Racing has never been a huge interest of mine. Outside of “Mario Kart DS,” cars going fast did not do much for me.
Sure, it looks cool, but there is so much technical lingo that has discouraged me from learning more about it in the past few years. That made my first time seeing a race in person important to me.
When I first stepped foot onto pit road, I felt the energy of track all around. While not my first time at Atlanta Motor Speedway, it was the first time I was there for its true purpose.
Throughout those first few hours before Cup qualifying, I got to meet several people and see how they felt about the sport. I talked with NASCAR Senior Director of Track Communications Matt Humphrey, Rick Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing, former Cup driver and now TV analyst Jamie McMurray, and Ed Clark, Atlanta’s former track president and general manager. These four have history with the sport and know exactly what draws in people.
As I talked to them, they all had a common answer for people like me who have not seen many races: Go see a race in person. And I did exactly that.
The first experience I had with cars on the track was Cup qualifying. Not the most prestigious first impression with drivers only making one-lap, single-car runs, but one that interested me nonetheless. Seeing the drivers do their best to just qualify for Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 was incredible. But I still did not fully understand.
Next up on my agenda was the TFr8 208 Craftsman Truck Series race that included wrecks, a fight for first, and a photo finish!
To close out my first day at Atlanta Motor Speedway, I watched the Xfinity Series Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250. That is when it truly clicked in my mind why people enjoy this.
Austin Hill won his fifth race at the 1.54-mile track in Hampton and held the first place spot for all three stages, including leading for 146 of the race’s 163 laps.
]To some, that may sound a little boring. The results are not what interested me. Sure, they were important, and seeing a Georgia driver win on his home turf is cool, but it is a footnote to someone who does not have a favorite driver. What got me was the drama.
Cars blowing tires, drivers bumping one another going into the turns, destroyed vehicles, and a phenomenal finish made the race truly incredible. It is like watching a soap opera but with fast cars. The best part is that none of it is scripted! You cannot predict who will lose the draft, whose line will push forward, or who will win.
This is what drives people to come. It is not just watching cars go around in circles. It is a story that you cannot predict, and it happens at over 180 mph. I cannot wait to see what is next.