Time for my first NASCAR race!

Man, I was just AT Daytona a few weeks ago and now it's time to go back. Janel pointed out that the Daytona 500 is on while we'll be in Florida anyhow, and I'll take noisy cars on a racetrack over a Disney park every day of the week.

So, I've never been. Due to time constraints, I won't be able to get to the track until fairly close to race time. Ignoring all the can't miss pre-race stuff, what do I need to know?

I am expecting loud. I'm seriously considering bringing the rally headsets so we can patch in a radio and talk to each other Sunscreen.

Please tell me you will roll up in a Miata and talk smack about real race cars turn both ways

Sun, loud, beer drinkers, long time to get in and out. Bring hats, water and patience.

Its a spectacle.

Mike Joy just happened to visit our office yesterday--I know, a total name drop.

He said that if you can't get to the track like 4 hours before the race, show up just before the green flag is thrown. Otherwise the traffic is bad.

Get down close as the pack goes by. The feeling/smell/sound as 40 cars go by at 195 plus mph is somthing that you can not describe. There is a blast wave that comes off each car and when in a pack it is hard to describe.

David S. Wallens wrote: Mike Joy just happened to visit our office yesterday--I know, a total name drop. He said that if you can't get to the track like 4 hours before the race, show up just before the green flag is thrown. Otherwise the traffic is bad.

(googles Mike Joy...)

We'll probably do that anyhow, simply because Janel has to run a half marathon that morning in Orlando Kind of limits how early we can leave. I figure we'll get there about an hour before race time if we're lucky.

Are radios useful? Is it like an endurance race where it's impossible to know what's going on without an announcer, or are they all just in a pack all the time anyhow?

I've heard you can rent radios to listen to the teams talk, and that that is one of the best parts. Don't know if you can just tune your own radio in, but it sounds plausible.

I enjoy having the radio to listen to the MRN broadcast which also gives you the benefit of listening to the announcers during commercial breaks, and that is often entertaining. Obviously you can also scan to listen to driver communications with crew. Since you have headsets with microphones you might as well use those. I like to have binoculars as well. A few beers, but lots of water too. Some tracks require clear bags, or at least used to.

dean1484 wrote: Get down close as the pack goes by. The feeling/smell/sound as 40 cars go by at 195 plus mph is somthing that you can not describe. There is a blast wave that comes off each car and when in a pack it is hard to describe.

I second this. Of course, there will be security people to keep you from hanging out down by the fence, but if you happen to wander down close one time, just as the pack goes by, the experience is unforgettable.

You will also want to get over to the garage area, even if it is before or after the race. You have seen plenty of professional road racing teams at work, but they tend to look like shoestring operations compared to the Cup teams.

Glad you can finally make one Kieth.

1. if you have it, take a radio scanner or one you can set to individual frequencies. Here is the list of the 2017 frequencies: https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/scanner-frequencies/sprint-cup-frequencies/39-2015-nascar-sprint-cup-series-scanner-frequencies

2. It's not as loud as you would think at Daytona. It wasn't loud before the updates and with the changes they made it a little less loud.

3. By the time the race is over, the garages are already half packed up. Not much left over there even 30 minutes after the race. Honestly, not worth the walk.

Enjoy the experience. They replaced my job at TMS with a new traveling safety crew that is working all of the races so I won't be at any of the races this year.

dean1484 wrote: Get down close as the pack goes by. The feeling/smell/sound as 40 cars go by at 195 plus mph is somthing that you can not describe. There is a blast wave that comes off each car and when in a pack it is hard to describe.

Yes, definitely take the time to do this. Security discourages people from standing by the fences (at least in the tracks I've been to), but you can walk by...as if you were heading somewhere...and make sure you do it when the pack comes flying by. Even for all the NASCAR haters, if that noise/feel/smell doesn't make your hair stand on end, then you don't like motorsports. I've done that at Dover, where the cars come off of turn 4. I swear it looks like they're coming straight up at you, as the banking is so steep.

