robbie Gordon, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme, Dave Blaney, Clint Bowyer and David Regan are only a few of the drivers who sign autographs the day of the race.

9:00 am - Get your tickets early and spend some time checking out the cool NASCAR merchandise for sale – anything you can think of you can find in the merchandise haulers. The haulers look exactly like the ones that bring the cars to the track every weekend, but are full of items for sale. You can find every kind of NASCAR Diecast and NASCAR collectibles imaginable. Looking for a shirt, jacket, cooler, stuffed animal or even furniture? You can find it here.

10:00 am - Now it's time to get in line and meet some of those drivers you usually only see on television. The drivers are incredibly friendly, and even though they only have a small window of time, they'll happily pose for a picture with you - or at least some will. Keep an eye on the line ahead of you, and see if people are snapping pictures.

11:00 am - By now you're probably on a bit of a high. Try to relax and see just how exciting the world of NASCAR racing can be. Take some time to walk around the track, and find out exactly where your seats are. It might seem easy, but when there are 200,000 other fans walking around the track, it won't be!

12:00 pm - Try to grab a quick bite to eat at one of the small shops located at the race track. Then head over to your seats.

1:00 pm - Now it's time for driver introductions. (Don't be too obnoxious and point out to everyone around you that you just met some of them!) This is also the time when for the National Anthem, and the finish all the pre-race activities.

2:15 pm – Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let's go racing. Imagine standing in the grandstands and hearing the engines turn over, just before the cars hit the track. There's nothing else better in the world.

If you're looking for real thrill and excitement, there's nothing better than being a NASCAR fan at the track on the day of the race. If you're trying to find NASCAR tickets to experience it for yourself, go directly to the track's website to find more information. Some tracks like Lowe's Motor Speedway, home of the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star Race, work through Ticketmaster, while tracks like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, have their own ticket systems.

And if anyone asks, yes NASCAR is a sport. You try sitting in a 200-degree car for four hours and see how well you do!

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