What kind of crowd shows up to attend NASCAR?

Is it on the same level as Biker Weekend? Spring Break? Is there drinking involved? What is the ratio of men to women?

With that reference, is it a place where you'd let your young daughter go with her sports group for a car wash fund raiser? Yes, they'd be in bathing suits, and probably shorts.

What kinda gas mileage doe it get? Can it seat 4 in comfort?

I am a Nascar fan, liberal mind you. There are a lot of Repubs who are fans. Will there be a chaperone? There are almost as many women as men who attend. There is drinking but most of the fans are there to watch the race. At least at the tracks I have gone to. Infineon and our local soon to be extinct Stockton 99 Speedway and the Altamont Raceway. Hope this helps.

Yes, there is drinking but it is also a family crowd. There are probably as many women and kids as men. I would want pretty good adult supervision though. The tracks try to keep it pretty tame because of the families that attend now. I would say it is definetely tamer than Biker Week or Spring Break. What track is it?


AValdoux

I don't think they even have a location for the car wash. I'm praying it falls through.

I'm sorry. I live in the south and it seems like everyone here is a Nascar fan. What city is it in?


AValdoux

tee-hee. Daytona.

For families who want to avoid the drinking and craziness.

NASCAR is more mainstream than you think. I know quite a few women who follow it religiously.

it is no different than any other major pro sporting event. And in my experience has never dipped to the level of a "biker weekend" or a spring break blow out. There is heavy security, and the venue wants no trouble. Close to fifty-fifty gender wise, with maybe a few more men. Of course there is drinking. Your daughters will be perfectly OK. As surely as there would be young men who might attempt a little too much touching, there would be certainly a greater number of young men to step up to defend her.

NASCAR fans are people just like the rest of us.

On edit: I'd have to say it probably a hell of a lot tamer than your average World Cup Soccer match!

For real! I've been to several races at California SW, and never once seen a fight break out. Wish I could say the same for Aztec, Charger, or Padre games.

Middle Class America. Typically you'll see a lot of families out on a Sunday. I've been to Daytona, Talladega, and a road race in California years ago. It's a mistake to stereotype Nascar fans as a bunch of dumb hicks.

I don't know if it's nascar or not, but car racing.

They are just regular people, don't know what to say about them. I don't know about stereotyping them. Any crowd will have leering jerks, school moms, and everything in between, I figure.

I wouldn't go out to the tracks with them because I fiercely don't like loud noises, but my daughter's gone for a day here and there.

I wouldn't have my daughter doing a car wash in a bathing suit, ever, under any circumstances, because I have always viewed that as some sexist crap, designed in part to basically sell glimpses of teenage girls' wet bodies to the closest male gaze for 5 bucks a pop. Maybe I'd feel differently if we were by a beach so bathing suits were the norm, but around here it's suburban strip mall central, and the girls that aren't anywhere near the cars or the water are in bikini tops jumping up and down to get the attention of drivers.

That's an entirely different issue than what the NASCAR crowd is made up of.

and at which event of the weekend.

If she is going to be near the infield, (if the track has one) I'd have a few concerns. The infield is a crazy, crazy place. The stands? ...not so much.

Most racing facilities in this country would frown on a group just showing up to do any kind of charitable work without permission. Have they talked with the facility management?

I agree with the poster above, NASCAR fans are just people and there are more and more families. But it depends on what track you go to as far as demeanor and drinking are concerned. Talladega is going to be a bit rowdier than Infineon (Sears Point Raceway, north of San Francisco). The stereotype of the drunken redneck is still valid but diminishing. Many thousands of fans make an entire weekend out of it, as most tracks allow RV camping beginning on Thursday night before the race.

I've been to scores of NASCAR races as a participant and literally hundreds of other races at race tracks all over this country, from Seattle to Homestead, Long Beach to New Hampshire. Personally, i wouldn't worry about my kid if she was in a group and there was an adult chaperon.

...and very multicultural, too. As you can see, they come in all shades of white!

...and there are a lot of them. :scared:

How proud they are.

Thanks for the laugh.

I am a black female in a wheelchair. My father was a NASCAR fan, my husband is a huge NASCAR fan. We routinely go to races in Atlanta and Bristol. We tend to attend races with a rather large crowd of our friends and family, most of which are not white. While the crowd is certainly predominantly white, I can't say that any one I know has been made to feel out of place. Ever. Not even when we went to the Atlanta race a few months after 911 with persons in Muslim dress in our crowd. A few looks but not even one rude comment. (which actually really surprised me)

but as a white native southerner, I like to poke fun at my demographic group once in a while.

I'm glad to hear you and your family have been treated courteously at NASCAR events.

And they vary as much as at any other huge sporting event. However I would not suggest sending young girls in bathing suits unless you want to be fist fighting all day. There is a massive amount of alcohol consumed there and the party gets pretty raunchy.

any raunch, titties, or fights. (Maybe I'm going to the wrong track.) I have seen black people, hispanic people, moms, dads, kids, and of course lots of drunk people.

Like I say it is not any different than any other major sporting event except that since there aren't two distinct teams, winning doesn't result in the rampaging crowds of drunken revelers trashing the adjoining community like you see in say... soccer.

*GASP*

at an international soccer match. Different cultures clash.

Just a different track. I have seen some of the craziest shite ever on the infield of MIS. You name it: fights (w/ hospital trips), fire, raunch, drugs, copious amounts of alcohol. It was fun as hell but...


Jay

or any number of sporting events in any number of cities (both red and blue).

And I must say I have never seen anything like what goes on there going on at Phillies games. Not even at Eagles games where you might expect it to be raunchier. I have seen the like at concerts though.

