Moms' Talk: ...And The (NASCAR) Race Is On!

My idea of a relaxing summer weekend is sitting by the pool, sipping a homemade Arnold Palmer and immersing myself in a good read. But, alas, life often gets in the way of relaxation and sacrifices must be made.

My recent trip to Loudon, New Hampshire to watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 races is a perfect example.  This is my husband, Bob’s interest, not mine.  He kept reminding me that NASCAR is one of the most popular sports nationwide.  It is a family affair.  It is fun!

OK. OK. OK.  Now I had to go. I had to see firsthand what makes this sport so popular. 

Do you find yourself agreeing to go somewhere or do something with your family that you are not entirely excited to do? What kind of sacrifices do you make to keep harmony in the family?

This was my summer sacrifice and I was going to make the most of it.

Upon entering the New Hampshire Motor Speedway it was evident that this was a big weekend.  People flock to the 1,100 acre property in cars, motorhomes, motorcycles and helicopters from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Nova Scotia,  Quebec, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  There are men, women, and children of all ages.

And it's true, it was all about having fun.

“I enjoyed seeing all the families at the race,” said Bob.  “There were tons of kids there.  Racing does it right, they have inexpensive tickets for the kids, if they are under 16, and they bring a lot of younger people through the gates that way.”

This one weekend draws over 175,000 fans and of those just over 105,000 attend the big Sunday event, The Lenox Industrial Tools 301, according to New Hampshire Motor Speedway Director of Communications, Kristen Costa.

“We have something for everybody,” said Costa.  “Whether you’re a race fan, whether you’re a shopper, whether you like music, whether you want to see vendor displays, there’s something for the entire family.”

Spending time with family and friends is what appeals to Branford resident Michelle Haynes.  Michelle watched Sunday’s race with her 11 year old daughter, Kaitlyn, seven year old son, Ryan, and her husband, Roger. 

“We don’t go with them, but my brother is up there also with his friends,” said Michelle.  “You go up there and there are other people you know so it’s not like you’re just going with the people you planned to go with.  You end up meeting up with tons of other people when you are up there.”

Guilford resident Kyle Motzer was excited to attend the event this year with her husband, Chris and three and a half year old son, CJ.  While both Kyle and Chris are Dale Jr. fans, CJ’s favorite driver is Kyle Busch whose sponsor is M&Ms.  “I don’t like Kyle Busch at all so I get angry him and say, ‘You can’t like him!”  But he’s M&Ms so he likes him,” jokes Kyle.

Each member of the Haynes family roots for a different driver.  While Michelle likes Kyle Busch, husband’s favorite is Matt Kenseth , Kaitlyn’s a Jimmie Johnson fan and Ryan cheers for Kevin Harvick.

This was Ryan’s first trip to a race.  While the family faithfully watches televised races every weekend they really enjoy watching the real thing. Ryan’s favorite part was being able to listen, with a two way radio, to what the drivers were bantering about while racing around track.

“It was fun because I got to see the cars race and I got to hear the drivers talk,” said Ryan.  “We have a scanner that scans the voices and we have headphones with splitters so everybody could hear the same guy talk.”

What did the drivers say? “Not that much bad words,” said Ryan!

For Kyle, being there with a toddler was very different. 

“Although he went last year he was way too young to enjoy the event. While he had trouble sitting still for much of this year’s race he did enjoy himself.

“His favorite thing to do is to look a t the tractor trailers, all the trailers that are up and down with all the merchandise in them,” said Kyle.  “He loves trucks so he liked the trucks and the trailers.  That was his favorite part.”

Watching the race is Kyle’s favorite part of the event.  When she was first married, her husband, Chris, raced cars at Waterford Speedway.  She said she grew up watching auto races.  It was through her relationship with Chris that she grew to love the sport. 

Even though bringing a three and a half year old to the race track was difficult, this year, Kyle says they plan to make the trip again next year.

“We’ll go every year until he says ‘I don’t want to go,’” said Kyle. “Then we’ll leave him home!”

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