Mike Joy is the announcer on Fox. He also does Barrett Jackson auctions, noted car enthusiast. I like him.

At Daytona, the cars will likely be in a pack, so you should be able to figure out what's going on without radios or such. At tracks where they get strung out, it can get confusing unless you're watching the monitor or scoreboard, but that shouldn't be an issue at Daytona.

I have to say that as much of a fan of NASCAR as I am, I do not like restrictor plate racing. Forcing these cars to bunch up into packs of 35 cars is just asking for trouble.

Have fun, Keith!! Even if NASCAR isn't your thing, seeing it in person is a whole different experience than watching on TV.

David S. Wallens wrote: Mike Joy just happened to visit our office yesterday--I know, a total name drop.

What a cool guy. We watched him run with the vintage Trans Am cars this past fall at Lime Rock historics.

I've been to Daytona so many times I can't count. Grew up just a short drive from the track. My "final answer" to races at daytona is bring or rent a scanner, sunscreen, walking shoes, and a lot of patience. The new "stadium" is pretty cool. Feels almost like a nice airport than a race track.

There are usually a couple huge by enormous live tv screens that you can see, but the scanner/radio tunes to MRN is really a bonus for me and my wife.

I don't know if the Fanzone area will be open but if it is and you can make it down there it's worth a look. You can check out the garages and go on top of the garage roof and look over and sometimes catch some interesting things.

Be prepared though...My wife and I quit going to the Nascar races because of the fan base. The very last time we went the drunks were mad that the race ended under caution and started throwing FULL beers at the cars as they came by. That's when we had enough. We've never been Nascar fans but we love motorsports so we went to the race because what else do motorsports fan do when loud cars are in town. Now we stick to the Rolex, Imsa, SCCA stuffs. That's what we're into anyway.

I live in Orlando now, If you need something while you're here shoot me a message. Which half marathon is your wife running?

I went to my first NASCAR race at Charlotte in the fall of 2015. Not much of a NASCAR fan myself, but I'll agree it's certainly a spectacle to behold seeing a race in person, and much more interesting to a general motor sports fan as well. Just the sound of all 40 something of those engines all firing up at once is enough to make any car guy weak in the knees. (And yes it is LOUD - bring hearing protection!)

We were on a bit of an abbreviated schedule as well, due to the race initially being scheduled for Saturday night, then getting booted to Sunday due to torrential rain. So we missed a lot of the pre race festivities and had to leave about half way through to get home for work the next day. Still, the experience was entirely worthwhile and I don't feel like we missed much of consequence.

Seeing it in person you get to watch so much more of the actual racing going on. It's fun to pick out the different guys who seem to be moving up in the pack or picking different lines than everyone else and follow them around lap after lap. Way better than the TV coverage, which often doesn't feel much different to me than watching traffic on the interstate.

The Daytona 500 is more spectacle than race. Enjoy the fantastic people-watching, the colors and the sounds. I'd agree--- be sure to head down to the catch-fence to see the "pack" come flying by---it is pretty cool.

IIRC they will let you bring in a small (soft-sided) cooler, so throw a couple of beers / water / sandwiches in there.

I've been to several NASCAR races at Daytona, and never felt the need for ear protection. It gets sorta loud, but you can always talk and carry on conversations. Daytona is a big place--- the sound can escape. It's also easy to follow the race----1) because nearly all of them are on the same lap, and 2) because the cars are so recognizable. The jumbotrons are also constantly keeping you aware of whats going on. Of course, it doesn't really matter who is in the lead---until the last lap.

The first 15 laps are fun--- as the race is just beginning. The last 15 laps are fun--- as the race is ending. In between is a good time to walk around and check out the sights.

Have fun!

I too will chime in with "it is a spectical".
It is a good experience and should be done.

