Bank of America 500

We also went to the Bank of America 500 this past weekend at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. We had great seats on row 7 between turns 1 and 4. I'm not a NASCAR fan but it was a lot of fun to be so close to the race track. At one point we got splattered with oil form a wreck right in front of us. I know that someone reading this is thinking, how scary. But it is exhilarating to have the cars going past at 180 MPH so close together. The fans are protected by a mesh fence that is about 20 feet high and hangs over the track. We paid $85 (really $95 after the fees) but the seats were well worth it.

We left for the race at about 4 PM and after about an hour of traffic to actually get a parking space, we walked about a mile to the stadium. It was a beautiful day and the traffic was not as bad as I expected. Lowe's Motor Speedway sits 220,000 people. That is not a typo! 220,000 people is a lot of people. Its crazy how people park everywhere and anywhere to include the medians and shoulders of the primary roads.

Once we got there, we checked out the experience booths outside the stadium. I got shaved with a Gillette razor, we checked out the Dell plasma, got free toilet paper (no idea why), looked at the Jack Daniels tent, and so on. If you go to the All Star Race (May), the Coca Cola Race (May), or the Bank of America Race (October), go early in the day to experience the whole carnival like atmosphere. Its amazing how many locals come out for this event too!