Carolyn Brewster: The calm before the storm in neighborhoods surrounding a NASCAR track
Fans flock to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. // Jim Fluharty, NASCAR Illustrated
I drove to Atlanta Motor Speedway midweek to drop off our camper. Without bumper-to-bumper traffic of eager NASCAR fans occupying every inch of the landscape, my perspective on the town of Hampton, Ga. was different. It was peaceful and quiet – the calm before the storm.
One large electric road sign foreshadowed the transformation of the town for Labor Day weekend. “Race this weekend,” it read. Simple words but packed with meaning for the residents who live within the small community around the giant, 1.5-mile track.
It made me wonder what must life be like for those who live and work with a NASCAR track in their backyard?
Shops, stores and restaurants must love race weekend. Nothing’s better for business than a few hundred thousand people in town for the weekend. Like a plague of locusts, NASCAR fans descend upon the town and devour everything (particularly beer). And as we consume, we spend.
Personally, I love the guy who charges twenty bucks to park on his front lawn. That’s initiative. What could be more American than NASCAR and the entrepreneurial spirit? If only he had apple pie to sell, too.
A track in the neighborhood could be fabulous if you actually like racing. Your house makes for an easy home base for friends coming to participate in the festivities. The flip side – you hope it’s not Uncle Earl with his seven closest buddies from the motorcycle club.
But what if NASCAR isn’t your “thing” and you live within miles of the track?
You change your driving pattern for the weekend, barricade yourself inside your house or leave town altogether. But more importantly, if you are a non-fan living in a NASCAR community, never recommend your real estate agent to anyone.
