Careful What You Pray For
Rain! Lots of it. I got exactly what I asked for, just not at the right time. I had hoped the rain would come early and eliminate the need to spend all day at the race track. Instead, the morning started out beautiful, sunny, optimistic. And so we went. But the friends who were to meet us could not make it for another reason...the wife woke up feeling sick from something she ate. We went anyway, but we didn't do much tailgating. We arrived early and pulled out our chairs, our magazines and enjoyed coffee and scones while we waited for the race to begin. Which it did...2 hours later. We never put up our tent or pulled out the grill. We just sat there...zzzzzz.
After only 13 laps, the rain caused the race to stop for 45 minutes. After the rain blew through, the blowers and squeegees were out in force, drying the track, so that the race could resume. Which it did...
Then at the half way mark, another torrential downpour, accompanied by lightening and 70 mph winds arrived, evacuated the stands and made us think the race would be called off (which would have been unfortunate because all of the race leaders had just taken a pit stop, putting them out of contention for any of the Top 15 slots...AND this would have made Tony Stewart the strategic winner...he purposefully did not pit so that if the rain stopped the race, he would be declared the winner...now that is faith, given that he had only enough fuel for 3 laps and did not know exactly when the rain would start).
In the end, the race was called off at sunset (for the driver's safety...no lights on the track) and only 210 laps (out of 268), making it a 315 mile race, not 400. And after all that, it ended on a caution lap so that we didn't even get to see an exciting finish. Our guy, Jimmie, (you can tell I'm becoming a true fan when I no longer put the quotes around "our" and sit through 2 rain storms to the bitter end) had pulled himself all the way from the back of the pack twice in one day but ultimately, ended up in the 3rd place position. Too bad.
So not only did we waste a lot more of our day than even planned, we also got exceedingly wet and cold and miserable. But we did stay til the end, as did many people. One thing about NASCAR fans...I will give them credit for being patient, loyal and generally good natured.
Here is a before shot of the stands:
Here is a before shot of the stands:
Full House and Ominous Skies
And after the rain:
Get out the squeegees and blowers
Slowly, the stands refilled but only half way
But here was my favorite part of the race...the Anhauser Busch Clydesdale Horses (and the Dalmatian):
Labels: NASCAR
posted by Gwynne @ 7:27 AM
6 Comments:
Because I went to NASCAR last year at Dallas, I got this huge door size poster of the Dickies NASCAR race fan. We have had so much fun with that poster - I put it on one of my coworkers doors. He is a die hard fan (but he refuses to wear Dickies jeans!)...
Janie, I didn't even know that Dickies and NASCAR went together. Guess I'm not a true fan yet. Whew! ;-)
Yeah. After this last post of yours, I was wondering...;)
So - I'm coming to Kansas at the end of October. I'll try and let you know when and where...coming to get Zack's new little sister!!
WE got the bad weather too! If I'd been an hour later going home - I may have had to take a really long route due to flooding!
I'm just saying hi, even though I'm not a NASCAR fan. (but I do like to carpool like Ricky Bobby, doesn't that count?)
Rach...glad you made it home safely! I really thought we'd be flooded at the race...we were all parked out in the pasture, a la Woodstock. ;-)
Hi Emmers! Thanks for stopping by. Ricky Bobby is the definitive NASCAR driver...so absolutely, it counts. You really need a Wonder Bread hat. ;-)
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