I have plenty of hobbies that my friends and family don't "get". I'm not about to judge somebody just because they happen to like watching fast cars speeding around in circles.

a concert or anyplace else...to catch a guy's eyes. If your daughter is going to be getting looked at, don't worry, she will be only one of many thousands.

why would anybody pay, basically just to watch traffic?

Same question.

The answer of course is that traffic is not going 200 MPH.

spectator sports are for dullards.

And what pray tell is your entertainment? An activity which I'm sure is probably impossible for us "dullards" to even comprehend let alone enjoy, but I'm still curious.

to just sitting mindlessly and watching other people do things.

but maybe it's just me...especially judging by some of the waistlines i see out there.

Were you clutching your gold-plated snuff box as you uttered that?

i just don't understand why so many people would rather 'watch' than 'do'.

I'm very active, but that doesn't preclude me from relaxing and taking in a ballgame or race from time to time.

It *is* stupid to go to the art museum and see a Rembrandt, because I can stay at home and draw on construction paper.

I definitely agree that only a dullard would actually go to a concert when he could stay home and play the guitar.

Personally, I think anyone that sees movies or plays instead of acting out scenes in the park is a troglodyte.

Dullards indeed...

thank you very much

:applause::woohoo::headbang:

Where else can you go to see 30-40 cars going 200 mph? Same thing for drag racing fans, have you ever stood 50 feet away from a car going 175mph that is accelerating to 300mph? Let me tell you, it's impressive. The sound, the wind rush, even the smell of the tires.

Drag racing has always been my absolute favorite.

at the milwaukee fair grounds. i stood right up against the chain-link fence at the edgew of the track, as the cars just blurred by...it was LOUD, it was HOT, and it was SMELLY...it gave me the worst headache of my young life.

anyone can make noise- if you want impressive- try going for a hike deep in the woods, where you can't hear any cars or highways.

enjoy racing AND hiking? Like my husband? no, he's just a dullard...

or not.

And don't let anyone tell you different.

:eyes:

It slows down the event and there's always the chance that my driver could be involved.

Jay

There's drinking involved and probably stupid people, but honestly I think it'd be fine for a kid. My cousin's not some Freeper or anything. She's a liberal, lesbian who doesn't party. Very normal.

..pollee...? They always ask me if I'm a Nascar fan? Always wondered what that was about :shrug:

I've been to a couple of races in my lifetime, it's exciting the first few laps, then I always found it a big snooze watching cars make left turns at 200mph.

I'm not a car buff, but remember those who are, really like this "sport". So the crowds seemed to be a mix of wife beater shirts, bored yuppies and aging hippies!

My nickel :D

How can Auto sports be compatible with Al Gore's movie? Wasting energy is going to turn into a NO NO if we're going to take global warming seriously. Personally I doubt that anyone who suggests taking peoples toys away can get elected to much of anything.

Take Talladega for instance:



This picture was taken around the start/finish line. The main grandstands go for another 100 yards or so behind the camera. There is a smaller grandstand on the backstretch & the infield is full of campers/party people.

generalizations.

her wear a bathing suit to wash cars? She could be doing that in front of St Patrick's Cathedral and still get harassed.

Though one of the moms complained that they would have made more money in bathing suits. :eyes:

A car wash at the track - bad idea IMO. First of all, getting in and out of the parking lot is usually a pain, so most people aren't going to want to stop to get their car washed unless it is b/c they want to oogle your daughter and her friends. Don't do it at the camp ground unless you know it is a family friendly camp ground. I've been to a few races, heard stories from other races, some camp grounds would not be appropriate for teenage girls in bikinis!!!!!!!!

However, for a fundraiser... The races draw LOTS of people, LOTS of patrons to local business. People camp, stay in nearby hotels or just travel in for the race. When you park at these events, you usually have a very dirty car afterward as a lot of parking is just in fields. Find a friendly business nearby that would allow a car wash. You will avoid the camp ground crowd and the irritated people trying to park or leave the track.

The kind of crowd that shows up at a NASCAR event is the kind of crowd the enjoys seeing the Confederate Flag waving in the breeze.

:eyes:

are also two of the strongest Dems I know. In fact, the woman is very active in trying to get rid of the electronic voting machines in her state. The husband likes to pick (verbal) fights with Bush-supporters at their local bar.

These same people were in a state of mourning for a week when Dale Ernhardt (or whoever it was) died.

Maybe they are aberrations, but I wouldn't be so quick to stereotype.

a mix of people. I've been to a couple races. I have all my teeth. I have a college education. I don't have any tattoos or nipple hair. I work. I don't drink much. My husband has gone for years to MIS. He was a volunteer usher/security, and then started buying tickets to watch the race from a seat.

We would drive down to the track very early, get a good parking place, and set up our little camp. Lots of people do the same thing, some get quite elaborate parking their motor homes together, etc. We'd make a nice breakfast, relax, have a nap in the car. Then go shopping a little at the souvenir alley. Find your seats. It is kind of cool if your seats are close enough to feel the cars pass ... not just the breeze, but the engines too. I did end up getting bored; it was pretty hot and there were no wrecks or cautions. After the race, you go back to your car and party some, and maybe make some dinner while the parking lot starts to clear out. Sometimes there might be obnoxious drunks tailgating by you, sometimes not ... same as football tailgating.

I had more fun going to two NASCAR races than I did at two pro football games. Personally I prefer baseball IF I'm going to watch sports. But I usually don't watch sports. Except this year, how about those Detroit Tigers, eh?

Keep your kid out of the infield at the track. Watch her dress code. She'll be all right.