WHEN I WAS BORN JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, I DIDN’T THINK I WOULD BE GOING TO RACES AND SEEING WHAT I SAW YESTERDAY. IT WAS A MIND-BOTTLING EXPERIENCE. I’M HAVING PROBLEMS FINDING THE RIGHT WAY TO DESCRIBE HOW AWESOME IT WAS (BEGINS TO TEAR UP). BUT YEAH, I DECIDED TO GO TO MICHIGAN. I MEAN, THE WHOLE WEEKEND WAS JUST FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. AFTER ARRIVING IN MICHIGAN, I HAD PLANS ON ATTENDING DINNER WITH A FEW FRIENDS. THERE WAS A CONE (WITH HIS OFFSPRING), A CASM, A MRS CASM, AND A GRIFFIN HICKMAN. THE DINNER ITSELF WAS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE. WE ALL SHARED A GIANT BOWL OF NACHOS, THAT’S HOW AWESOME THIS DINNER WAS. WE PROBABLY COULD HAVE TALKED FOR MANY HOURS, BUT WE DIDN’T. WE KNEW WE’D SEE EACH OTHER AT THE RACE THE NEXT DAY.
RACE DAY. I WOKE UP AT 5:00 A.M. NERVES? EXCITEMENT? THE NACHOS? MAYBE A BIT OF ALL THREE. HAHA, JUST KIDDING, YOU GUYS. I WASN’T NERVOUS. I GOT OUT OF BED AND DID MY MORNING RITUAL OF SQUAT THRUSTS AND JUMPING JACKS IN ANTICIPATION OF THE DAY THAT WAS AHEAD OF ME. I THEN SHOWERED AND PREPPED MY HAIR FOR ANY INCLEMENT WEATHER I MIGHT FACE, NOT KNOWING THERE WAS GOING TO BE A DELUGE OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS. I LEFT MY HOTEL ROOM ABOUT 6:30 AND AS I WAS EXITING THE BUILDING, I WAS FLANKED BY TEAM MEMBERS OF RYAN NEWMAN. THEY WERE ALL DRESSED IN THEIR FANCY RCR RACE GEAR. (SKIPS PART ABOUT STOPPING TO GET GAS AND A RED BULL IN TECUMSEH, MI) I GOT TO THE TRACK ABOUT 7:15 A.M. AND PICKED UP MY PASSES FOR THE DAY. AFTER I PARKED, I WALKED AROUND THE GARAGE AREA TO GET A FEEL FOR WHO WAS THE FAVORITE TO WIN (I ONLY SAID THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF NASCAR TV PEOPLE SAY THAT BEFORE AND DURING THE RACE). I BRIEFLY TALKED TO KASEY KAHNE’S CREW CHIEF. KEITH RODDEN. YOU MIGHT KNOW HIM. CLASSY GUY. AFTER WALKING AROUND AND (ACCORDING TO MY FITBIT) TAKING AROUND 7,000 STEPS, I HOOKED UP WITH GRIFF AND WE WENT TO THE TWEET-UP.
MY FIRST TWEET-UP EVER. STILL WASN’T NERVOUS, THOUGH I COULD HAVE USED A SMALL PORTION OF LIQUOR TO HELP. I MET A LOT OF COOL PEOPLE THERE AND EVEN TOOK A COUPLE PICTURES (OF MY HAIR). AT THE TWEET-UP, MY FRIEND CHARLIE APPEARED. ONCE THAT WAS OVER, CHARLIE SHOWED ME HIS BOOTH AT MIS. HE REALLY HAS A GREAT SEAT. I WAS JEALOUS.
IT CAN NEITHER BE CONFIRMED NOR DENIED THAT I WAS ON PIT ROAD DURING THE PRE-RACE PRAYER AND NATIONAL ANTHEM WITH A RACE TEAM. IF SO, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TREVOR BAYNE “AM I DREAMING RIGHT NOW?” MOMENT (PINCHES SELF). BEING ABLE TO WATCH THE RACE, THE RAIN DELAY, THE RACE, THE RAIN DELAY, THE RACE, THE RAIN DELAY, AND THE REST OF THE RACE FROM THE PITS WAS UH-MAZING. I FOUND THE PERFECT SEAT IN THE PIT AREA TO WATCH THE RACE. ONLY TWO OTHER PEOPLE KNOW OF THIS SEAT, SO DON’T ASK WHERE IT IS BECAUSE I WON’T TELL. IT’S A GREAT SEAT, THOUGH. I’LL BE SITTING THERE WHEN I GO BACK. ANOTHER THING I LEARNED ABOUT MICHIGAN IS A LOT OF THE DRIVERS USE THE BATHROOM IN THE MEDIA CENTER. I WATCHED NUMEROUS DRIVERS (COUGH)CLINT BOWYER AND CARL EDWARDS(COUGH) WALK PAST ME TO GO TINKLE. DALE JR ALMOST RAN ME OVER A COUPLE TIMES AND SO DID CARL EDWARDS. DANICA PATRICK IS REALLY SHORT. JEFF GORDON IS, TOO. SEEING THE DRIVERS IN PERSON IS A BIT SURREAL. IT'S LIKE YOU'RE WATCHING THEM ON TELEVISION, ONLY YOU'RE NOT. THEY'RE REALLY RIGHT THERE. RUSTY WALLACE HOLDING THE DOOR FOR YOU IS WEIRD. ENCOUNTERING THE NASCAR ON NBC CREW (ALLEN, LETARTE, BURTON) AS THEY STEP OFF OF THE ELEVATOR IS JUST AS WEIRD.
THE WEEKEND WAS NOTHING SHORT OF SPECTACULAR. I SPENT ABOUT 12 HOURS AT THE TRACK YESTERDAY AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. THE EMPLOYEES AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY WERE QUITE KIND AND COURTEOUS TO A TWITTER INFANT LIKE ME. I EVEN TALKED WITH ONE OF THE GARAGE SECURITY EMPLOYEES FOR QUITE A BIT. SHE WAS NICE. ROGER CURTIS HAS ONE HECK OF AN OPERATION THERE. I DON’T THINK I’VE SEEN A TRACK PRESIDENT CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THE FANS. SAMMIE LUKA-HOWEVERYOUSAYYOURLASTNAME, THANKS AGAIN AND I DIDN’T EMBARRASS MYSELF (DON’T WORRY, I KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME). I MET THE TWITTER-FAMOUS JON WOOD AND TIM CLAGG YESTERDAY. I EVEN ALLOWED JON TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH ME WHEN HE WENT TOTAL FANBOY OVER ME. AND LASTLY: GRIFF, CASM, JEANNE, CONE, AND CHARLIE, IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND. I CAN’T THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH. MY ARMS ARE BRUISED FROM PINCHING MYSELF TO SEE IF THE WEEKEND WAS REAL.
