Gentlemen, start your engines

So yesterday we went to a race. It was the Busch series Carquest 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway here in town. Through his work, my husband got pit passes for me and a friend of his. This was my first Nascar race I got to spend down in the infield and it was very exciting. We pointed and laughed at all the hoochied out helmet-lickers, and enjoyed feeling like VIPs. "We're with THE TEAM." Yes. We are so cool.

So when we got to his team's trailer they asked him if he wanted to help out some while he was there. He said sure, so they gave him team shirt to wear. Then he put it on and came out with the collar up and the zipper down. He looked so eighties that we had to point and laugh at him.

So then we hung out for what seemed like FOREVER in the blazing heat. Finally it was time to go over to the pits and get the race started. I pointed back to the people behind the fence (the people who just had infield passes and not pit passes) and said loudly "Look at those losers back there!" and then I realized I was pointing at quadraplegic woman in a motorized wheelchair. "I meant, the people who are behind the fence, not the disabled in general." Doh.

So then we watched some skydivers fly in trailing some flourescent powder and then land on the track. You'd think they'd try to land on something softer...like, I don't know the GRASS, maybe?


Then pit road opened for a few minutes and I walked around and saw the drivers up close. Like Michael Waltrip, who signed my hat for me. He wasn't his usual jovial self because his cars were running crappy that weekend. (Through no fault of my spouse, I'd like to add.)

And Robby Gordon, who cannot be blamed for his hilariously awful firesuit. He looked like a cross between a rejected superhero and a leprechaun mascot for the Minnesota Vikings.

The race itself was loud and surprisingly short, only a couple of hours. I brought my earplugs, which I heartily recommend to anyone if they ever go to a motorsports event. I got to stand at the back of the pit and watch them do their thing. I took a ton of pics of my husband's backside and drank free Coke products while I sat on hot tires only recently pulled off the racecar at the last pitstop.

Oh, and don't let me forget. You'll never guess in a million years who was at the race. Now I'm pretty good with faces and I've spotted a small handful of celebrities so far, Hugh Jackman, Bobby Flay/Stephanie March, and Karl Rove. The last three I got pics with. This one, ranks somewhere in between on the fame scale, but the highest on the scale of total random awesomeness. So me and Jimmy's friend were just chillin, and we hear this clamor go up down the aisle behind the pits. We see a guy, walking through with some security guards and a small posse. He had on a powder blue track suit and a do-rag, but he was turned backward talking to some fans. So I start pulling out my camera, because even though I couldn't tell exactly who it was, better to be prepared, right? So finally when he turns around, it's to late and I froze trying to place his face and not pointing and clicking. My first thought was...Deion Sanders? No, that's not it. I know that face! And then realization dawned on me. IT WAS M.C. FREAKING HAMMER. At a Busch Race. Sweet Funky Jesus, what in the world was Hammer doing at a Busch Race in Charlotte, NC?????

And all I got was this:


Depressing, isn't it? Although, Scott actually barely touched him, which actually proves that it can be done. Awesome. I wished I'd though to do that.