June 5, 2008 - A Busy May

Well, in the beginning of my blog writing journey I promised you an inside and behind-the-scenes look at NASCAR, and after the month of May, boy, do I have one for you!  I have experienced all of the things I promised you: a trip to victory lane, a pole win, and the heartache of your husband’s team car crashing into the wall. Actually, that happened a couple of times to the No. 19 Dodge driven by Elliott Sadler in the past several weeks, but who is counting?

First, May is always a busy month for teams and their families. If I had a dime for every person who has said, “But your husband is home for two weeks, so you get to relax and see him every day,” I would be rich enough to no longer work here. I would be on an island in the Caribbean sipping drinks out of coconuts.

With the month of May being full of local events, it is possibly the most hectic month out of the year for NASCAR families. The guys have all sorts of extra duties attached, such as charity functions, pit-crew challenges, fan-day appearances and super-late nights at the tracks because the races are all held at night. Also, they have only a few days off they have to cram in all the family-and-friend events and chores on their honey-do lists they can since it will be months before they have another Sunday at home.

On to more exciting parts of the month, Kasey Kahne won the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600, and as a part of the Gillett-Evernham team family, I was very excited and proud! It really lifted everyone’s spirits when he won, and seems to have given everyone a much-needed second wind to get their season going again.

Also, here is an inside tip for the fans and autograph seekers. Next May, plan on buying pit passes for the World of Outlaws event at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway on the Friday of the Coca-Cola 600 race weekend. As I was milling through the pits, I noticed tons of NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs walking among the teams and fans.  Dressed in T-shirts and ball caps, they were relaxed and friendly. This is the best time to get an autograph or a photo, not at a NASCAR event as they are concentrating on driving and all the sponsor obligations they have to perform during the weekend. At best, you will get a distracted smile and autograph at a NASCAR race, but at the WoO event, you will gain their full attention. However, I would plan to buy my tickets and passes as soon as they go on sale though. That race has sold out completely for each of the past five years!