I attended the NASCAR weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway this past weekend with my step-mother. I was at the inaugural race last year and we re-upped the tickets so we could attend this year’s festivities. The track made several improvements to the fan experience over last year that seemed to make everything much better for the fans, such as more food and beverage vendors.
Our seats were high in stands near turn one, so we had a great vantage point for the entire track. With the start of summer, and the track’s location in the Mississippi River valley, it gets quite hot and humid. Thankfully, WWTR added water stations for those of us who brought our own water bottles, and we made sure to keep our bottles full. We watched Cup practice and qualifying, then retreated under the grandstand to the shade to get out of the sun while we waited for the Truck race to start. We made friends with one of the bartenders and she would fill our water bottles with ice; I made sure to tip her generously for her kindness, and she would top off our ice whenever we stopped by. Thanks Mary!!
The Truck race was great for me, until Ty Majeski wrecked with three laps to go, but the racing all day was solid. We retreated back to our hotel, and after dinner just relaxed. I watched the Xfinity race from Portland then the NHL game before turning in for the night.
Sunday, we headed to the track early to beat the crowds and to pick up our pit passes. We toured the garage and the midway that was set up for the fans, and I have to say it was nicely done. Plenty of food options and several NASCAR entertainment options like the simulators were available. We were able to renew our tickets for next year as well from a tent in the infield.
After getting a bite to eat and seeing some of the garage activity, we made our way to our seats before driver introductions. The crowd was filling in nicely, and we knew it would be cozy with a sold out event. The flyover was great, and the crowd was buzzing at the engines fired and the cars rolled down pit lane for pace laps. WWTR does an amazing fire show as the cars roll down the backstretch and it was stunning to see, and feel, the spectacle.
The lightning delay was a head scratcher for everyone; at no time was lightning visible to anyone in the stands. I’m sure the National Weather Service was on top of it, but we never had a drop of rain at the track. The fans passed the time by throwing a football between sections, and getting the wave started, and we chatted with those seated around us.
Once the racing resumed, I thought the on track action was good, despite the lack of passing up front. One of the joys of going to the track is watching the entire field and finding those battles. All of the brake rotor failures were in turn 1, so we saw every one of the failures end up in the wall.
Once the race concluded, I returned my scanner and we started making our way home. Traffic was handled fairly well from our lot and we rolled north. I cut my drive in half by staying at my step-mother’s house Sunday night and finishing my drive to Wisconsin on Monday morning.
I’m already looking forward to next year.
Want To Be A Fan Reporter?
Submit a recap of your complete race weekend experience along with photos to fanreport@nexttimeby.com to be considered. All entries are due by the Tuesday following the race.