The Start Of Something Big

I now drive a morning bus route and drop off two kids at the house where Jeff grew up. And, of course, my bus number is 24.
Larry Sparks, Pittsboro, Ind.

YOU WOULD never think I was a NASCAR fan—I'm a suburban housewife who lives on a golf course. I became a fan when a high school buddy of mine gave me a ticket to an Atlanta race in 2005. I knew absolutely nothing. My son bought me a program and told me to pick a driver and follow him throughout the race. I picked Casey Mears and had an absolute blast. Now I've been to 20 races in two years.

I went to the Daytona 500 last year. It was unbelievable, the granddaddy of all races. I can't think of another sporting event where there are 168,000 seats but you can't find a place to sit if you don't have a ticket. I was working at the race [for the ONMC], and I didn't have a ticket, so I ended up watching the race from the infield with a guy who had an $850,000 camper.

Before I started going to races, I thought NASCAR was a Southern redneck sport, but you go there and realize it's completely the opposite. This guy had his own chef and personal assistant, served us cocktails and drove us around in a convertible Mercedes.
Nancy Hanson
Victoria, Minn.

I'VE BEEN TO Daytona just once, in 2005. Everyone had told us we'd be disappointed because the track is so big and we wouldn't be able to see the race, but we were blown away. We went down to the track to see the cars go around and the speed was just awesome. We had won garage passes through the club, and it was like being kids in a candy store. I walked around with my mouth wide open.

I'm going again this year and looking forward to a whole weekend of racing. We'll hit the racing museums and the flea markets, where I hear you can get a lot of great souvenirs.

My best advice is to leave early for good parking. In 2005 we were staying in St. Augustine and got up at 3:30 a.m. so we could be on line when the lot opened at four. If you want to park close to the track, you have to get there no later than 5 a.m. We went to the Cracker Barrel when it opened at five, and it was packed!
Charlotte Basham, Bluefield, W.Va.

DAYTONA IS unique among all sports. NASCAR has a combination of a Mardi Gras and a Super Bowl to begin and end the season. The fans celebrate the launch as much as the championship. A NASCAR fan is dormant for 11-plus weeks, and Daytona is a chance for him or her to break out of hibernation. A trip to Daytona is about the lifestyle, the family, the friends and the vacation as much as it is about the racing and your favorite driver winning. Off the track, the Richard Petty Driving Experience [part of the Daytona 500 Experience] is the holy grail—every fan should do it. To drive a stock car around the track at 150 miles per hour is incredible.
Dave Hickson, Charlotte

IF YOU GO to the Daytona 500, make sure to get down into the Fanzone to see what's going on in the garage. You can get next to the garage and watch the drivers. They also will have bands playing.

We rent an RV and stay at the west lot outside Turn 1. We have a lot of fun and get together with a group of friends to cook out. On our RV we put up some flags, a blow-up helmet and a blow-up car. We've also got some banners. My favorite driver is Dale Jr., and my wife likes Kevin Harvick. When we go this year, I'll be looking to pick up a few things with Dale's new number. That's the risk you run, I guess. The best thing is getting down on pit road before the race starts and seeing the drivers up close. When you bump into drivers, they're just like normal people, which is one of the things I love about the sport.
Larry Hall, Port St. Lucie, Fla.