Life Today

So NASCAR has been on a few weeks, and I leave a week from today for Phoenix. I have three races I attend ever year with season tickets to both (sort of). Phoenix Spring, Bristol August, and Phoenix Fall. I love all three and both tracks are great in their own way. PIR is my "home" track. I have been going since 1998. I have an end seat in the Allison Grandstands in between turn 1 and 2. It's the only area to watch the races there. It's covered so you don't burn if it's hot, and you don't get wet when it rains. Bristol I have a ticket by virtue of Phoenix. My father and I used to stay at a Holiday in downtown and about 5 years back, we met up with a few couples that were out for the race from Kentucky. Aubrey, Laura and my father and I hit it off right away. Aubry and Laura are one of those folks who doesn't have an enemy in the world.
Well Aubrey told us, if we ever wanted to go to Bristol, all we had to do was get there. He told us that on the first night we met him, and for the next two years (Phoenix Fall race is on his yearly race schedule). Well two years ago, I took him up on his offer. My Dad and I schedule a flight, called Aubrey and told him we were coming. Sure enough he said he had a seat for us. Unfortunately, my Dad couldn't make it for health reasons, but I decided to go anyway. Let me tell you now, Bristol is like a dream come true for me. Since I started watching NASCAR, I have always wanted to go to Bristol. SO I flew to Louisville, Kentucky (which by the way, I don't care for even after 20 years of doing it in the service). Aubrey and Laura were there to meet me and he had surgery just that afternoon. That right there tells you what kind of a guy he is. They live in Georgetown and I didn't get there until late at night (another story for another time). I stayed in his sons room that night. Unfortunately he didn't feel up to going to Bristol the next day, but he introduced me to his one of his buddies, Homer the next morning and off we went. Of course, we had to stop for beer for me and Aubrey lives in a dry county (another subject I'll touch on one of these days). Needless to say, there aren't too many Foster's Oil Can drinkers in Kentucky, so that was a chore all by itself. But Homer was in no hurry and didn't seem to mind stopping twice to get enough to get me through the weekend races.
We finally arrived at the camp grounds that afternoon and found the spot where all the rest of Aubrey's buddies were. I was timid about being the new guy, but these folks are the greatest. Within 5 minutes I had a glass jar in my hand, and these folks didn't know me from Adam. But I guess Aubrey had read them all the riot act that I was going to have a good time without fail. I quickly learned that I fit in just fine. I was in heaven. A cold beer, camping for the races, and the Bristol Busch race was still to come that night. I was treated like a king the entire weekend and they watched over me like protective parents.
We got on the bus and headed to the track, beer in hand and a few other "things" in the everyones cooler. I wanted to take in Bristol with a clear head so I just took the one beer. That was the right thing to do. I feel like a damned fool, but I couldn't hide the tears of joy that kept falling. I just couldn't believe I was really there. To make a long story short, it's been on my schedule for the last two years. I hate the flying but I wouldn't miss it for the world now. There isn't a bad seat in the house and you literally can watch the whole track so you hardly ever miss the action. The weekend was outstanding in every way. It's on my schedule for as long as I am able to walk (and I don't think if I was wheelchair bound that I would miss it).
On the way back to Aubrey's, the money I had paid for the ticket was pushed into my shirt pocket. I was told, Aubrey told them, all I had to do was get there so I wasn't allowed to pay for my ticket. Same thing last year, and somehow, someway this year I am making him take my money.
Don't get me wrong, Phoenix is great track too. I feel like I'm home there. They know how to put on a race and how to move the folks in and out without too much of a wait. My only real complaint about Phoenix is you can't take anything but water in, so you are at their mercy for the cost of beer. It's pretty high ($5.50 a beer last year) and unfortunately, their selection is limited to Bud and Miller Lite. I hate it but racing without beer just wouldn't cut it. So I'm ready for my trip to Phoenix and hopefully Jeff has a little better luck than he's seem to have yet this year.