You Don't Have To Walk To A Shower Anymore

[DebWilliams-GFN]

By Deb Williams

While racing and qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway are the primary reasons for setting up temporary residency at the 1.5-mile track in Concord, N.C., in May, I always find interesting items off the track. Those little things that bring a smile to one's face, a chuckle, a double-take, or even a shake of the head.

For instance, while driving around the back of the track Friday to the credential office, I spotted an old school bus. Initially, I thought it was a mode of travel and a weekend residence for a race fan. But then, I suddenly noticed words painted on the bus that said “Shower Bus.” Yep, the speedway actually has buses to transport people from the campgrounds to the showers on the property.

Then, there are the golf carts with “Nationwide Insurance” signs on them. Twenty years ago golf carts were a no-no around the race track, except for a select few. Of course, that attitude began evaporating when the drivers, then team owners, then crew chiefs began staying in their personal motor coaches at the tracks and needed a mode of transportation from the coach to hospitality to the garage. Now, fans sometimes have them in the campgrounds, and those with “Nationwide Insurance” on them help reduce the number of steps a fan has to walk around the expansive property. And, yes, golf cart races do erupt.

The former Press parking lot for those covering an event from the press box is now strictly the TV compound. Yep, if you come in the speedway's front entrance and see a small village of trailers to the left of the Smith Tower, that's the heartbeat of the track's telecasts.

Now, with all of the campers being towed in Friday, it's quite clear fans are beating the high gas prices by taking a lengthy vacation. I would bet that most of them will be here for 10 days, and when they're not at the track or in the campground, they're visiting the race shops and museums. Oh, yes, they're also in the grocery stores and, believe me, that aroma that drifts out of those campgrounds early in the morning and in the early evening always makes my mouth water. A race track that's waking up in the early morning hours is an invigorating experience for me, especially when that bacon is sizzling and the coffee is brewing.

Of course, one of the nicest things about May race weeks in Charlotte is the people one gets to see. With it being most of the race teams' home track, it truly becomes a reunion in a town of speed.