A different kind of race: NASCAR

A couple of weeks ago, I got contacted by the marketing department of the Richmond Raceway, asking if I’d like to attend a race. They offered me free tickets to suite, a pit pass, and a parking pass. Once I ascertained that I could take my 12 year old as my guest, I was on board. Shoo and I headed down on Friday evening and stayed with friends and then I snuck in a quick half marathon on Saturday before we headed over.

Short story: NASCAR at Richmond Raceway was a ton of fun!

Here are 5 highlights from the event:

The race itself. Shoo used to be a NASCAR fan when he was little, but we didn’t really know any of the drivers or cars anymore. So, he and his buddy just picked a car to cheer on and had a blast both in the suite and out in the grandstands. (Pro tip: make sure you have ear protection.)
The super sweet parking spot. We got VIP parking so the car was right by the Grandstand. We didn’t even have to start tailgating at 7am to get the spot. (Pro tip: if you want a great spot in the paid parking, be there when it opens, but it seemed like anywhere you were was pretty close.)
The Pit Pass allowed us to go down by the pits and watch the crews getting set up. They were all lubing up the wheels and doing other prep things, as well as pushing the cars around to various spots. I confess I have no idea why they had to push them places.
The suite was pretty awesome. We had a great view and the windows muted the engine noise just enough that we did not have to wear ear protection when we were inside.
There was a beer festival. I know. How did I manage to go to a NASCAR race with a beer festival? They were mostly Virginia breweries and I got the chance to talk to staff from several as well as taste some yummy beers.

Bonus: The day we went happened to be the Toyota Owner’s 400. Guess what kind of car I drive? Yep, I drive a Toyota, so we got to go to a special area on the midway where they gave us snacks and water and a place to sit in the shade. Win!

All in all, it was a super fun experience. While I’m not going to be hitting all the NASCAR tracks in the country, it was definitely something I’d attend again. The Richmond Raceway is nice, the vendors were varied, and the overall event was a lot of fun.

I’m also linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five 2.0.

Disclaimer: I received free tickets to the events at the Richmond Raceway. All opinions are my own.