Sunday I had the awesome chance to attend the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. I've been a race fan since I was a young boy but for one reason or another I've never been able to attend a race in person. My journey to the track began at 12:30PM with a half-tank of gas. As I approached the speedway I hit some light traffic on I-485 but soon enough I hit the heavy traffic that accompanies nearly every race.

It's too easy to complain about traffic but after nearly two hours of waiting and seeing my gas gauge drop to near empty levels the long wait had made the race all that much sweeter. I parked my truck at the "Q" lot and for those of you who attended the race at LMS you can relate with the long walk to the track.

By the time I made it to the entrance I was pumped and anticipating a great race. For those of you who have never attended a race in-person, it's a completely different experience from watching it on TV. Prior to the race, Ray Everett and I waited for the rest of the group who were also stuck in the traffic surrounding the speedway. After a short wait I finally got to meet the HardCoreRaceFans.com team that I had been working with for months via the internet. Decked out in our HCRF gear we made our way towards the Speedway Club where we enjoyed a mouth-watering meal of Prime Rib, shrimp and decadent desserts. Along with the great food we enjoyed the premier service that the Speedway Club is known for. Apart from the great food and service, the best part about the Speedway Club was the chance to see the green flag drop through giant glass panes high above the track itself.

After dinner we made our way to our seats in the stands and watched a good portion of the race with other hardcore fans in the audience. The feeling that you get every time the cars fly by you on the track is something that a television can't replicate. The fans screaming and the excitement in the stands is something that no television station can ever capture. The race commentators across the board were predicting a "boring" race at LMS but the drivers and the fans proved them wrong. The "beast of the southeast" had exceeded everyone's expectations.