NASCAR Auto Racing Comes to Greater Sacramento Community of Roseville

Dec. 25, 2010 - PRLog -- Sacramento, CA -  May 2008 - Gentlemen, start your engines! Those four words send a wave of excitement through me. I already have butterflies even before the start of a race, but when I hear the roar of the engines coming to life, I can hardly contain myself.

The first official NASCAR race at All American Speedway http://www.sacramentoinsights.com/business/all-american-speedway in the greater Sacramento community of Roseville was held Saturday, March 29, 2008. It was hosted by Bill McAnally’s NAPA AutoCare and Camping World. It was a very exciting day for this sold out event. Apparently, I wasn’t the only racing fan grateful that NASCAR was coming to our own Sacramento backyard, as the All American Speedway with it’s newly completed improvements was packed-out.

Our auto extravaganza started by watching the Baby Grand and Mini-Cups. These are very small versions of the big auto racecars that kids from ages 8-18 drive at speeds of up to 70mph. I talked to one of the drivers, Taylor Field and his mom, about his experience driving. I was amazed to find out that Taylor started driving go-carts at age 6, and progressed onto the mini-race cars about 10. Now at age 13 he is a regular on the track and travels around with his mom and a crew chief to the many races in the state. I think one of the coolest things was that his mom was his main mechanic and crew chief until this year. That means when the engine needed fixing, she did it! I was shocked to find out how expensive the sport of racing cars truly is. The mini-cup cars are about $10,000 to start out, and then the jumpsuit they must wear is about $1,500. Add to that the cost of the boots, the helmet, and the protective harness. This is all out of pocket, since at this age there are few sponsors, and no money earned for auto racing. Most of the kids I talked to were pursuing the dream of becoming a Sprint/Nextel Cup NASCAR racer someday like Jeff Gordon.

When the younger drivers were finished, we watched the time trials for the main Sacramento auto http://automotive.sacramentoinsights.com/ event to see who would win the “pole” position. Time trials are where the auto drivers race their cars around the track as fast as they can in a set amount of time. The fastest car is on the front row at the starting line with the other cars lined up two by two fastest to slowest. Don’t let the pole position fool you into thinking they’ll get the win. In this race there were 150 laps and a lot can happen.

My son and I sat at turn one. There are four turns in this .33 mile auto track. We were in the front row, maybe four feet from the track. There was a protective cement barrier and a fence between us, which later I was very glad for. Safety is a big factor in NASCAR racing. There were officials everywhere; there were safety trucks, an ambulance and cleanup crews for the track. All except the ambulance were used that night.

The main auto race took place last. Eric Holmes, Moses Smith and Austin Cameron were the local boys sponsored by Bill McAnally’s NAPA AutoCare. I talked with two of them prior to the start of the auto race and both were determined to win.

The engines came to life with a thunderous roar. The pace car took them around the track, and then the flag dropped and they burst out. The sound of the cars whizzing by and the feel of their power is something you must experience for yourself. Auto Racing is not just a spectator sport; it is something you feel, hear, smell, and even taste. I did get dirt in my teeth from smiling after the car crashes that happened right in front of us. The dust goes flying. The very first spinout landed with the backend of the car against the cement wall directly in front of me. We couldn’t get our camera out fast enough before the car took off again, but that was so cool. Many more car crashes and spinouts happened throughout the night, with maybe nine cautions and two times the cars were completely stopped to clear debris and cleanup oil spills. The Sacramento auto race came down to the last few laps. Eric Holmes had lead every lap and Austin Cameron had changed positions too many times to count. As the checkered flag dropped I was relieved and elated. Eric won! The anticipation was over. I am looking forward to next year’s big car race event. Until then I will continue to bring my family to Roseville for great Whelen Series NASCAR racing.

All American Speedway hosts multiple car races for the many divisions of drivers. Usually the gates open about 11:30 a.m., and the average ticket price is about $9. The Whelen Series race is usually the main auto event for the night at 9:00 p.m. It is a fun family outing at a great value. Hope to see you there!

Original article http://sacramentoinsights.com/articles/nascar-auto-racing... by Christine Marti, courtesy of the North Sac News.

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