Nascar

[randy41]

i never been to a race and am thinking of buying tics for Lowes in Charlotte on 10/13 through ebay. anyone give me some idea of where the best place to sit is? the tics on ebay i'm considering look to be fairly close to the track. is it better to be higher up? any help is surely appreciated.

 

[Nat]

Anywhere on the front strech is great. One thing I would caution, if I were going to advise anyone on where to go for a "first race" it wouldn't be Charlotte. It is a big track and not as exciting as , say Bristol. Actually nothing is as exciting as Bristol. It would try to make my first experience the best it can be and Bristol is it.
Don't get me wrong, Charlotte is a great track and can be very exciting to watch, it is also huge, very fast. Lot's of luck on your first Nascar race, enjoy, you'll be hooked forever. later, Nat

 

[Podunkadunk]

Pull you a double-wide into the infield, sit on top of it with 8-10 of your buddies, drink yourself into oblivion....there ya go...

 

[randy41]

bristol is a bit closer for me but i'm looking for more flat out racing at this point...next year i will probably go to martinsville which is the closest. i think LMS is probably a good average nascar track. this is with my wife who is very afraid of heights so i reckon not too high up would be wise.

 

[dgl24087]

bristol is a bit closer for me but i'm looking for more flat out racing at this point...next year i will probably go to martinsville which is the closest. i think LMS is probably a good average nascar track. this is with my wife who is very afraid of heights so i reckon not too high up would be wise.

I've been to LMS, had frontstretch seats about 50 ft. from the Start/Finish line, 5th row. You can see most of the track from there, you'll lose sight of the cars briefly in turns 2 and 3, other than that, the view is pretty good. Typically, higher is better, as you can see the whole track. I've also been to Martinsville, Bristol, and North Wilkesboro (Ernie Irvan's comeback race in 1995) before it closed. Bristol is by far the most exciting.

 

[dbdartman]

The better seats are higher up... The higher, the better (& more expensive)! Draw a straight line down pit road, & extend it both ways through the stands. The seats on the starting-line side of your line are more desirable, & the higher up you are, the more track you can see (& the more $$$$$$ you spend).

I went to Daytona in Feb back in '88 & '89 (camped for free at the airport in Deland where I was skydiving for a 10 days surrounding the race) & the seats were in turn 3, looking down pit road in the top row of the mid-price seats($50/each back then) section & you could see everything except the low groove in turn 2. Don't expect to get seats like this. The guy that supplied my seats had been getting the same seats (10 in all) since the 60's. Usually, you'll end up right down on the track, & all you can see is what happens right in front of you (IMHO, not worth the $$ & crowds & traffic jam leaving). If you do go, don't run for the parking lot when the checkered flag falls! Hang around for at least 1 hour & let the mass exodus abate some.

 

[crbr]

i never been to a race and am thinking of buying tics for Lowes in Charlotte on 10/13 through ebay. anyone give me some idea of where the best place to sit is? the tics on ebay i'm considering look to be fairly close to the track. is it better to be higher up? any help is surely appreciated.

I'd be skeptical of tickets on e-bay. As a matter of fact, I'd not do it.

Charlotte is one of the better tracks to visit. Atlanta is a very nice track.....

You can find Charlotte tickets if you'll look around or keep an ear out. I have gone to a lot of races, mostly spur of the moment (due to my work) and I have never been ticketless by leaving the house and placing a small poster or sign, (paper size) in a side or rear window of the vehicle. Someone inevitably will have tickets along the way. The day of cell phone... have a small sign with your number, they can call you while enroute.

Higher rows does indeed allow you to see over the infield (in either direction). My preference would be along the front where one can keep an eye on pit road. Binoculars are a must. In any case, one can see most all of the racetrack at any one time. The key to larger tracks is the headsets with the race broadcast over FM. Let them tell you where the action is, in lieu you wearing yourself out trying following a car.

You'll enjoy Charlotte as a whole. Lodging is hard to come by but the track and the event is top-notch. Bristol and Charlotte are two entirely different races. I like Charlotte because of the speed. Honestly, treat yourself to Charlotte this fall and Bristol next spring.

As for the trailer folks and alcohol consumption? I see someone never got out of the 1970's.

 

[randy41]

the ebay sale i'm watching looks to be ok...the seller has a 99.7% positive rating with over 600 transactions. thanks for the tip on taking a headset...i can use my own...right?
as far as Bristol goes...i can see its a high demand race since there are no tics available right now.
i've been to some road races at VIR where theres no grandstands and theres no way to see the whole track at once.

