Several things on my plate at the moment so it may take me a bit longer to prep a full blog entry. But here are a few highlights and observations from our trip.
My last trip to Atlanta before this past weekend was 95/96ish. I hadn't been to Atlanta since it was turned into a Charlotte clone. When I lived in Chattanooga, it was fairly easy to make the Cup race a day trip. But as we continued to go, weather always seemed to be a factor - and traffic was never fun. Eventually, my move to middle Tennessee combined with the traffic and weather X factors negated any interest I had in going back.
But its funny how FREE changes one's tune. With the prize pack I won from a local radio station, I figured WHY NOT? and made my return.
The weather certainly wasn't an issue this go-round - at least from a rain, snow, or blustery standpoint. Instead, we had ample sunshine and scorching heat. Even though I love the history of the sport, I freely admit at my age I love my creature comforts. I never had the opportunity to witness a Labor Day Southern 500 or a July Dixie 400. I did hit a few Talladega/DieHard 500s and Firecracker 400s in my day, but even those were a couple of decades ago. I reminded myself frequently about how brutal it must have been for those fans to attend year after year in Darlington and Atlanta - plus all those other smaller humidity-drenched southern races back in the day.
The one thing that seemingly hadn't changed was traffic - which is always an issue for the Atlanta area of course. The race happened to fall on the same weekend as the UT-NC State game at the Georgia Dome, the Clemson-Auburn game at the Dome, and a Braves home stand. Our hotel was about a stone's throw from the Dome, and we had to carefully weave our way through multiple shades of orange during our stay.
Friday
We arrived in time to catch the start of the truck race Friday. We had hoped to see Cup qualifying also, but traffic and an enjoyable lunch at Armando's Hamburgers in Chattanooga *burp* delayed our arrival.
Right before we headed in, I spotted this really nice, street legal, reproduction of The King's 1974ish Charger. Some liberties had been taken with the paint color and decals. But overall, it was a gorgeous ride.
The limited crowd in attendance went crazy when Ty Dillon won. I wasn't quite sure if it was because he was able to beat Rowdy Busch or if its because many of the johnny-come-lately fans thought the driver of the 3 truck was related to Earnhardt vs. Childress. Either way, it was a great race - perhaps the best of the 3 over the weekend. It was fantastic watching multiple trucks swap the lead and seek various lanes of the track as the race progressed.
Saturday
For the first time since 1992, Richard Petty's final ride was put on display outside of the Petty Museum. It was returned 20 years later to the track where he ended his career.
I also got to meet @Petty43ShowCar from Twitter at the U.S. Air Force display. Great lady. She gave me some extra swag from having mentioned my following her on Twitter, and she suggested I return on Sunday for a special event.
As we settled in for Saturday night's Nationwide race, I truly enjoyed the air conditioning of the suite and an enjoyable fried chicken dinner. My preferred brew, Schaefer, wasn't offered. So I had to dabble in the dark side to take advantage of the free Bud. It never ceases to amaze me how great free beer tastes.
The most surprising winner in all 3 weekend races had to be Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Sunday
As suggested on Saturday, I returned to the Air Force display. Several recruits arranged for their swearing-in to be done before the Cup race. During the day, they gathered at the USAF display to meet folks - including 4 Star General William Fraser. Driver Aric Almirola stopped by to chat with them as well. Later during our walk along pit road, I spotted a few of them again, shook their hands, and told him how proud I was of each of them.
On our way to the pits again before the Cup race, I stopped to meet RR's Cody at the Georgia Racing HOF display. I also snapped a couple of photos of Jack Smith's restored Pontiac. Cody - I enjoyed meeting you. You've got great manners, and I appreciate that firm handshake of yours. Sadly, both those traits are often scarce these days in others your age.
Despite The King's hardships in recent years of fielding a competitive team, I still get a thrill when seeing the famed 43 logo along pit road.
I learned my lesson from Saturday. While coolers weren't allowed to be brought to the suites, it didn't mean I couldn't smuggle a least one ceremonial Schaef. I simply had to have it for the photo-op, right?
As daylight turned to dusk, my buddy who went with me - Schaefer Ring of Honor member Jughead - snapped this great photo that is now my desktop background.
And with Denny Hamlin's win over Jeff Gordon and a dejected Martin Truex, Jr. (who I just KNEW was going to spin his tires in a panic move), it was the Virginian's time to yell Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
