Boogity! Boogity... Boogity?

For a time in my life, I was a somewhat-regular Nascar race watcher. I was working at the Carryout and the Drive-Thru that bear my last name, and the majority of our customer base loved racing. I typically worked 2nd shift (3pm-11pm) on Sundays, and the races were always on TV at the stores, so I watched. Also, Joe (the bass player in my band, Northern Road) was a die-hard race fan, so it gave us something to talk about when we wanted to annoy Tye and Brooke, which is always fun. I never got the chance to go to a race, as there was no nearby track to go to, and I got tired of the left-turn circuit after about a season and a half. I haven't watched a race in about 4 years.

Even though I in no way consider myself a Nascar fan today, I still wanted to see these lunatics go 185 mph in person if I ever had the chance. The chance came last night. My dad and I got some free tickets to Kentucky Speedway for the Busch race, we took along Larry Budde and Matt Hefner, and drove down to Sparta.

We arrived to see a ridiculous number of cars in the parking lot. At first, I couldn't tell if it was a Nascar race or Woodstock. The country band Lonestar performed a pre-race concert (they were really really good), which was pretty much perfect for the racing crowd. This crowd loved country music, fast cars, the military, and beer. Lots and lots of beer. Two Apache helicopters also provided pre-race entertainment. I'm certain that I'd never want to see those things coming after me. They could certainly kick my butt.

Hearing 43 stock cars fire up at the same time is loud. Hearing them go past you in the front row at 185 mph is mindboggling. I have the worst earhangover I've ever had. It was awesome.

I'm still not a race fan, I will not be tuning in to watch Nascar on TV anytime soon, I have no idea who the guy is who won the race. But experiencing a Nascar race was freaking awesome. Go ahead, call me a hillbilly. As a spectator, it was a great experience... in one evening, I got to see a high-quality concert, military helicopters that were there for the sole purpose of entertaining the crowd, and cars going unbelievably fast. I'd go again in a heartbeat.