Off to the Races

Our Modern Woodmen insurance company camp hosted a family night at our local speedway last night. I used to go to the local stock car races quite often in my tween and teen years, but I think it had been at least ten years since my previous visit. David hadn't gone in probably that long either, so we took the evening off and took our boys to the races.
The boys had many questions about the races before we left. Were there going to be monster trucks there? (No.) Was the track like Daytona? (No.) That question was quite funny to me because prior to my tour of the Daytona track, my only race track experience was our local dirt track. I could not believe the size of Daytona when we first drove by! Landen's only prior racing experience was seeing that track and other professional tracks on TV and in pictures. Even though our track is very tiny in comparison, he did not seem disappointed.
I forgot my camera, which was a bummer, because the boys were absolutely captivated by the races--especially the later ones when they put 16+ cars on the track at one time. The crowd groaned as there was crash after crash, but I think they thought that was the most exciting part. Nathan especially got into picking which car he wanted to win (usually the one at the front) and then sometimes changing his mind when another car won. Talk about a fair-weather fan! They were attentive up until the last race, with the help of popcorn and plenty of Gatorade.
The races really are a lot of fun. I don't think we will take a ten-year break before we go again. There are just some things you can only get at the local speedway--the setting sun, a no-smoking family section, the atmosphere as drivers' fans cheer for their local celebrities, and plenty of material (although lack of actual fabric) if "What Not to Wear" ever decides to visit our area. There was even a very tiny newborn baby there. I'm not sure I would promote that, but he seemed pretty much unaffected by the noisy experience.
As the cars spun around turn one and I felt the wet dirt blow into my face, I turned to David and said, "Ahh . . . that's what I remember!" Even that part was fun.