By Staff
BROOKLYN - Ever get the feeling you are going nowhere?
I got that feeling on Sunday, but at a really high rate of speed.
For Father's Day I treated myself to a trip to Michigan International Speedway to cover the NEXTEL Cup Series race.
It makes for a long day, but it is nice to get to rub elbows with the "big-time" media and to see NASCAR drivers up-close and personal.
Last year was the first year I attended a Cup race and it was extremely exciting and fun.
This time around was not quite as exciting or nearly as fun.
It has nothing to do with the fact that I have to leave at 4 a.m. to get to MIS in order to pick up credentials and beat the crowd.
It has to do with NASCAR's new impound rules which kept the garage area closed until 9 a.m.
My wife Carol and I climbed out of bed at about 3:30 a.m. to get ready to leave.
We always feel like we are running late even though the race doesn't start until 2 p.m.
The drive seems like it takes forever, but once I hit the US 127 junction I know we are only minutes away from the speedway and I get excited.
Then came the big let down.
First of all we apparently left a little later last year because when we got to the track the credentials office was still closed.
No matter, we got to stretch our legs a little bit.
A few minutes later the office opened and we had credentials.
We were off to our parking area inside the track facility.
I love crossing the race track on the way to the parking area.
I joked with Carol that we should take a quick lap around the track.
Michigan is so wide I think you could land a jet there.
We gather up our things and get ready to start shooting pictures and talking with people about the race.
Unfortunately, there was nothing to do.
Without the garage area being open, we basically stood around and waited for two and a half hours.
Michigan International Speedway has nothing whatsoever to do with the situation. Their hands are tied by NASCAR.
So after breakfast the garage area finally opened and it was off to work.
It seems like we ran into more drivers than the previous year and they seemed a little more open to signing autographs for the fans who are allowed into the garage area than last year.
It was nice to see the renovations that were put into place this year. It was also nice to see the Batmobile on the track prior to the start of the race.
All in all it was a good time and I cannot wait to go back in August.