When I retire for the 2nd and last time in a few years, one of the things on my agenda is to hit the major auto racing circuits both in the US and Europe with the exception of NASCAR. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching NASCAR on TV, but after being up close and personal with it when I lived in North Carolina, I became somewhat disillusioned because it seemed it was becoming more of a business than a true "motor sport".

At any rate, hitting the tracks is always a great experience, be it the local "drags" or the Indy 500 or the 24 Hours of Le Mans......

Dusty

 

Took my wife to the Poconos for our 25th anniversery. While we were there we went to the June Nascar race (her idea) and I can tell you that I've never been so embarrassed to be a human being in my life! It was a major drunkfest. Just pathetic! This was our first and last Nascar event. How they come off as a "family" oriented sport just sickens me after witnessing first hand what really goes on. Nobody in their right mind would want their children or any loved one for that matter exposed to this type of atmosphere! As for the business part I agree, it's no longer about the racing it's about the marketing. This series is the wrestling of auto racing!

 

I know what you mean about the crowd behavior. By the end of the race, the majority of the adults are legally drunk. I saw 3 or 4 fights, one of which required police/security involvement. One guy snatched a t-shirt from a vendor booth and ran off without paying for it. Yup, a great example for our kids!!!

BTW, if you win the lottery, the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans will be on 17-18 June.........

Dusty

 

I think maybe half were drunk before that race even started. Signs were posted for no camping in the parking lots but those were completely ignored. So needless to say most were in their prime at race time. I'll mark my calender, that's around the time we normally vacation anyway, now just gotta play!