[ATTENDED: October 7, 2018] The Gander Outdoors 400
I have never cared about car racing of any kind. I didn’t know that fans of one kind of racing might actively dislike other kinds of car racing. It has always puzzled me that people get so invested in guys driving fast in a circle. It has puzzled me even more that the fans tend to be poor while the drivers/owners are be multi-millionaires. The branding has always puzzled me as well. Basically everything about it has puzzled me.
So when my son’s Boy Scout Troop ran a trip to Monster Mile for a NASCAR playoff (they have playoffs??) race, I thought it was time to see it first hand. Our trip included some time on the track before the race and a Q&A with Jimmie Johnson who I learned is a very successful racer (worth about $120 million).
As the date drew near I was very excited to be around the roar of the engines and the excitement that so many people clearly felt.
We had to leave home at 7:30. I was happy I didn’t have to drive because I was already sleepy. We arrived at the stadium around 10AM and were allowed on the track, which was pretty neat.
Since I know literally nothing about racing I didn’t know anything about this track.
So here’s the Wikipedia summary: (more…)
I Just Read About That... 