See that t-shirt with the two middle fingers on it? I rest my case.

Seriously though, there is no reason to get snobby about NASCAR. None of us had been before but the event description is "tailgate for twelve hours" so how could it be a bad time? The only difference between NASCAR and a polo match is that you only tailgate for four hours at polo. OK .. there are cars instead of horses and the parking lot at NASCAR has more pickup trucks - but otherwise the same (polo tickets are also much cheaper). In fact the last time I saw Matt was earlier this summer at a polo match. I feel right at home at both.

Some of this entry is peculiar to Pocono Raceway but I have never been to another one so take everything with a grain of salt. Pocono Raceway is a massive track. Tailgates happen on the grass inside the loop and there must have been twenty thousand people in there. Here is something you don't have to do: get to the track at 5am for a 2pm race. The very best spots had already been claimed days before (you heard me right) but there were still decent spots available at 11am. Next year we'll sleep in. The ticket price is $40 per head. We picked a spot at Turn #2 because most of the wrecks are there (we saw two) and because it was near the exit. This was our view of the turn.

It isn't possible to see the whole track from ground level. Many of the pickup trucks had a stand in the back (4x4 legs and a plywood top like a dorm bunk) to get a better view. Some people even have dedicated NASCAR vehicles. Here is one of the converted school buses: the "Pocono Boozer."

Most of the day was spent sitting in the sun playing cards, drinking beer, and for a couple hours watching the race. Next time we'll bring a tarp and poles for shade. Do bring extra water and beer. The infield turns into a small town for the day and water & beer are the coin of the realm; you can trade them for things you forgot [like cheese for the burgers] and there are always people who didn't bring enough walking around trying to buy some.

Red, Kotter, Piro the younger, Ted, Matt, Piro the Elder, (not pictured: Pete)

Misc:

• We're definitely building a loft for the pickup truck next year.
• The party is at Turn #1 (tough tradeoff because the wrecks are at Turn #2).
• You only need earplugs if you are near the straightaway.
• There is lots of free swag (we didn't have matching Old Spice beer cozies when we arrived) but the best swag is reserved for people who are wearing a team t-shirt or have a sponsor's product with them.
• Pete cannot do more chin ups than the Marine recruiter.
• Bring a football and frisbie - you can buy any kinds of NASCAR flag, clothing, cozy, and bumper sticker imaginable but they don't sell footballs or frisbies.
• There are dozens of cute single women (out of a crowd of 20k).
• Bringing sunscreen is not sufficient. You also have to put some on for it to work.