So, i understand that not many here understand the NASCAR experience, so I am going to attempt to convey the experience on this forum. Obviously it wont have the same atmosphere or effect, but i think it will help.

I left Miami earlier today, and arrived at the airport in Charlotte at about 7pm. I headed straight downtown for "Speed Street." it is a yearly festival that is held on Thursday through Saturday in which they shut down downtown Charlotte for Memorial Day weekend for concerts, displays of NASCAR paraphernalia, and other events. They hand out wristbands at booths and sell beer on the street. This is the lineup:

http://www.600festival.com/band_schedule.aspx

Thursday (the day that i arrived/today) is the first night of the festival. Our initial objective was to get as much free fluff as we possibly could the first day of speed street. therefore we didn't go to any real concerts and didn't take too many pictures. When we got downtown we went to a pizza joint/bar and got a few drinks. I tried to order 3 shots of Southern Comfort but they only had 2 shots in the Bar, so the bartender gave me a double shot of Jose Cuervo to make up for the poor stock. It was rough on the way down but gave me the proper buzz to launch the afternoon.

I can say than once we finally did launch on our quest, we got a free hotdog, crackers and dip, ice cream, 4 koozies, energy drink, credential holder, and 3 t-shirts. This was just on the first lap around all the booths. we also got to sit an and start/rev a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS and a 2012 Corvette Grand Sport. Running through those 6 speed gearboxes was amazing. The short throw shifters were a dream.

the few pics that i took:

http://i303.photobucket.com/...ola%20600/0526012007a.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0526012007.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0526011913.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0526011912.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0526011838.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0526011832.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...ola%20600/0526012331a.jpg

the last one was from a bar that we closed the night out on. We had to leave the downtown area in a hurry because a extremely strong storm with high winds (50mph) and heavy rains struck at about 10pm.



I don't really care if you like NASCAR or not, some people here asked me to take pics and post them, so consider this thread the answer to that request. if you don't like it you don't have to post. its that simple.

I will be updating this thread daily hopefully. The 600 mile race (The Coca-Cola 600) is Sunday.

Thanks Ford!! Keep posting for me!! I am really fluffing jealous...

was that you with the beers in front of juniors eighty eight, ford?

Today there was an event at the track that was free for all ticket holders. They called it the "1/4 mile cookout" They set up charcoal grills the entire way around the tiny 1/4 mile Legends Track in the infield of the track and grilled hamburgers and chicken. Before they served the food up they had a track walk where everyone (there was probably 20,000 people there at least) walked the length of the 1.5 mile long track.

almost immediately after completing the mile and a half walk the skies opened up and it started POURING down rain. most of the 20,000 people in attendance scrambled for the stands and the covered upper sections. The brief shower lasted for no more than 15 minutes and the event continued on.

i took a limited amount of pictures:

these 3 were taken from where i will be sitting for the race on Sunday:
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011117.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011118.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...ola%20600/0527011118a.jpg

that last picture was of the new massive HD screen that the track owner just installed over the winter. It is officially the LARGEST HD screen on the planet, measuring 200 feet wide by 80 feet tall. It might not look impressive from my vantage point on the Front Stretch of the track, but trust me, it is flipping massive.

Here are 2 pics i took while walking the track:
start/finish line
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011121.jpg

Turn 1 that is banked at 24 degrees
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011141.jpg
24 degrees might not sound like a lot, but its impressive when you are standing on it.

A local country station was interviewing Clint Boyer and i snapped a quick pic
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011253.jpg

also got to see/meet Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Ned Jarret and David Pearson. I got the last two's autographs.


Victory Lane was open and they had 2 old cars parket there

Bobby Allison's 1969 Coke car:
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011255.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011256.jpg

and the late great Dale Earnhardt's 1998 Coke car
http://i303.photobucket.com/...ola%20600/0527011256a.jpg

and lastly i took a really poor picture of all the haulers parked for the weekend's races
http://i303.photobucket.com/...Cola%20600/0527011305.jpg



Tonight at Speed Street Everclear is playing, as well as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at The Music Factory. they played the halftime show at the 1999 superbowl. kinda a swing band. Both shows are teh free. should be a good time, hopefully the weather holds up

Woot! I expect lots of pics today!!!! GO BIFFLE!!!! Also awesome spot of seats you got there. I am still jealous

i don't technically understand NASCAR.
you can mention G-Forces, Heat, Human Endurance, but the astronauts suffer the same type of forces, if not more, and that's just at the touch of a button that they don't have any control over.

i further don't understand it after having driven NASCAR type tracks in Forza 2. well, maybe it is a skill in being able to fine tune that lap speed faster and faster. it's probably a skill that i lack though, cause i can't tell one lap from the other.

no threads are safe on a public forum. don't care whether you like or dislike the response.

And sorry Ford there went your guy Martin.

that sucked for Biffle. I thought he was gonna win it, til that caution and he needed fuel. Then that whole Earnhardt jr almost to the end and ran out of gas....WOW.

Its the group THRILL of it all. energy is everywhere plus the good buzz. glad u had a great time. storms seem to have been a pisser in many places.

jesus was the last 2 days a blur. ill format a proper post with pics and vids when i can focus on it.

We got to the track at 11am today and stopped drinking about 45 min ago at 1am.

David Gilliland needs to be assfluffed by ron jeramy. no sack of fluff driver like that should be anywhere near the leaders on a restart. muck less wrecking 3 top 10 cars.

fluff him. fluff him to hell

ok, i kinda just saw a TV perspective of the wreck, meh. i dont know what really woulda happened, but his pissant inexperience caused this wreck that ended the day of my driver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69BWPNws0U4

you're making me want to go to infineon later this month

It looks like he used the wall rather effectively. Was it a reverse grid, how do they determine the starting order?

Reverse grid = higher number of accidents.

naw, they do real double file restarts. he was legitly in a position to be around those other drivers, but he got there on pit strategy, not on skill.