End Of A NASCAR Era

[Dan40]

Originally Posted by VRM

Yep - me too. I am such a sucker for those races, and I always watch the entire 24 hours of LeMans.
Though I have to admit that I really prefer the old videos of the races of the '50s and '60s, and Trans Am. Even though I know who wins I enjoy the 'run what ya brung' attitude.

I keep meaning to look into the corner worker thing - but I never seem to have the time.

Steve

The life of a corner worker. First off, in order to work the big Pro races, you have to get your training and experience at the 'club races.' No fans, no TV, just a bunch of sports car wackos like yourself spending a weekend at some track within a couple of hundred miles of home.
You get to get out on the corner around dawn and get off the corner long after suppertime. Corners have VERY fews trees [for obvious reasons] hence, not so much shade. Sebring in August is fairly TOASTY. Around noon there is a break and "they" give you a mystery meat sandwich or a 'devil dog.' But the pay is nothing to sneeze at, in fact, its nothing. But Sat. nite when the track is cold we do have a beer party and we get to bench race and swap lies with people we haven't seen since the last club race. [Or, at least, that's how it was more than a decade ago when we stopped going.] But it was fun. Driving thru the middle of the night to make the track on a Sat. morn, staying at flea bag hotels like the "KennelRation" in Sebring [Kenilworth]. No A/C, louvers in the bottom of the door for ventilation, in Fl. in the summertime!!! Coming off the corner at the end of a day'e racing looking like Raccoons in negative. Black faces covered with tire dust except the white 'mask' where your sunglasses kept the dust off. Everybody would hit the swimming pool at the motel. [and leave a ring!]

But it was also a ton of fun.

Dan