The comments about the cooler are a good idea but they are strict on size so be sure to research this on the website. The cooler must fit within your foot space. Speaking of space be prepared for bleacher seating when the amount of space given to every arse is smaller than the average arse size of the average American Arse.
Said another way, you are paying for room in that row but the row will run out of room to actually sit.

No sense in trying to hold a conversation there with anyone about races that turn right also. Everyone there has voted with their multiple hundreds of dollars that left turns are best. Just go with it and have fun.

It is a rather amazing immersion in consumerism. The fans may say they have a favorite driver but to look at that fan they will just be drenched in the logos of Skittles/M&M's/Tide, etc

As far as I'm concerned a scanner is mandatory for a good experience at a NASCAR race. Otherwise it's hard to tell what's going on and after a half an hour or so it's just watching loud cars drive in a circle while you bake in the hot sun. With the scanner you get to eavesdrop on the driver/crew chatter and you get a much better picture of what's going on. It's also easier to hear the broadcast through the headphones than over the speakers

JohnRW1621 wrote: Speaking of space be prepared for bleacher seating when the amount of space given to every arse is smaller than the average arse size of the average American Arse. Said another way, you are paying for room in that row but the row will run out of room to actually sit.

This was definitely true until they tore down the old bleachers and put up the new stands. Now your ticket buys you an actual seat 21 inches wide, not just 18 inches of space that may or may not be full of someone else's overflowing arse. And you can see the whole track from nearly every seat except the rows closest to the track.

I've been to four Daytona 500s and had much better luck with traffic staying north of the track rather than south. Parking in Lot 7 is free and the speedway runs shuttle buses (actually school buses) continuously from Lot 7 to the track. The wait for a bus after the race can take a while, but before the race it's usually five minutes or less.

Of course, once they find out you're Keith from Flyin' Miata, they'll probably let you park in the infield right between Jimmie's and Junior's motor homes.

A live NASCAR race is way more fun than I thought it would be. Cool people, a few happy drunks, no stereotypical belligerent rednecks looking for trouble.

In reply to bluebarchetta:

I guess it has been longer than I realized since I was last at Daytona. I remember that Dale Sr. won that year, his only time and Google tells me that was 1998.

We used to pay to park at the high school at the corner of Intl. Speedway and Clyde Morris. It helped out the school, and was out of the traffic control area, so you could actually leave. It's an almost 2 mile walk to the track, so bring comfortable shoes. The new stands are nice, saw them at the Rolex, you can actually sit in most of the seats.

took my nephew to a couple Pocono races 20 years ago.......

Spectacle - yes

Smells, and the pressure wave is real... and was evident @ Pocono... so should be pretty big @ Daytona.

JohnRW1621 wrote: In reply to bluebarchetta: I guess it has been longer than I realized since I was last at Daytona. I remember that Dale Sr. won that year, his only time and Google tells me that was 1998.

Wow, that was a special year. I'm jealous...I had to watch that one on TV. I bet the post-race celebration was amazing and the Daytona bars were fun that night!

I'm really glad I wasn't there in 2001.

I've lived only an hour away from Daytona for the last 37 years, and I've never been to the 500. I have been to the 24 hours a few times, and I've run SCCA races and autocrosses there lots of times. Never had the desire to see a NASCAR race there, though I can see the appeal.

In reply to bluebarchetta:

It was a great time. We did Thursday night at Volusia Speedway and I remember that being a ton of fun too. They get a big crowd in because of the Daytona race fans in town.

I lived with a girl for 5 years who's parents were huge Nascar fans. I've been to Bristol like 8 times.

Daytona is a good sampling of Nascar the other is Bristol but be forwarded, they are completely different races with Bristol being more like roller derby in full sized cars (but only barely a bigger track than a roller rink)

I'll chime in also and say it's a must do - I've been to the Phoenix race a couple times. Definitely get whatever is needed to listen to the race teams radio transmissions, it makes it more fun still.

Nothing quite like a pack of snarling race cars going by and all at 9,000 rpm.