Track Tips: Charlotte Motor Speedway

I attended the History 300 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend. If you plan to attend these races next year, or the races at the track in October, I have a few tips for you based on my experience.

*However, keep in mind that these tips are based off of Memorial Day weekend; therefore, there may be changes if you attend the NASCAR races in October!

1. Try to stay off 77 -- There were many times when traffic would come to a complete stop for no reason. Everyone would just bunch up for a couple of miles. A trip from our hotel to the track that was supposed to take thirty minutes actually took over an hour. I was told this was not because of track traffic -- it's like this all the time! This is why I suggest finding a way to the track that avoids 77. We found a way around it (I shall not give away our secrets!); therefore, it is possible! It made the trip easier and quicker.

2. Parking -- Park in a free lot! Charlotte Motor Speedway offers a lot of parking space, which is great. For Thursday night qualifying, all of the parking lots were free so you could park relatively close to the gates. On Saturday and Sunday, the lots closer to the gates were not free. However, there were free parking lots that were a bit further away. It's not *too* far of a walk; plus, there were shuttles that took you closer to the gates. Supposedly, the shuttles run after the races, as well (I say supposedly because I only saw shuttles taking fans back to the campgrounds -- not the parking lots -- but it is possible we just missed the shuttles that were taking people back to their cars). But like I said, it isn't too long of a walk (especially if you get there early)!

3. Walk the track -- On Friday, Charlotte Motor Speedway offered a track walk to individuals who had purchased a ticket to the Coca-Cola 600, as well as the opportunity to play games, spend time with fellow fans, and drink ice-cold Coca-Cola before and after the walk (or during, if you decided not to walk the track). In addition to walking the 1.5-mile long track, fans were visited by drivers sponsored by Coca-Cola, including Danica Patrick, Elliott Sadler, Bubba Wallace, and Tony Stewart. Now, I'm not the type of person who walks 1.5 miles every day so I was a bit weary. If you aren't that type of person either, I promise you that it is not strenuous! You walk slowly, and you even stop every now and then. It was a lot of fun!

A photo from the track walk at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

4. Arrive early on Sunday -- As mentioned, arriving early is great for getting a reasonable parking spot in the free lots. When we looked at our schedule, we saw that the gates didn't open until 12:30 p.m.; however, the Fan Zone opened at 10:00 a.m. I strongly suggest arriving early to spend time in the Fan Zone. Holy cow -- there's so much to do. Vendors, games, driver appearances -- not to mention the infamous, race-day tweetup. Plus, once the gates opened, Charlotte Motor Speedway even had the Indy 500 playing on the big screen (I appreciated that)!

5. Go to The Dirt Track at Charlotte (and bring goggles!) -- We decided to include tickets to The Dirt Track races in our ticket package, and I'm sure glad we did. There's not much that beats dirt track racing. You don't really need to bring goggles, but it's not a bad idea. This was my first time at a dirt track, and I was not expecting it bother my eyes as much as it did. (Maybe I'm just wimpy!) Either way, it's definitely worth including.

The Dirt Track at Charlotte

Thank you, Charlotte Motor Speedway, for a wonderful time!

Track Tips: Gateway Motorsports Park

The 2nd Annual Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis is one week away!

Unfortunately, I can't make it this year. However, I do have a few tips for those of you who are headed to the NHRA event based on my experience at the track last year.

1. If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, I strongly suggest sitting in Nitro 1 (which you can see in the diagram below). This is where I sat last year, and I loved it. This area was fenced, and the park officials did a great job of ensuring that only those with tickets for that area were allowed in. Another perk of sitting here is that the tow vehicles park in front of the section. Why is this awesome? Because this is also where the drivers stand before/after they make their run. In other words, it's a chance to get some autographs! Seats in Nitro 1/Nitro 2 also give you a great perspective of the track. Normally, you'll see the side of the car as it goes by. Here, you'll be able to see them from behind as they go all the way down the track. It gives you an idea of what the drivers are seeing when they make their run. I can't say everyone will love these seats, but they are my first pick.
   
   I suggest sitting in Nitro 1, but Nitro 2 might be great, as well!
   Photo retrieved from Gateway Motorsports Park.
   
   
2. Because the event is sponsored by AAA Insurance, you might get a discount on tickets if you are a AAA member. We got a 10% discount last year. I can't say for sure that they will give discounts to AAA members this year. I also don't know how much the discount might be, but any kind of a discount is good in my book!
3. Great news! I took to Twitter and asked Gateway Motorsports Park if there will be a track walk this year. The answer is yes! Do it. Get to the track early if you can. Pre-race ceremonies start at 10 a.m. on Sunday (Sept. 29), and the track walk is a part of these ceremonies. The track walk isn't only a chance to walk the quarter-mile drag strip with fellow NHRA fans, but you also get to walk with NHRA stars. I don't know who will walk the track at this event, but Robert Hight, Terry McMillen, and TJ Zizzo walked with fans last year.
   
   
   A photo of the NHRA fans walking the track at Gateway Motorsports Park last year.
   
   
   *Also, as a side note, don't wear flip flops during the track walk. You might lose one. ;)

Will you make your way to the Gateway of the West next weekend? What are you most looking forward to?

Track Tips: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

I have been interested in NASCAR for about a year now, and I was able to attend my first NASCAR event this past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). To go to a track that has so much racing history...indescribable.

As a newbie to IMS, there were a few things that I noticed and want to suggest fans to watch out for if they plan to go to the Indiana 250 and/or the Brickyard 400 next year.

1. KNOW YOUR ZONE. I attended the race with my mom, and neither of us had been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before. This "Know Your Zone" program was helpful because we would have had no idea where we were going otherwise. If you need driving directions and maps of the seating areas, be sure to print this before you leave.
2. This may seem logical, but it's probably best to order your tickets more than two weeks ahead of time...unlike we did. After we ordered our tickets, we realized that IMS has a deadline of when you can purchase your tickets and actually get them sent to you. It makes sense, of course, because they want to make sure your tickets arrive in time. My mom and I didn't realize that. We were able to pick up our tickets at will call, and it wasn't a big deal. However, it is probably easier to have your tickets and parking passes ahead of time so you don't have to mess with it when you get there.
3. I strongly suggest getting general admission tickets for Saturday's Nationwide Series race. They had some sections roped off, but we could otherwise sit wherever we wanted. With our general admission tickets, we were able to sit right across from pit lane. You can buy reserved seats if you'd like, but I don't think it's necessary.
   
   A view from our seats at the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday (7/27).
4. Even if you don't have a "hot pass" (a pass that allows you to go in the garage/pit area), you can still get fairly close to the garage area. You can even watch the cars go through inspection. I thought this may only be allowed on Saturday because I figured it would be more restricted on Sunday. This is not the case! You can get near the garage area on Sunday, as well. Being near the garage is a great way to meet some of the NASCAR drivers...
     
   I met Brad Keselowski on Saturday! This shows how close you can get to the garage area before it is fenced off. (No, I did not have him caged!)
5. If you are new to the track, get there early! As I said, this was our first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we got there are soon as the gates opened on both days. This gave us time to wander and figure out our way around.

If you have any questions on a topic I didn't cover, please leave a comment. I will do my best to answer!