NASCAR fun one day each year

By Scott Deininger
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS

My dad picked me up for a barbeque and a Nascar race broke out. Little did I know that the event would include nearly 100,000 of my closest friends.

I went to the 3rd running of the Tropicana 400 on July 13th at the Chicagoland Speedway. Last year was my first ever Nascar experience at the same race. However, something was missing last year - tailgating. That was not the case in 2003.

For being a huge sports fan, one would think that a tailgate would've been normal to me. The concept is but I never really partook in one. If you're going to experience your first tailgate, I suggest doing it Nascar style. 14 hours later, you'll have one for the ages.

Dad picked me up at 7 a.m. My first beverage was cracked open at 7:12.

"Just drink it while we finish packing the van," one of my dad's friends told me. And with that, we were off.

Until about 12 more highways surround Chicagoland Speedway on Illinois 53, traffic jams will forever be a major part of the entire experience. And of course everyone had his or her own idea of how to get there the fastest. However, when thousands of cars are loaded with people who have the same ideas, a traffic jam is inevitable.

To pass this time, the van that I was in, which included 8 people, assured the driver that the way he took was wrong and if they were driving, things would be different.

"We'd be all set up by now," said a voice from the far back seat. "I told you we should've gone the other way." We all knew too well that there was no other way but since we were moving a mere 9 mph, a little ribbing was acceptable.

The day was simply gorgeous, not too hot, not too cold and not a chance of rain. The usual July humidity took a day off. The grills were quickly assembled and the breakfast preparation began. It was just before 9 a.m. For a race which began at 2:30.

What to do while breakfast is cooking? Beanbag toss. Many people had the same idea as wooden ramps with a hole in the middle lined the grass outside the track. Dad and I teamed up against two brothers and held our own for a while but lost in the end. Some kids nearby were insistent upon playing with a Frisbee. They weren't, however, insistent upon catching it or keeping it a 2-person game as the disc hit our group often. I grabbed a beanbag to begin a game of dodge ball minus the ball. Breakfast still wasn't ready so why not take out some errant Frisbee tossers.

Even after attending my second Nascar race and also touring the track in Daytona, I still don't get the whole Nascar allure. I don't really
understand how you pick what driver to cheer for and why you do it. I mean, with other sports, you cheer for either your local team or the one closest to you or the one you grew up on. Or maybe you played the sport as a kid. In Nascar, you cheer for the beer you drink, the store you shop at or maybe even the pill you take for erectile dysfunction. Whatever the case, everyone has his or her favorite.

Up until a few years ago, you wouldn't have caught me near a Nascar event. Sure I knew their names but SportsCenter could be thanked for that. Actually going to a race seemed absurd to me. Unless the tickets were compliments of one of the sponsors. Thanks Cub Foods.

The pre-race tailgate lasted about 4 hours. A visit through the rows of merchandise along with an attempted nap were needed, seemingly just to pass time. Would I follow Nascar around the country doing the same thing every Sunday? Absolutely not. But once a year in Joliet, why not?

My dad was still a little taken back by the fact that the track was built just a few hundred feet from the house where he was born and raised.

"My dad would be ecstatic. He loved the races," said my dad of his father, who passed away many years ago. I took homage in that moment, knowing that I was able to be there with him. We've not been that close over the years, but if it takes not being able to hear each other talk while 43 cars race around a track where you need a lay-away plan for a beer, then so be it.

The post-race tailgate was more of a way to let traffic die down. The sun and booze had rid us of any attempts to play beanbag toss. Instead, time was spent with good people I just met for the first time. A time that seemed like days ago at that point in the day. We grilled, ate, drank, laughed and then broke it all down and loaded everything back in the van and truck. It was 8 p.m. and still traffic was heavy, even two-and-a-half hours after the race. But like the traffic in the morning, it's simply part of the whole experience.

I never thought I would say this, but I kind of like Nascar. At least one day a year anyway.

Scott Deininger is a standup comedian from Shorewood. More of his work can be found via his Web site, www.ShaveYourHead.com

07/21/03