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While watching NASCAR racing on television, you’ve likely seen a sea of recreational vehicles filling the track’s spacious infield. But have you ever wondered what makes RVing at a NASCAR race so alluring?
The constantly traveling NASCAR circus offers unique experiences to the common RV user that no other sport can.
Here are a few ways in which NASCAR and RVing were simply made for each other.
When one thinks of tailgating or taking their recreational vehicle to a sporting event, they’ll likely conjure an image of a full parking lot outside of whatever stadium they are attending, complete with long lines of fans rushing to turn in their tickets and buy an overpriced amount of food, drinks and memorabilia.
They do all of this so they can find their seats in time to watch kickoff, the first pitch or center toss to what will likely be a three-hour game. Afterward, they’ll march back to their vehicles, pack up and drive home.
In racing, however, that first night is only the beginning.
Many NASCAR weekends consist of three days of racing, featuring what is usually the top three national series. Some venues will include a Friday night event for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a Saturday feature for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finally the main NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.
Some venues will also host plenty of infield events including concerts, driver appearances and autograph sessions. Without an infield pass, most fans aren’t able to see these events many race tracks are constantly promoting. Bringing an RV to the race track lets you get closer to experiencing the entirety of the NASCAR race weekend and all of the events happening in those infields without leaving the speedway.
Moreover, fans that bring RVs to the track have some of the best seats in racing.
Many will sit in the grandstands that all speedway venues include, and at some tracks grandstand viewing will give you some excellent viewpoints of the entire racing circuit. That’s especially true at short tracks.
That’s all well and good, but at the end of the day grandstand viewing will never truly get you up and close to the racing action, nor will it get you close to your favorite drivers.
RVing on the other hand, offers much in terms of access.
Unlike many sports, NASCAR offers an unrivaled amount of fan access to drivers, teams, garages and in some cases even pit road. This is all usually accessed in the infield, and while many venues do offer infield passes, many tracks put RVers in the infield for the whole race weekend. You know, where the action is.
Not to mention, many RV spots can offer a unique point of view during the race itself. Picture those high-banked corners on the superspeedways of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway and parking your RV adjacent to them Then picture yourself sitting on top of that RV as a pack of cars go screaming past at more than 190 mph.
Being in the infield or wherever you find yourself at any racing venue will put you near all of the action for the entirety of the race weekend of your choosing.
What’s even better, with an RV, you’ll be near that action while spending time in your own style of comfort.
There’s a reason why you see NASCAR drivers traveling with their personal RVs to each race. For somebody who is traveling away from home almost 40 weekends a year, it helps to have their personal RV to go to when they are done working for the day.
The same can be said for race fans.
As is the case with any RV trip, you can take your home with you anywhere you go. Many fans who attend any sporting event away from home will usually end up paying extra for a nearby hotel or have to drive back to their living space at the end of the day.
Because NASCAR is almost always a multi-day event, RVers can simply retire back to the mobile dwelling at the end of the day to rest among their personal amenities and prepare for the next day’s events.
It’s also no secret that many sporting venues will charge astronomical prices for food and drinks. With RVs, fans can bring whatever snacks and foods they prefer and have their own kitchen without the hassle of having to find a concession stand and wait in a long line. Instead, fans can enjoy the comfort of a race weekend the same way many NASCAR drivers do.
While NASCAR drivers are at a race for work, fans are of course there for fun, and if you’re RVing, there isn’t much limit to how much fun one can have.
It certainly is no secret that what happens in a NASCAR infield or RV lot is a high level of partying. At Talladega, fans celebrate during the track-sanctioned “Big One,” which features concerts, food and games all along the circuit infield’s boulevard.
It’s a similar case at many other venues as well. There isn’t always a race going on, so when the track is silent, that’s when many fans can go outside and have some fun.
Whether you’re in the open superspeedway infield of Daytona or on the outside grounds near Bristol Motor Speedway, there will almost always be something to do near your mobile dwelling.
One of the better parts of attending a NASCAR race weekend with an RV is there’s no need to travel outside of the speedway. With that in mind, fans can enjoy the infield by drinking responsibly and knowing they won’t have to drive at the end of the evening, giving them ample opportunity to have fun with friends and family.
It’s always easier to cut loose knowing the place you’re sleeping at is only a few feet away from where you’re having fun, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in your RV campsite the whole time.
And why would you? After all, there is always a community of other NASCAR fans and fellow RVers surrounding your campsite that you can party with the whole weekend.
With any sport, there are always going to be fans. With fans, there will always be a large community of them gathering at events.
There’s likely no other sport that highlights a community coming together like NASCAR fans at a speedway campsite. Parties, grilling and music are some ways many race fans gather and celebrate during the course of a weekend.
Unlike most sports, NASCAR has the unique attribute of having multiple teams and drivers to root for, giving RVing fans at a NASCAR race ample reason to bond and make connections over the course of a weekend.
Sometimes those bonds will last for some time. Many RV goers will find themselves renewing their camping passes and campsites year after year for the same race weekend. With that, a small RV community may begin to form.
There are Facebook groups dedicated to certain NASCAR camping communities so fans that have gotten to know each other over the years can connect while the NASCAR circus isn’t in town.
Fans of a certain driver share in the roller coaster of emotions that will carry over the course of a race weekend. With shared emotions of hardship to joy, bonds are formed that, while born over the course of a weekend, may end up lasting for years to come.
In the end, all reasons to bring an RV to a NASCAR race culminate to that. Because really, what point is it to have fun and celebrate if you can’t share it with others?
