5 New Things I Learned From Going To A NASCAR race

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you have likely already heard me talk about my experience at my first ever NASCAR race earlier today. You know I had to wrap it up in a blog post, right?

Never in my life have I expressed interest in going to a NASCAR race. When I was contacted on behalf of Chevy to be a part of the "Silverado Strong" campaign by attending and live-tweeting the race, I called my husband. Within moments, I was back in touch with them. My husband really wanted those tickets. 

Chevy is all over the place at that race. The winner of the race, Jimmie Johnson, was actually driving a Chevy! That Chevy must really do the job well. It must really be Silverado STRONG because Jimmie Johnson apparently wins most of the races!

(I never saw anyone duke it out in a Ford versus Chevy argument, but I hear people can get heated when it comes to their truck brands. I kept looking but people were mostly interested in their beer and their turkey legs.)

I learned a lot while at that race that I never knew before, such as...

#1 There are 300 laps in the race: 300. It was light and then it was not when those laps wrapped up. It makes it all the more impressive, though, that someone can stay ahead of the rest during all of those laps. I once went around a kid race track on a go-cart as fast as I could 15 times and got, like, super tired and quit before my time was up.

#2 People are taller up in Fort Worth than they are in Houston. This one really caught be my surprise.

#3 There is more bad-for-me-food than I knew existed less than 24 hours ago. This would be bacon-flavored cotton candy! It even came with bacon bits! 

Also, a tower o' freshly made potato chips:

#4 There is hope if you lose your iPhone in a dark dirt and gravel parking lot after a major event. As we were walking to our car, I almost stepped on an iPhone. I knew someone was panicking over the loss of that valuable black rectangle. A few text messages and phone calls later, we were face-to-face with the owner returning the phone. 

#5 People really love NASCAR. As we drove up, I saw a sea of RVs. We were approaching RV Ocean. People are committed to watching those races. When we were getting the autographs of some of the skateboarders we watched before the show, one of them asked my son, "Who is your favorite race car driver?" We just stared for a minute. I had no clue who would be racing and had no names on the tip of my tongue. The others walking around probably would've kicked me out had they known. They had jackets and shirts and signs and blankets everywhere proclaiming their love. I am glad I at least now know to say "Jimmie Johnson" or "Dale, Jr." 

Seriously, NASCAR was a lot of fun. There were all kinds of people there at the self-proclaimed "asphalt circus". It was more fun than I expected, even though I did zone out during laps 235 to 267. I actually did feel it had the fun and festive atmosphere of a circus. A circus with lots of Bills, Bobs, Dales and Jimmys.

Thanks for sending me, Chevy! 

I still need to Google that Ricky Bobby sign. I thought that was just a Will Ferrell character. Does he still live on in the signs??

(You can find out more about the all- new Chevy Silverado by going here: http://tiny.cc/718z5w.)

*This post was sponsored by Chevy but all opinions are my own*