bristol baby :)

I woke up that day at 7:00, after only four hours of sleep.

I don’t know what kept me up all night. It must have been excitement.

The boys were foraging through the house like army ants, picking up coolers, koozies, grills, chapstick, chairs – anything they could get their hands on that we might need.

It was my first Bristol race, so they let me watch from the sidelines.

Everything fit into the Suburban and the El Camino like pieces of a well-crafted puzzle. I was highly impressed.

By the time us girls woke all the way up, attempted to eat breakfast and got ourselves ready, it was 9:30 – time for departure.

We made only one stop – at the Food City – to fill our coolers with beverages and ice and use the last flushing restroom we’d see for hours.

Traffic into Bristol wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. We pulled into the group’s regular spot at the Red Barn Campground and unloaded. By 11, we were settled in and warming up for our first round of Redneck Golf.

If you’ve never played this game, you might not understand the awesomeness of what happened next. But for you seasoned veterans, I’m proud to announce that my partner and I went undefeated that day. It was my first time playing, but I finally got the hang of tossing those strung-together golf balls onto the PVC pipe goal posts.

I was a natural athlete on a team with another natural athlete. I hate it for everyone who had to play against us.



As the day grew warmer, we watched helicopters fly the racecar drivers onto the grounds. That excitement was heightened as the qualifying rounds began, the roar of revving engines echoing through the campsite.

We grilled up some hamburgers and hot dogs and sat on Juanita’s tailgate (that’s the El Camino) for lunch. We made friends with our neighbors, who were nice enough to take our group photos and even let us use their rented port-a-potty. (It was only slightly less gross than the public ones at the bottom of the hill, but it was definitely closer.)



We searched the campground and our Blackberries, but never found a poll for the Nationwide Series race. We had to place our bets, however, so we all just threw in five bucks each and took turns drawing numbers that represented starting positions.

I didn’t realize at the time, but my numbers – two, four and 17 – were great numbers. Carl Edwards had qualified second and Kyle Busch fourth.

We headed toward the track, weaving through the vendors and campers and race fans. I’ve been to the speedway before for drag races and car shows, but it looks a heck of a lot different when it’s got that race day glow.



After unsuccessfully trying to catch a ride on a Roto-Rooter truck, one of the boys complimented a go-kart driver on his wheels and scored us two seats. Unfortunately, there were eight of us walking, and the rest had to keep hiking. (I’m counting the walk up there and back as my cardio for the weekend. Holy cow.)



We had great seats – Richard Petty Terrace, Section C, Row 28, on the second turn – and my adrenaline started pumping as the pace car took the track for the countdown to green.




There were my cars – number 60, Carl Edwards, in the neon green in the second position, and number 18, Kyle Busch, in the black car with the red and white letters, in fourth.



“Gentlemen, start your engines.”

Before I knew it, Edwards and Busch were in first and second. I was so excited that I barely spoke for the first 100 laps. Instead, I screamed at the top of my lungs, stood up, sat down, stood up again and took picture after picture.

I’d predicted I’d lose interest after a few laps and head back to the campsite, but before I knew it, it was lap 200 and my boys were still in the lead.

Sometime later, I had to take a bathroom break. In retrospect, I see I should have never left the stadium. While I was gone, Busch left pit row after his team let a tire roll out during his final pit stop, penalizing him to start as the last car on the lead lap.

I got back to my seat just in time to watch Kevin Harvick (not one of my drivers, in case you missed that) lead the last 10 laps of the race, with Edwards right behind him and Busch coming back to finish sixth.

Despite my disappointment, my first Bristol race was perfect. I had a great time with some great friends, and I won a really sweet Richard Petty pocketknife as a consolation prize.

I admit, on the ride home that next day, I even listened to the last half of the Food City 500. (Kyle Busch and his pit crew redeemed themselves, by the way. They took home first place.)

I can’t believe I lived right down the road from Bristol for 10 years and never attended a race. I had no idea how much fun I’ve been missing. I can’t wait till August.