I boarded the plane for North Carolina on October 30th. This would be a quick trip, but a big one for me. A graduation present to myself three months after finishing Nuclear Medicine school. It was a journey just to get to this point. I am a die hard NASCAR fan. Every vacation I have taken for the last 10 years has revolved around this sport that I love, going to the races is what I do whenever I get a chance. NASCAR is more than a hobby or interest for me, it's part of my identity. Anyone who knows me, knows that I never miss a race. I watch every week, travel to the tracks when I can, record the broadcasts and re-watch my favorite highlights during the off season. They also know without a doubt I am a huge Jeff Gordon fan. If you're looking for me on race day you don't have to look very far. I am watching the race, every lap, every week, for 36 races a year. I go to as many races as I can each year (usually about 1 or 2) and over the years I have learned all the ins and outs of attending a NASCAR race; where I like to sit, the best places to park, how to find the driver appearances, etc. Last year I was able to meet Jeff Gordon at Bristol Motor Speedway
a day I will never forget. I have been a Jeff Gordon fan from the beginning, from the day my dad told his nine year old daughter about this new driver that was really someone to watch. That was how it began, and 23 years later, I'm still watching. I grew up buying products made by Dupont/Axalta, 3M and Pepsi, donating money to Drive to end hunger, collecting diecasts and clothing, because I support my driver no matter what. For my 21st birthday my dad had flames and a 24 painted on the hood of my car, I still drive that 2001 Monte Carlo. However, over all the years I had never made it to race that Jeff Gordon won, I had watched them all from afar but never saw him win in person. So I knew I had to go to this race. I was determined, despite my family and friends displeasure with me traveling across the country alone, despite my tight schedule being 3 months into a new job, I was determined to make it to one more race before his retirement at the end of the season.
This trip was special, I was able to finally book a trip to my favorite track, the tricky half mile short track known as Martinsville Speedway. This was a major bucket list item for me. As I checked into my flight I was assigned a random seat and if I wasn't already sure that this trip was meant to be, at this point I had a pretty good idea.
That's right, seat 24F, a sign only a lifelong Jeff Gordon fan would appreciate.
It was my first time to North Carolina, NASCAR's home town, so to check yet another item off my bucket list I visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Hendrick Motorsports
I arrived at Martinsville Speedway at 7am. I was so excited to see it in person, to eat one of Martinsville Speedway's famous hotdogs, to explore the race track and the sights and sounds of race day. It was everything I hoped it would be, and like magic the rain cleared and the track was dried just in time for a perfect race. I barely sat down for the entire race, it was short track racing at it's finest. After a controversial on-track run in and a short red flag Jeff Gordon found himself in the lead with only a few laps remaining. I couldn't believe it! I was physically shaking those last laps. When Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag I was jumping up and down in those stands, crying. The happiest tears a person could possibly cry. The people next to me in the stands (a very nice couple, dressed head to toe in Dale Jr attire) Hugged me and high fived me, the woman told me she almost cried just seeing how excited I was. What made this better was to see how excited Jeff was. To be able to be in the stands just above the start/finish line where Jeff and the team celebrated in victory lane. To witness the hat dance and the excitement. It made it that much sweeter to see that this was not just an ordinary win for him either. It was huge, not just a win but his last Martinsville win, his ticket to the final race in the Chase for a championship, his final season in the sport. I knew I had to be there, and now I knew why. It was such an amazing moment, the last race I would be able to attend before Jeff's retirement, and after all these years, I was finally there to see him win. This is a day I will never forget. For me, this sport has given me something to be passionate about, something to believe in, a place and community to belong to. So after a week of reading articles about what the outcome of this race means to the drivers and the teams, I just wanted to share what it meant to one very dedicated fan in the stands. Congrats Jeff on a great win!!
