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The car bobbled to the crest of the hill at Martinsville Speedway?s field in search of a parking spot. Suddenly, acres of campsites appeared through the mists of dreary gray fog. Rows of RVs rested in the damp morning grass. The RVs, however, were the only things resting.
It was 9 a.m. Fans swarmed among their temporary camper colonies, each proudly garbed in their favorite racer?s attire. The smell of charcoal and grilling food permeated the air. The barbecue would continue as the day progressed; food and beverages would be packed in coolers and carried into the stands at the start of the game.
?I didn?t start coming to races until I was in college,? Sarah Roach explains to a car full of na?ve NASCAR goers. The senior interior design major grew up in Martinsville, Va. but fell in love with the sport after she left.
?Once you get out of Martinsville you realize how big it actually is nationwide,? said Roach, whose first attended a race in the fall of 2003.
Roach explained that many of these people had come from the previous race and would follow the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series to the race after Martinsville.
?It?s a different kind of lifestyle,? said Karen Peterson, senior interior design major, ?I don?t know if I could be on the road for that long.?
The Martinsville races are a vital part of this Virginia town.
?When people come to Martinsville to see races, it brings a lot of business and revenue into the area,? Roach said, ?People rent hotel rooms and go to restaurants. People in the town make money from concessions. A lot of my teachers from middle school and high school actually work at the races to make some extra money.?
As one got closer to the stands, commercial trailers housed additional memorabilia for fans to buy. A driver and the car were represented for each trailer. Long lines awaited interested buyers.
After finding a parking spot, Roach took her new NASCAR arrivals to the Pit. The ?Pit? is the place where drivers prepare for their race. And if the NASCAR gods are willing, eager fans could catch a glimpse of their favorite driver.
?You get to be close to the action and see how important NASCAR is to someone,? Roach said. ?The pit is also interesting because you see what the NASCAR drivers look at ? you can look up into the crowd and see how many people are about to watch. Also, having pit passes allows you to see how regulated all the cars all. Each driver has to play by the rules. Everyone has to be on an equal playing field, and then they go from there.?
Most NASCAR fans would probably cringe at the thought of picking a car because of its design and not the driver; however, at first introduction to the sport, what else would you expect?
?I was really interested by all of the different sponsors and what companies actually sponsor the cars. The colors and advertising are intense,? Peterson said.
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