The NASCAR Nextel Cup traveling circus and road show comes to Martinsville Speedway for the running of the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 this afternoon. They’ll be returning there in the fall for another race.

SWMBO and I love Martinsville, we like the travel down, the track, and nearly everything about the experience. We’d leave on Saturday and take the Skyline Drive or the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way down, and sometimes coming back. Speed limit 35-45. Two lane winding roads. Awesome views of mountains, trees and valleys. Plenty of observation areas and scenic overlooks, where we could gaze out over majestic valleys, and contemplate our individual smallness in the grand scheme of things. Overall, the Blue Ridge Parkway has more historical markers, so I think we like that segment best. But they’re both beautiful. In any event, we seemed to meander into Roanoke, and our hotel, about the time the bar opened for happy hour. Timing is everything. We’d spend Saturday night with a few Bud Longnecks, some pub grub, oftentimes in the company of other race fans who happened to be staying there.

Sunday, up early, by 6AM, and on to Martinsville, about an hour’s drive¹ Breakfast, grabbed to go, from the Collinsville McDonalds. Sitting in race day traffic. Parking at the track is free, but the wait in traffic got worse, so we found a place for 20 bucks who would park your car, and not block you in. Made for easier egress from the track, too. Thence, to the Racing Electronics Trailer, where they will program your scanner with the current day’s driver channels. And a few stops by our favorite driver’s trailers, to verify our race day wardrobe is complete.

Then, to the grandstand, for pre-race ceremonies, the prayer, the Anthem, and the fly over. Then, 500 laps of beatin’ and bangin’ on a half-mile track. After the checkered flag falls, to the car, where SWMBO navigates the post-race traffic, and takes us back to Roanoke. A nice steak, back to the hotel bar for a nightcap, and to bed.

Head home on Monday. A Cracker Barrel breakfast, and a stop or two at some farmer’s markets on the way back.

Damn, that’s fun. So much fun that I took a break from writing this post, and bought tickets to the fall race. Se ya’ there!

-k-
[tags]martinsvillespeedway, NASCAR[/tags]