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Infield Tunnel - Atlanta Motor Speedway
A Golf cart was available all weekend to take us everywhere we needed or wanted to go. Anyone whoever had a pit pass at a track larger than 1.5 miles knows what a perk this was.

Kenny Wallace at speed in Steve Park's Pennzoil Chevrolet
They might not look any faster from the inside of the track but they look way more cool.

Front row seats
This fits my definition of a front row seat.

You can smell this many tires  - smells like money
A small fraction of the Goodyear tires mounted for the weekend activities.

Hot laps on Saturday
Saturday practice is a very busy time. Seconds count any many teams choose to make changes right on pit road to avoid the infield congestion.

Doesn't smell like pump gas ....
Fill'er up

The King's last ride - Atlanta, November 1992
I have not one, but two of these souvenir programs, complete with the collectible patch.

Atlanta - Fall 2001

In November 2001 I enjoyed a unique racing experience courtesy of UPS and ICAR and arranged for by my brother. I had pit passes for the entire weekend as well as access to a private condominium for qualifying and a suite for the races. It was an unbelievable experience.

While there I had the opportunity to speak with a very highly ranked official from UPS who told me that their primary motivation in getting involved with NASCAR® was to give their own staff a common focal point and something to be proud of and that any commercial value they realized was secondary. They have indeed realized incredible marketing value for their investment as evidenced by the sea of UPS clothing seen at a Winston Cup Race but I found the focus on employees to be refreshing, not to mention clever. 

I had never really looked at the reasons for a company to get involved as a sponsor before but I see it in a completely new light now. There are many, many companies involved in NASCAR® on a daily basis whose colours you might never see on a car and many of them seem to share the opinion that their own staff get more out of the program than the customers do.

For what it's worth, here is one customer and fan who is eternally grateful for a fantastic experience.


Mini Mark?
Jimmy Spencer and Mark Martin?

Actually no, it's my nephew Cody and Matt Martin, but it is an apt comparison when you look at their sizes. This is Matt's Bandelero car which he runs at Charlotte and Atlanta. Matt is no stranger to PR and fans. He is a very well spoken and gracious young man.

Bandalero racing

Matt Martin and fans


Race fans at Atlantal Motor Speedway

NASCAR fans get up early, even for an ARCA race.

Legends cars

The Legends and Bandalero cars run on a small, flat track made up of parts of the front straight and pit road.

Don't miss the hauler pictures I got. Also, many of the images on my "Good Guys" page are from this trip.

Qualifying Seats in the condominiums
Qualifying seats. Not bad.

Seriously, this is THE WAY to watch the races. With a fully functional kitchen and private washroom complete with a shower this is as good as watching from home, but when you sit on the couch down by the glass and open the windows to hear the cars run it gets even better. The 42" wide screen TV is a handy item to have at the track too.

How to watch a race

Suites are sweet
Race Seats

While suffering the serious impediment of not being able hear or smell the stock cars on the track our seats were actually without compare. Ample waiters were available at a nod to bring any of at least a dozen snacks, treats or meals available throughout the day. The bar full of cold beer on the way to (and from) the ensuite washrooms may have had some impact on my opinion but I think the bar chairs with armrests (below) are what really made the difference.

Decent seats

Gordon fans

The Gordon fans among us enjoyed the post race show as Jeff Gordon clinched his fourth title. In spite of that it was a great race.


ARCA Pit Road

ARCA pit cart, note the helmets on top; enough for the whole crew.

Pit road crash cart

Junie Donlavey's ARCA pit cart