Race Day Report -- Finally

I'm finally able to upload some pictures and tell a little more about Wednesday night's races. Sam and I got there around 3:00, when nothing was going on. The qualifying for the Food City 150 had already been done, and we had to wait until 4:00 for the qualifying to start for the Truck Race. This is what the track looked like then, pretty empty:



And this is what Sam and I looked like then, pretty excited:



The Food City 150 started around 5:45 and was fairly interesting. There were too many cautions for it to be really fun to watch. Just when the cars would get going good, someone would spin out, causing a caution. The real excitement started with the Truck Race at 8:00. Mark Martin (car #21) was my favorite, and he finished well, in 3rd place. The winner was Johnny Benson in car #23. Travis Kvapil, driving the #6 car, won the pole position in qualifying and lead for most of the race. I was a little disappointed when he finished around 11th or 12th place. Here is what a night race at Bristol Motor Speedway looks like:



This is me and Scott enjoying the race:



We sat in the family section of the stands, where no alcoholic beverages are alowed. I was wondering how strictly it was enforced and was pleased to see a racetrack employee go around informing everyone of the rule. That was at the beginning of the first race. I didn't see anyone making an attempt to enforce it for the rest of the evening, other than myself, when a trio of men with a cooler of beer sat really close to me and Sam. Since Scott hadn't made it there yet, and we were basically by ourselves, I politely informed the men that they were sitting in the non-alcohol section. They grumbled somewhat, but they left promptly for a different section. Sam was relieved. A few weeks ago, while at the drag races with Scott, he witnessed a brawl between some men who were drinking; and he was nervous while it was just him and me there.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience and one that I know Sam will remember forever. It was a little more than I could handle, physically, since we had to walk a long way from our car to the speedway and then up what felt like a million steps to the top row in the stands. After the race, it took over half an hour to walk back to our car. I was EXHAUSTED that night and the next day!!! But, it was all worth it to give Sam an experience he'll never forget.