Las Vegas - RVing to NASCAR-Day Two!

By Morry Goldstein
Kathy Niemier
Las Vegas Bureau
The Auto Channel

Las Vegas February 28, 2010; At the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it’s Friday and the racing action is beginning. One must be shocked by the number of attendees and especially the number of RVs. From too many states to count. Every nook is filled with RVs of every size, shape and manufacturer. Porta bathrooms and showers help to take the load off the RV’s systems and the track has even made arrangements for ice delivery.

Many RVs are camping in groups with friends all around. We met Bill and Felicity from Ely, NV on one side and Gary and Paige from Placerville, CA on the other. Eight passes come with our spot location and everyone seems to make good use of them. Food and beverage was being offered from every direction and it was obvious that Kathy & I were in for a good time.

Racecars began their practice and test runs in prep for the Nationwide race on Saturday and the Sprint race on Sunday. But the best part was our visit to the LVMS Neon Garage. This huge square building houses the car garages and provides an incredible vantage point to see your favorite driver and crew go through their paces.

On the ground level, you watch the mechanics prep the cars through windows. Or you can go onto the roof and look down at the goings on. The huge car haulers are circled around the Neon Garage for easy access to tools and parts but the fun is in the garage. You can even watch the NASCAR officials go through their technical inspections. The Speedway provided musical entertainment and may companies promoted their products through giveaways or demonstrations.

By dinner time, we were exhausted and returned to Motorhome Hill where we were parked. A pretty good tram system circles the entire track area and provides timely transportation. Back at the RV, our neighbors had already begun to tail gate and we jumped into the festivities. It was great to participate in the activities at the track and return to the comfort of our RV for the evening.

We went to sleep early and were surprised by the quietness of the encampment. Even the jets from Nellis AFB went quiet but more about that tomorrow!

DAY THREE

About 6AM, the jets of Nellis AFB sprang into action. The base is adjacent to the Speedway and offers entertainment of its own! I’m not expert at identifying fighter jets but these puppies were fast and loud! Flying in formation and buzzing the track, I’m sure that it was an effective recruiting day for the Air Force. One couldn’t but be in awe as these magnificent men and their incredible machines soared above us. They even put on a bi-plane demonstration followed by a free-fall helicopter show. Yes, I said free-fall helicopter!

Today we shopped for mementos and showed support for our favorite drivers. Almost every RV wore the colors & number of their special driver. Mark Martin was ours and Kathy even had pajamas and socks! My daughter and her family arrived adding another facet to our wonderful weekend. They are big racing fans (Jeff Gordon!) but never attended a race in person. The RV was a perfect focal point as everyone ran around doing their favorite activity.

The Nationwide race was delayed about two hours due to rain but it didn’t faze the RV group. Party-on! The power of 43 engines was deafening making ear plus for everyone mandatory. As the cars warm up behind the pace car, I could only imagine the excitement riding with the drivers. Some new drivers, other veterans. But if the roar of those engines didn’t get you pumped up, I don’t think anything will!

The start of a race is very exciting. From starting the engines through the drop of the green flag, time seems to pause as the ‘gladiators’ take to the task. Danica Patrick crashed out early and Kevin Harvick won the race but there are hundreds of tales to be told from start to finish. And for those who didn’t have enough, the Richard Petty School offered drive arounds in real NASCARs under the lights of the LVMS.