Infield of dreams at Texas Motor Speedway
Bob Pockrass
Bob Pockrass began covering NASCAR in 1992, primarily covering short-track racing and events. He has worked for Street & Smith's Motorsports Group since 2003.
FORT WORTH, Texas – The early start to the Nationwide Series race allowed me to do something I don’t get to often do – hang out in the infield of a race track. It’s something every NASCAR executive should do as well as anyone involved in the sport.
Here are some thoughts about my Texas infield experience:
• The best thing about the Texas infield is the mix of people. From Texas barbecue to Cajun shrimp, there’s good eating to be had. People are friendly in this melting pot of the entire south, not just Texas.
• Although I shouldn’t be surprised, I was a little surprised at the number of Jeff Gordon fans I met. Gordon is one of the most accessible and genuine star athletes in any sport.
• Actually saw fans wearing hats of many drivers. One fan had a piece of duct tape over his hat and I wondered what driver number was on the hat. It wasn’t a driver hat. It was a hat with an “A” on it for Alabama.
• You’re not in Talladega, but there’s enough wild things going on for most people. And yet, if you didn’t want to take part, you could get away from it.
• When you see the amount of people, the partying and the fun they’re having, it makes one question why the sport is struggling for sponsors. If the swarms of people aren’t enough to attract sponsorship, then the people making decisions on sponsorships just don’t get it or the people selling the sponsorships just can’t sell it.
