Over the past couple of days, I thought of several different ways to start this column this week. Most of them were negative.
But, the nice thing about having those few days to think is that the negativity went away.
I got to attend the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Charlotte, NC last Saturday…and in spite of some difficulties I realized that … doggonit … it was fun.
I attended the race with Son Two. We (and four other family members) stayed at Daughter's home in Huntersville, NC.
The first negative feelings about the event came to me as we were sitting in traffic getting to the track on Saturday after-noon.
I expected lots of traffic. We left Huntersville before 3 PM, a good four hours before the race was to start. What I didn't ex-pect was to run into race traffic that turned the normal 20 minute drive into a crawl that took three hours to cover the last two and a half miles.
During that time, I mentally wrote a letter to NASCAR, informing them that I would not be attending another of their events unless I could arrive by helicopter … or, at least, as a passenger in someone's motor home.
All three NASCAR events I have attended over the years have involved long, creeping traffic jams. In contrast, the two Indi-anapolis 500's I've been to, which attract twice as many spectators, were easy to get in and out of.
I doubt they'll "get right on that." But it's OK. We finally arrived and hiked through the parking lot to our seats.
Great seats. Turn Four Terrace, 27 rows up. High enough to see the entire track. Close enough to feel the thunder. Directly under the path of the jet flyover that roared in from behind us.
Biggest impression … the cars go so fast down the back stretch to Turn Three that it seems impossible they can get around the turn safely.
But they do … most of the time.
Even the overstimulated kid in front of us and the slightly intoxicated Bubbas beside us were tolerable as we watched the first two hundred of 334 laps.
But finally, we decided that we didn't want to sit in traffic another three hours getting out. So we left.
A surprising number of others were leaving as well. As a result, there was some bumper-to-bumper traffic until the inter-change with I-85. After that, it was smooth sailing back to Huntersville.
In fact, we got back in time to watch the last 20 laps on TV.
I'm still not sure that I understand why folks spend the money and time they do to attend a race in person when they could stay home and watch it on television in greater comfort and privacy and a greater awareness of what is going on. They must have their own reasons.
It was fun to be there. Fun to see the drivers as they are paraded around the track. Fun to see the 43 cars racing at nearly 200 mph. Fun to hear the noise, see the colors and sparkling lights of a night race.
Fun to be able to say, "I was there."