By J. Wally Nesbitt
It’s good to be a race fan. But you already knew that, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this.
However, for those of us who make a portion of our pre-disposed income from motorsports journalism, by the end of the racing season, some (much, a lot) of the joy of the sport has been eroded away. The hours spent chasing stories, the never-ending rush to get that non-profane quote from an angry driver and those constant deadlines all combine to make some writers look forward to an off-season reprieve.
Bordering on burnout myself, I recently had the opportunity to once again become just a fan, a pure, carefree race fan.
Taking advantage of an offer from my new best friend, Doug Andrews (see below with flipper in hand), I joined him and about two dozen other dedicated gearheads on a trip to Lowes Motor Speedway on one of his ‘
Have Bus, Will Travel’ race tours.
Andrews, the owner/operator/driver and organizer of the HBWT tour has been offering luxury coach tours for 25 years, but this season decided to expand his coverage to include virtually the entire NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit.
“I think there is a niche for what we do. I’ve always been a race fan and I think that gives me a leg up on what people want in a package. I know that most of our customers like the start to finish service.”
Picked up moments from my home, and with the required weekend paraphernalia safely stored in the underbelly of the coach, we began the trek south to the heart of stock car Nirvana. A couple of stops to add to our guest list and we were on our way, cruising through the night, Doug and his co-driver Brian taking us along the foggy, rainy Appalachian Trail.
Following a quick stop for breakfast, we were back underway, sailing south until we came to the outskirts of Cornelius, North Carolina, home of Raceworld USA, Michael Waltrip’s Museum and Race Shop complex. A guided tour through the facility put everyone in a ‘raceday’ frame of mind and set the standard for the weekend.
The journey resumed, with our next stop being the hotel, a Hilton Garden Inn, no less, where we unloaded and unpacked in our pre-arranged and ready, rooms. In no time we were back on the bus for a little bit of shopping before heading off to the ‘Beast Of The SouthEast’, Lowes Motor Speedway.
Arriving at the legendary circuit by mid-afternoon, our entourage had plenty of time to visit the merchandising trailers (WOW, look at ‘em all!) before being shepherded to our Turn Four seats for the Friday night Dollar General 300 Busch series race.
With darkness quickly closing in on the 1½-mile circuit, the Busch field assembled along the pitlane and upon command began their side by side warm up procession. Three laps later the green flag flew and from our perch directly across from the pit entrance, we were able to view the entire track and watched as those Busch-wackers, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch and Dale Jr. led the swarm to the checkered flag 200 laps later.
A short jaunt back to the bus for the return trip to the hotel where following a few (very) short hours later, we were once more en route to the Speedway for the weekend’s feature contest, the Bank Of America 500.
One business philosophy that Doug adheres to is to offer his charges a full entertainment package. This starts with the on-board movies and satellite television, shopping opportunities for the ‘racing widows’, and extends to the timely and thoroughly enjoyable tailgate party in the parking lot.
As we had arrived at the circuit well before noon, with a little hands-on effort, Doug and Brian soon had our site set up with the resplendent Canadian flag, awnings coolers and a barbeque. Returning to the coach following a little more frantic souvenir shopping, we discovered Doug, now in his full ‘Chef’ mode preparing our noontime repast consisting, naturally, of hot dogs and brats followed by the NASCAR desert of choice, Ken Schrader’s Little Debbie’s chocolate cakes.
A couple of hours were required to enjoy a child’s portion of Ron Bacardi’s finest as we watched the throng crawling down Speedway Blvd. before finally venturing to our next viewing station, high in the grandstands above Turn One.
Following a spectacular pre-race show that included a visit from the awesome ‘RoboSaurus’ and some tunes from several fine southern rockers, our clan settled down for the start of the weekend feature.
As scores of camera flashes erupted, the Rocket Man, Ryan Newman led the 43 strong field through the front straight kink to take the green flag. With the sellout crowd of 160,000 on their feet, reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson proceeded to dominate the contest, reeling in his rivals at will. And then he spun out.
And then Jeff Gordon took control only to be bested by Newman on a late race restart. And then Newman cut a tire. Leaving Jeff Gordon to survive a green/white/checkered sprint to the flags to claim his sixth win of the year.
A little bit exhausted, more than a little bit deafened and a whole lot of satisfied, we struggled back to our ride and joined the rest of North Carolina on I-85 as we made the slow pilgrimage back to the hotel. A few contended hours of deep slumber and we were once again on the road, heading north and bound for home.
As a trip planner, Doug knew of a couple of tourist stops that could be made to break up the hours on the bus and we took advantage of his knowledge. Stopping for a short time at the Tamarack “Best of West Virginia” Galleries and then at the New River Gorge and Bridge to stretch and spend the last of our American currency, most of us finally put our heads down (literally) and nodded off, snoozing through much of the return trip.
We arrived home in the quiet of the night, full of memories, loaded with gifts and vowing to do this again.
“My fondest memory is of all of the new people I’ve met,” concluded Doug. “When you’re on this bus, you have something in common with everybody, you’re a race fan. And if I can give a race fan a good time, then I’ve done my job.”
Top marks for a job well done, Doug. I had forgotten just how much fun it could be to be a race fan.
***
For more information about Have Bus Will Travel, visit them on the web at www.havebus.com . You can also call them at 1-888-HAVE-BUS (1-888-428-3287). Have Bus Will Travel is heading to the Dayonta 500. Click here to see how you can see the Great American Race in style.
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