Watkins Glen International: a 2.5 mile road course that the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series race on once a year. It's also the first race track I've ever been to, which was back in 2000. My family and I have gone every year since then, except once. I was never a big racing fan, nor had a favorite driver. That was until the 2009 race. I still remember the moment in my mind: my parents, sister, and I were walking past the drivers' merchandise trailers when we walked by Denny Hamlin's. I was struck by the enormous picture of him on the trailer. "He's cute. I should pay attention to him on Sunday and see how he does." I thought to myself. Throughout the whole race, I found myself quietly cheering on the 11 car. He wasn't doing too bad either. By the end of the race, Denny finished 10th and NASCAR had a new fan. Ever since that race at Watkins Glen in 2009, I've been addicted to watching NASCAR.
Three years later, in 2012, the Watkins Glen race was quickly approaching. I look forward to this event every year. Early August is my time to watch a NASCAR race from the stands. This year was a little different though.
It was two weeks before the race at Watkins Glen. My aunt called me and my sister, who is also a big NASCAR fanatic, and surprised us with Hot Passes for the race weekend. Having Hot Passes for a NASCAR race is a big deal. They allow the spectator to do almost anything except get into a driver's race car. Upon hearing the news, I was thrilled. I now had the chance to experience the hustle and bustle of a race weekend.
Finally, the weekend was here. Every year when we pull into the outfield at Watkins Glen to set up our campsite, I am overcome with excitement. This year was different though. Knowing that I was going to see drivers and race cars from close up made me even more excited, and somewhat anxious.
Friday: also known as "Fast Friday" in the NASCAR world. It's a day where the race teams practice their cars to get the magical set up for the big race. Although it was rainy for most the afternoon, the jet dryers managed to dry the track. The Nationwide and Sprint Cup teams soon began their practice sessions. This meant that it was time to use the Hot Passes and head into the garage area. The garage area of Watkins Glen is blocked off by a chain-length fence. Fans without a hot pass can watch the race cars drive by from a distance, but they have to stand behind the fence. Walking passed all the fans restricted by the fence and showing the NASCAR officials our passes into the garage was an unforgettable moment. After three years of being a die-hard NASCAR fan, I could now meet some drivers and have the experience that not many fans get the opportunity to have.
My time in the NASCAR garage exceeding my expectations.
I went in the garage area with my dad. The roar of the engines, along with the smell of rubber and gasoline was over powering, but any NASCAR fan loves that atmosphere. The Nationwide Series was on track to practice first, so we headed over to that area to begin. The Nationwide teams don't work on their cars in an actual garage. Each team and their car sit under a small tent to get worked on. My dad and I walked to the end of the line of tents and stood there to watch the cars drive by. We happened to stand next to the 6 team's tent. Since they're the previous champions, they got the first tent stall (opposed to the first garage stall). Standing next to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s team's tent turned out to be more entertaining than we thought. A few moments after we stopped to watch the cars, Ricky drove his number 6 Mustang under the tent and got out. He was not happy. We were standing about four feet away from Ricky, so we could hear him voice his displeasure about another driver. It was comical because he didn't even care that the two of us were standing right there listening; he just rambled on and on. It was neat to witness. When he was done complaining about the other driver, he waved at us, flashed a smile and went into his hauler. My dad and I decided to walk back to the actual garage since Cup Series practice was about to begin. We passed the parked Nationwide cars on our way over. That's where I saw most of the Nationwide Series drivers outside of their cars. I even saw my favorite Nationwide driver, Brian Scott, talking with his number 11 crew. I wanted to ask him for his autograph and a picture, but I was too nervous. Looking back at it, I wish that I would have asked.
Now that we had left the designated area for the Nationwide Series cars, it was all about the Sprint Cup Series. My nerves started to kick in. I could potentially meet some of my favorite drivers, and just as we rounded the corner, that happened. Joey Logano was standing out in the open, talking with his crew chief. It was the perfect opportunity to approach him. I wasn't too nervous about going up to Joey since I've met him before at Charlotte. I asked him for a picture and he gladly agreed. As we stood posing, he wrapped his arm around me and gave a big smile. Joey was one of the nicest drivers we saw that weekend. As Joey walked away, Brad Keselowski came walking by. I'm not the biggest fan of Brad, so I refused to go up to him. My dad, on the other hand, enthusiastically walked up to Brad and asked for his autograph. As Brad signed the piece of paper, my dad got distracted and lost sight him, forcing me to take the autograph back. I wasn't too thrilled to be next to Brad, but he was very polite and nice; he even thanked me. Shouldn't I have been the one thanking him?
After our latest encounter, my dad and I made our way over to Denny's garage stall. That was the first time I had ever seen Denny in person. He was sitting in his race car, looking out straight ahead as I walked passed his stall. I felt kind of faint due to my nerves, but I held myself together and took lots of pictures. The engines loudly fired up, and the drivers took off for the race track. The smell of gasoline and exhaust filled the air as we stood in front of the garage stalls waiting for drivers to come back in for adjustments. As we stood there, the race cars must have been two feet in front of us. Every time Carl Edwards drove by, he gave us a thumbs up and waved; my dad and I waved back.
Although the garage area is an enjoyable place to be, it can also make you feel like you're in the crews' way. I lost count of how many times Clint Bowyer's tire guy almost ran into me with a cart full of tires, or how many times Kenny Francis almost bumped into me. A few times while backing out of their garage stalls, Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne came within feet of backing into me. I may have felt in the way, but they're just little things that I remember and make my experience more memorable. Speaking of being in the way, after Denny wrecked in practice causing him to go to a back-up car, his number 11 crew and other Joe Gibbs Racing guys had to get his torn up car back into the hauler. My dad tried to help them with that. It wasn't a smart idea. As a few FedEx guys were pushing the car towards the hauler, it looked like they were struggling, so my dad ran up to the car and started pushing it. Before you knew it, there were NASCAR officials all around him telling him to stop touching the car. My dad laughed, and I was embarrassed.
