Let's Go Racin!

Last weekend we went to Darlington for the Bojangles Southern 500 Race. My parents went down earlier in the week to park the RV in the infield. The new RV is a little bit bigger than the last one, and the spaces are TIGHT so they wanted to get in there early before everyone else arrived and it was extreemly hard to park. Trey and I headed down after work on Friday and met them in there.

Friday night is the nationwide race, we got there in the middle of it but we got to watch the end, which is the best part anyways! Then we walked around the infield exploring and checking out everyone partying. Races are very interesting and full of all kinds of people. A lot of people have kareoke machines, lots of music and party late into the night!

the old school bus next to us with a full blown deck on top of it

Saturday morning we woke up to the noise of the Richard Petty experience (riding 2 laps around the track in a racecar) running around the track. We walked to the outside of the track area, where all of the vendors are and checked out the sights (the most mullets I have ever seen, girls in bikinis because 79 degrees is SO HOT, and many toothless people). Bojangles was the sponsor of the race this year so they had a little tent that you could spin the wheel and get free stuff. I won a mouse pad... seriously who uses those any more?! Trey and my dad won koozies, mom won a hat! And we all go reusable bags!

After exploring the outide we ventured back inside and lounged around for a bit until the race was about to kickoff. We watched the beginning of the race and then went back down into the RV to eat dinner in the middle of it (it's a 500 mile race... LONG!)




fly over before the race

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Warming up

cheesin

The first ~175 laps had NO CAUTIONS! It gets kind of old to just watch them go round and round without anything crazy happening. But after the cautions started coming they didn't stop. The race ended on a green-white-checker and Jimmie Johnson won. (I don't really have a preference who wins...it's just a fun experience)

a quick nap

Luckily Saturday morning by the time we headed out the people in the lot across from us had already left, so we were able to just pull through there spot to turn around and get out. Leaving the track you drive through the tunnel that goes underneath it, it's pretty cool:

heading out



into the tunnel... notice the track on top



in the tunnel

coming out of the tunnel