Friday, June 24, 2011

NASCAR? YUP!


by Maureen O. Betita

Let’s see… The fact is, I spent last weekend at the Northern California Pirate Festival. And this weekend I’m going to attend a NASCAR race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

And I enjoy both of these things. Usually, they are on the same weekend. So I spend Saturday playing pirate and then Sunday sitting in the sun with 20,000 people watching pretty race cars make left and right turns. (It’s a road course.) This year, the gods of racing had pity on me and moved the race to the weekend after the pirate festival.

Means I can leave the big boots, captain’s coat and shiny new tricorn at home before pulling out the shorts, t-shirt and visor. In lime green, turquoise and black. (My driver’s colors.)

Fact.I love NASCAR. I don’t watch every race every weekend. They just take too long. But I like to catch the beginning and the end and will follow it online when I’m sitting in Starbucks during the races.

I cheer for Carl Edwards.

CARL EDWARDS
Gotta love a man who can do a back flip off a car door. (And he’s yummy.)

Yes, I have read a few of the NASCAR romances. It’s nice how accurate they are to the facts about racing. How do I know this? I give them to my sister after I read them and since she is the expert in the family, she lets me know these things.

Yup. NASCAR is a family affair. My brother loves Robby Gordon. (Totally fits.) My oldest sister roots for Jamie McMurray. The other sister?The expert? Kevin Harvick. Husband likes Ryan Newman. (Ryan has an engineering degree so that makes sense.)

We sit in two rows, all in different caps. Different numbers, different drivers, different colors. Luckily no one hates the other’s drivers, so when, or if, a driver falls back, we cheer for the sibling’s driver.

We get there around 7am and leave, in at least two different cars, around 4pm. Traffic is hell getting out of this track. The sibs head north, DH and I head south.

It’s our big family weekend thing. We might get together over the Fourth, we might not. Thanksgiving?Maybe.Christmas?If we can.But Infineon? You bet!



8 comments:

Maureen said...

My, my! I do love me some Carl!

Samantha Gail said...

LOL! I can see why:)

Maureen said...

And when he wins, he does a backflip off his car door!

Sara Brookes said...

Oh, HOLY CRAP, that's Carl Edwards? O_O Man, have I been away from watching racing too long.

JoAnne Kenrick said...

That's what NASCAR racers look like? I need to get my booty down to the Nascar in Charlotte, then! HOLY MOLY! He's hot!!

Maureen said...

Sara - Not all of them...but Carl? He takes care of himself!

JoAnne - Carl's been on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Men's Health...both times without his shirt! ;-)

P. Kirby said...

Day-yum, but Edwards is fine!

I know zip, zero, nada about racing, but if it's populated with men that look like that, maybe I should take an interest.

Wowee-zowees!

Maureen said...

Okay, must admit...most drivers aren't in this good of shape. Most are either stick thin or a bit teddy bearish...

Don't want to be accused of making false statements about NASCAR... ;-)