My Bucket List

Someone said that everyone should have a bucket list--and I do.

This summer I was able to tick off another item on my list. I went to a NASCAR race. Yes, madam-melt-in-the-sun sat in the sweltering 100+ degree summer sun and watched one hundred laps of fast cars driving around in a circle and didn't complain once about just how hot it was. It wasn't Daytona or Indianapolis; it was Loundon, New Hampshire but it was a hoot. A client had a customer appreciation event to which we were invited. They had a huge tent and served breakfast and lunch before the race and then took us on a tour of the infield before the race. You also have to understand that car racing is the polar opposite of any of the activities that normally entertain me. This was a real big step out of my comfort zone and into the realm of the totally unfamiliar.

Arriving at this place was an eye-opener. We got there early so we would not have trouble with the parking. I don't think we could have parked farther from the track and still have been on the grounds. Fortunately, there was a shuttle bus we could hop on but that was still a five minute walk from the car--up hill, no less. Our parking lot was only partially full when we got there and I was not ready for what would greet us we came over the rise; it was a sea of campers and RVs so densely packed that you could probably have hopped from one roof to another--and this was only one of the RV parking lots. When we finally got on the shuttle that would take us from the far end of the RV lot to the track, the bus driver was commenting that the waiting time for the men's showers was over an hour.

The NASCAR crowd is interesting--very friendly and more polite than you find at Fenway Park. NASCAR is also very loud and fortunately our hosts supplied earplugs for us. The national anthems (Canadian and US) and the opening invocation are taken very seriously here, not just by the members of the pit-crews who line up like soldiers along pit row but also by the crowds in the stands. I think that if racing didn't take place in the middle of the summer that you might convince me to go more often. I had no idea who was racing or what the stats were. I had no idea what the rules were or who the heroes were. Still, it was a fun experience.