A True Race Fan
Lots of
hoopla over the cold, rainy weather for this year's Daytona 500 and of course
the infamous pothole in the racetrack.
Various practices and qualifying events were rained out and the NASCAR
Camping World Truck race was postponed to Saturday to run after the Nationwide
race. Some race fans elected to go home
after the Nationwide race to watch the Truck race at home, because it was so
cold. I mean long johns, shirts,
jackets, double socks, hand warmers, hoodie with a hat and gloves cold. You know what I mean race fans. Where it's a struggle to find the frequencies
on your race scanner because your fingers are numb. Seeking dry warmth in front of a television
with a homemade meal seemed to be a reasonable human response to the great
outdoor elements. The next day at the Daytona 500 the fans that stayed for the
Truck race jokingly questioned whether "true race fans" would leave a
race track early to minimize frostbite injuries. We all laughed but you know a true race fan
has this internal dialogue, debate over whether they measure up to the toughest
of race fans who stay at the racetrack no matter the forces of nature.
I have to say
I have weathered rainstorms, tornadoes, lightning, hail and yes bitter cold at
the racetrack. There is a certain pride
that no matter what, I will stay at the racetrack and watch the race no matter
what is thrown at me. For some reason
sitting in the grandstands at Daytona International Speedway with the cold wind
flying off Lake Lloyd kicks my resolve every time. It's one thing to miss a
Truck race, but there I was watching the Daytona 500. I quickly realized that with two red flags
lasting more than a total of two hours, I was going to have to make a choice between
comfort need or experiencing what could be an exciting finish to the best
racing in the world. It's times like
this that forward thinking in my packing for the grandstands served me
well. You know, it is all about how much
you want to lift up those stairs. Thank
goodness I brought my blanket, because the other layers of warmth quickly gave
way to the night shiver. I thought about
bringing a thermos of hot chocolate, but I brushed it off as a silly idea since
we would be home before evening. That
was my only regret, because the snack bars ran out of hot chocolate and they
could not make the coffee fast enough to keep up with the demand.
So, every
time a red flag came out more fans left the racetrack. I understood.
I mean there are elderly people who cannot withstand the bitter cold and
there are race fans that did not pack for all possible weather conditions. To stay at the race track would not be
smart. I don't think any less of those
race fans. Sometimes you just don't have
a choice. For those race fans who had a
choice, I figure they paid for the ticket and if they want to give up their
seat to the elements of nature, that's out of their pocket not mine. For NASCAR who worked very hard to bring us a
great exciting finish to the Daytona 500, thank you. You could have called the race and sent the
shivering fans on home. For those race
fans that were able to stay, it sure was great to leave the grandstands with
all kinds of infectious chatter over the final laps. You see, I think that is the best measure of
a true race fan. Whether it is at home
or at the racetrack...the chatter after the race is the best part. It's not how much suffering one can endure,
it's how engaged you are with NASCAR racing.
What did you hear, what do you think and what's going to happen
next? That's the energy that keeps me
coming back for more.
Kathy
Resendez White,
RaceTrackLadies
February 15,
2010
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