As practice came to an end, some of the drivers headed to their haulers to debrief with their teams. That's when Carl Edwards to got out of his car, talked to his crew, then walked directly up to my dad and I. He must have remembered us from waving in our direction so many times. My grandma is a huge Carl fan; therefore, my dad asked him to sign an autograph personalized to grandma. He signed exactly that. After Carl signed, he patted me on the back of the shoulder and told us to have a good day. Carl was all smiles and very personable. Not too long after, I saw a driver out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see who it was; It was Ryan Newman. "Oh no, I'm not a Newman fan. Should I say something to him? Should I just pretend I didn't see him? No, he totally saw me look at him. I have to say something now." I quickly thought to myself. "Hey, Ryan!" I said. His reply still makes me chuckle. "Hey" he said in the most casual, nonchalant way you could imagine. Moments later, Kevin Harvick walked right passed my dad. "Hey, Kevin! Good luck this weekend!" My dad yelled out to him. I was surprised that he even said anything to Kevin because I know he really dislikes him. We saw a few other drivers walk back to their haulers. We even caught Jimmie Johnson sneaking behind his hauler to avoid everyone. I also spotted NASCAR journalist, Bob Pockrass, standing a few feet behind us. I recognized him due to his bushy hair, eye glasses, and jacket that he always seems to wear. I nudged my dad and told him, "Dad, do you remember when Kurt Busch threatened that one reporter a couple of months ago? Well, the reporter over there is that guy!" Bob's well-known in the Twitter world, so seeing him was cool. I didn't attempt to get any autographs since I had one goal in mind: find and meet Denny Hamlin.
By now, practice had been over for a solid twenty minutes. The garage crowd quickly diminished, but not me and my dad. We were going to make good use of our Hot Passes and wait for the drivers to leave their haulers and head to their motor coaches. We stood in front of Denny's hauler for a while, watching as his crew was taking apart his torn up car. My dad had the audacity to ask a crew member for a piece of the banged up sheet metal to keep. Every time a guy said no, he would just ask another crew member. I think it's safe to say that the number 11 crew was thoroughly annoyed with my dad. After waiting outside of the FedEx hauler for a few more minutes, the doors finally slid open. Denny Hamlin walked out. He was talking with some of his crew members and glimpsed over towards our direction a couple of times. He walked in circles around his tore up car, surveying the damage. "This is it. This is probably the only time I'll ever get to meet him." I thought to myself. Besides my dad, there was no one else around. The coast was clear. Denny wouldn't need to rush or feel like he'd attract the attention of other fans. I got my phone out, opened up the camera and handed it to my dad, preparing to make the kill. All of a sudden, Denny walked over in our direction. I could feel the nerves manifesting in my body. This was it! I remember that moment clearly in my mind and rethink it all the time: his black and magenta FedEx Freight fire suit, he looked taller in person, had glassy pale green eyes, a tanned face with lots of freckles. His teeth and smile looked just the same as they do on TV and his voice had that slight southern accent. "Hello." Denny said. "Hi, Denny. Can I get an autograph?" I nervously asked. "Sure!" He replied with a grin. My hands were shaking as I frantically got out a Sharpie and a pad of paper for him to sign. "Can I get a picture with you too?" I hopefully asked. "Absolutely!" He said with another grin. We leaned in together for the picture. I wrapped my arm around his waist and he rested his hand on my back. "Wow, I'm standing with Denny Hamlin for a picture and he's touching me!" I thought to myself as the picture was being taken. My dad put down the phone and gave us a thumbs up. I thanked Denny and wished him good luck for Sunday's race. He stood there, as my dad asked him a couple of racing questions. It was so surreal, my dad and I were having a small conversation with my idol for a minute or two. He thanked us, said goodbye and walked towards his golf cart to be driven away. Meeting Denny was better than I ever could have hoped! He was very calm and friendly. It was a moment that I'll never, ever forget. 
My mom is a big Martin Truex Jr. fan, so my dad figured that we should try to get his autograph for her. Practice had been over for about an hour, yet Martin and his crew were still in their garage stall chatting. We waited, and waited, and waited. My dad and I probably waited fifteen minutes for Martin to leave the garage. I was getting impatient. All I wanted to do was tell my family that I had met Denny. Martin finally approached us. My dad asked for him to personalize his autograph to Lynn (my mom's name). He did so. Similar to our time with Denny, my dad and I had a small conversation with Martin Truex Jr. I have to say that he's a cool guy and he's very nice as well. As he walked towards his golf cart to leave, my dad loudly asked him if we could have his hat to bring to my mom. Martin shrugged his shoulders and drove off. The poor guy probably thought that my dad was some condescending weirdo, but he was only trying to get my mom an "authentic" hat for Christmas.
Just like that, my day of having a Hot Pit Pass was over. My sister and aunt were going to use the passes for the next day. It was a long walk back to our campsite, giving us some time to reflect back on our day. The last special moment of my day came when we arrived back to camp. When I showed my mom and aunts the picture of Denny and I, they must have been really happy because they started crying. They knew how much of a big deal meeting him was to me.
In present time, three months later, I still think about the memories from that race weekend. Now when I watch NASCAR practice on TV, I know that there's much more to be seen than just the crews working on the race cars. Having Hot Pit Passes for a race is something that every NASCAR fan needs to experience. Being able to go behind the scenes and getting a feel for what happens every race weekend is something that I'll always remember.
