I’m used to Formula 1 Grand Prix and other road course events, so it’s always a bit of a culture shock for me when I attend a NASCAR race.
And I don’t mean the Nationwide NAPA 200 held in Montreal on a road course, but a real Sprint Cup NASCAR race on an oval track.
So it was that I found myself at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon last weekend. First surprise: people spoke French! Saturday, at least one out of three conversations going on around me was indeed in French.
I have to add here that the mile-long oval is less than a five-hour drive from Montreal. And that Andrew Ranger was racing in the K&N series, while several other drivers from Quebec were fighting it out in ACT. But Loudon does indeed attract fans from the Belle Province.
Second surprise: the electrifying atmosphere of 95,000 spectators packed around a tiny oval. Throw in a crowd that goes nuts for driver introductions, the religious silence during the American national anthem and the flyover of an enormous military bomber just recently returned from Irak, and I got goose bumps.
But the most surprising thing of all was the fact that the pit lane was open to racing fans on Sunday morning – before the race.
Thousands of colourfully clad devotees decked out in their favourite warrior’s garb stormed the stands. In the United States, you see, fan loyalty knows no bounds.
Groupies get the chance to admire the cars up close, chat with the technicians, get photographed in their favourite garage, write encouragement on the wall and even purchase souvenirs, the proceeds of which will be donated to various charities.
And what can I say about the price of tickets to a Sprint NASCAR event? They sell for the most part between $50 and $100, with an average entry fee of $88 per person. And for that price you get a full day’s worth of activities, including a live country concert before the start of the race – as well as a hell of a time trying to head home on narrow country roads.
So if you can make it next year, don’t hesitate one second and go see out for yourself what NASCAR is really all about. It’s far removed from F1 racing, but in NASCAR, anyone can meet their idol and ask for an autograph. Even living legends like Richard “The King” Petty.
And I don’t mean the Nationwide NAPA 200 held in Montreal on a road course, but a real Sprint Cup NASCAR race on an oval track.
So it was that I found myself at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon last weekend. First surprise: people spoke French! Saturday, at least one out of three conversations going on around me was indeed in French.
I have to add here that the mile-long oval is less than a five-hour drive from Montreal. And that Andrew Ranger was racing in the K&N series, while several other drivers from Quebec were fighting it out in ACT. But Loudon does indeed attract fans from the Belle Province.
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| Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com |
Second surprise: the electrifying atmosphere of 95,000 spectators packed around a tiny oval. Throw in a crowd that goes nuts for driver introductions, the religious silence during the American national anthem and the flyover of an enormous military bomber just recently returned from Irak, and I got goose bumps.
But the most surprising thing of all was the fact that the pit lane was open to racing fans on Sunday morning – before the race.
Thousands of colourfully clad devotees decked out in their favourite warrior’s garb stormed the stands. In the United States, you see, fan loyalty knows no bounds.
Groupies get the chance to admire the cars up close, chat with the technicians, get photographed in their favourite garage, write encouragement on the wall and even purchase souvenirs, the proceeds of which will be donated to various charities.
And what can I say about the price of tickets to a Sprint NASCAR event? They sell for the most part between $50 and $100, with an average entry fee of $88 per person. And for that price you get a full day’s worth of activities, including a live country concert before the start of the race – as well as a hell of a time trying to head home on narrow country roads.
So if you can make it next year, don’t hesitate one second and go see out for yourself what NASCAR is really all about. It’s far removed from F1 racing, but in NASCAR, anyone can meet their idol and ask for an autograph. Even living legends like Richard “The King” Petty.