Roaul, our friend, Mike and I spent the weekend at the zMAX Dragway for the NHRA races this past weekend. We all had a great time. We were excited and RACE READY after a year of anticipation. It doesn’t matter if you are a child, a teenager or an adult, it is an exhilarating spectacle.
There aren’t any numbers on the cars. You have to identify them by the custom paint jobs and the sponsors, unless you can hear the announcer and maybe catch it on the big screen. Anyone can see the lineup outside the stands. So one can plan accordingly to catch which races and what cars are coming up for their chance. It is fast and furious. Did I say fast and furious? You definitely need at the very least, ear plugs. It is fast action. Better keep you eyes on the “tree” to watch the lights because as soon as it turns green, your ears need be covered and your eyes ready to follow the 2 streaks rocketing down the track. When the cars past the finish line, the time and speed are immediately posted on a large marquee. You need to check it because a lot of times, that is the only way to know who won the heat. It is amazing how much ground those cars can cover in just the last portion of the track. Quite often a dragster would be ahead at the midpoint only to be passed and left behind in just the last seconds. I kept trying to figure out just what was the optimum strategy. At take off, the front ends of the funny cars would lift up off the ground. I couldn’t decide if it was better to stay airborne like that for longer or for a shorter time or what! When it was overcast or at night, you could see the flames pouring out from the sides of the dragsters and funny cars. We sat about at the mid-point of the stands. Last year, we sat at the starting line. It was a different perspective. I liked our seats this year better, however, a group of women to our right jumped to their feet every race. This obscured our view and made it close to impossible for Mike to get a good photo. Roaul missed the smell of the fuel that blasts up at take off.
We had the tickets that included meals and driver autograph sessions (Best Buy Fan Lounge). The meals weren’t quite as good as last year, but they were still good. They also didn’t have flowers on the tables like they had last year. With the food-ticket, you were given a paltry goodie bag. It had a Koozie, a plastic bottle, a program and car air freshener.
Sunday, we left early to go to the pits. I really enjoyed taking in all the sights. I had some pictures made and saw a lot of action going on in the pits. I met Kris Krome who incidentally was staying in our campground. He was there showcasing 2 motorcycles he had built. One was for Tony Schumacher and the other had won acclaims at Sturgis this year. www.kriskrome.com We saw the new Ford Mustang for 2010. The red color was striking. We went on up to our seats but then realized our camera was left behind. I ran all the way back and the girl kept it for me at the simulator cars. I ran back and we got close to our seats when the skydiver was just landing on the track with an American flag attached to his foot. The starting ceremonies were abbreviated due to the threat of rain. It never rained – thank goodness. (It did rain Saturday night after we left. Cleverly, the producers decided to have the minor races run last so as to get the big guns in before the rain. As it turned out, the minor races took place early Sunday morning. Good call.) Karen Stoffer, THE MOTORCYCLE DRAG STAR had a great weekend. We got to meet her last year. I had on my Tony Schumacher Army shirt but it did not help him to win like it did last year. The historic 4 lane race happened later in the afternoon. It was the first time that 4 cars raced professionally in about 30 years. I know we have some photos of this awesome moment.
I must say that John Force is a HAM and a TALKER. I started comparing him to a MUFFETT character after his constant jaw flapping. He is a winner and a showman. As far as I know the “grudge match” didn’t take place. I didn’t know how they were going to be able to schedule it in since the motors have to be basically rebuilt and ready to race again in 70 minutes but it was presented like everything between them was hunky-dory. So I guess Marcus Smith gets to keep the cash purse. (Marcus if you like, I can take that off your hands!) Oh, speaking of Marcus Smith, Roaul got a chance to talk to him near the elevators before the races. He told Roaul it was good to meet a “happy neighbor”!
Okay, that was a 3 day bonanza in a nutshell. The weather was great. The fans were great – at least all the ones that sat around us were. They helped fill in the gaps with lots of inside information for us “newbies”. I could hear the cars from my house. They sound like I imagine dinosaurs would sound. At Yates Family Camping, it is not loud but loud enough for us to hear that we need to get up there because we were missing the action. Roaul is hooked! Mike is hooked. I am a fan too. However, I would like to be more informed and keep up with the action. I do wish that the standings would be posted like they do on the Olympics. I need a crutch like that for when I watch it, every race stands on its on. I can’t hear the announcers enough to keep up. Some of our “NASCAR FANS” that camp with us are now getting hooked on the Drags too. It was great to see everyone here this weekend and listen to their comments. We enjoyed hanging out with everyone too, as the races are over fairly early every evening. The best thing is now we don’t have to wait another year as Bruton Smith has the next race scheduled for the end of March. I hope it will be just as big and I know it will be dramatic. It is a beautiful time of year here and we hope you will come and see the action for yourselves!
Note: The traffic patterns were changed daily so it was hard to plan ahead when leaving the facility. The best advice I can give is to park near and exit as close to the road you want to leave on.