 

[Shimon]

Went to Charlotte for the Mellow Yellow 500 (1992?) and sat in the "cheap" wooden bleacher seats and it still cost $65. It was a pretty good time though. It was loud. Very loud. The one thing that sticks in my mind is how they regulated alcohol. You could bring as much as you want but it had to be in a regulation size cooler...they actually measured each of our coolers. Of course, every gas station in a 500 mile radius sold those "regulation size" coolers for $1. We had 10 coolers. Not sure what the laws are now but I remember thinking how ridiculous it was...I'm sure it was so they could say they were regulating the consumption of alcohol. Not! Anyway, it's a good time.

 

[Tractors4u]

I have never been to Lowes, all I could compare it to would be Talladega where I have been. Do sit as high as you can. You will get a better view of more of the track. If you sit low you will only see a small part of the race. I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet. Get a race scanner or rent one at the track. I am not sure what they rent for at the track because I have my own. I don't know if you already have a favorite driver or not; if not pick at least one driver to follow during the race so that you can follow the pit strategy and team strategy. I know of a lot of people that have bought tickets off of ebay so like anything else, go with their feedback rating before you buy. Bristol would be a great track to see, but the fall night race is the single hardest ticket to get out of the 36 races in the season. Definately use a scanner there. I went to the night race at Richmon VA and didn't have my scanner. I realy missed it.

 

[Sigarms]

Been to one race at Lowes for "work" (inside, NICE). You'll wait for HOURS to get out with the traffic to I85. I hate large crowds and traffic.

However, since I only live about an hour north of Lowes, every once in a while when going down to the Bass Pro shop (across I85 from the race track), I'll drive by the race track and walk up to the gates. Don't know what they are doing, but they are running cars around that track with the stadium empty (during a weekday). Once in a while they'll have some gates open, and took my dad in for a "walk" and got to see a bunch of cars running around the track. THAT was a blast.

Funny story. First month when in N.C for work, went over some prints and went to see a house for work. Asked the Engineer what this homeowner does for work (long story, you had to see the prints and house). He told me it was Richard Childress (sp?) and I asked him "who is Richard Childress" (sp?). His mouth dropped open and couldn't believe I didn't know who he was (me, a relocated yankee who has no interest in Nascar).

 

[redlevel]

I stopped following NASCAR after Fireball Roberts and Little Joe Weatherly were killed. It just wasn't the same.

 

[crbr]

I stopped following NASCAR after Fireball Roberts and Little Joe Weatherly were killed. It just wasn't the same.

Age defined. I started NASCAR when Richard Petty was still drag racing the hemi-Cuda.

I wish I could have seen more of Fireball and Joe. I was a young boy then and was just beginning to realize that I liked the sport with authentic and genuine interest.

I can almost see your point of losing interest, as I too have lost tons of interest in late NASCAR drama. It has now taken a new turn of appeal, albeit those that are not old enough to have seen the baseline of NASCAR will never know the difference.

Speed is speed. I am vey glad I didn't miss the likes of Elliot, Martin, Earnhardt, Ned Jarrett, Bennie Parsons, the Allisons, David Pearson, Cale Yarbrough, on and on....... Fireball only set the path for the future drivers of their era.

A lot of folks stopped following when Davey Allison passed. Then the #3 car driver. But as I have said, I'd be disappointed in myself to have not seen the likes of the great drivers in this era.... Stewart, Gordon, Johnson, LaBontes, and others of greatness.

All said and done, based on a world-wide enthusiam for the sport, they all are great. Even the ones at the back of the field every week. If they weren't, they would not have made the filed of 43 elite drivers each race.

NASCAR is a sport that one either gets it or they don't.

High tech, high dollar, high speeds, and a loyal fan... doesn't get much better, if indeed one can believe that a race is won or lost in the pits....

 

[8561]

Charlotte is a good track and Humpy Wheeler always puts on a good show. Try to stay in the front stretch and get as high as you can. The advice you've gotten about getting a scanner is good advice. You'll need noise cancelling headsets, nothing else will do. I've been to Charlotte, Bristol, Daytona, Richmond and NH. Bristol is the best, although Richmond is very, very good. I would rank Charlotte third.

I miss Davey Allison.

 

[AMP762]

I pretty much gave up on Nascar when they quit running real car bodys. Doesn't really matter where you set,there are tv s everywhere so you can see all the action better and you can watch the replays.