My wife and I traveled to Circuit of the Americas for the NASCAR and IMSA weekend. It was our first time at the track, and I was truly impressed with the weekend.
First, I’d like to talk about the facilities and employees at the track. The facilities were A+. We went both Saturday and Sunday, and parking was easy. Leaving the track was easier. We hit no traffic on the way in and minimal on the way out. Parking at COTA is down to a science.
The employees were the best I’ve seen at a NASCAR race. They were kind and understanding. My wife needed a cart after a knee injury. Two employees stayed with us until one arrived. It promptly returned us to our vehicle. They gave us information on how to get one for the next day.
Cleanliness was something I noticed at COTA. It was a windy day, so napkins were blowing down from the stands. We waited around fifteen minutes for the cart. We saw groundskeepers pick up trash and check trash cans three times in that span.
The grand plaza and fan zone had much to do for families. Games for families were covering the main plaza, free to play. The fan zones had many displays for fans to use at no charge. Overall, the facilities, employees, and setup were the best I’ve ever experienced.
We met many fans at the track. The fans were happy and energetic. Everyone was enjoying their time. Kindness was at a high level. We saw no instances of rudeness or wild behavior that I’ve seen at other tracks.
The list of drivers and NASCAR personnel we met was Austin J. Hill, IMSA driver Daniel Oliver, Sheldon Creed, Sam Meyer, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Alex Bowman, SVG, J.J. Yeley, and Kaulig CEO Chris Rice.
Austin J. Hill kept me updated all weekend for a meet-up. We weren’t able to meet up. That was due to bad timing. He’s a fan-oriented driver who takes time to speak to everyone. Give him a follow at Austin Hill Motorsports.
Daniel Oliver is an up-and-coming IMSA driver. He had a meet-up that my wife and I attended at the amphitheater. That was a blast to get to speak with him and his friends who attended. Another good guy that you should look into.
I missed the Chris Rice meet and greet by a couple of minutes, so I started walking back to my seat. But guess who pulled up in his cart right to me at the stop sign? I asked if he was Mr. Rice. He turned and said yes.
He could have completely ignored me, but acknowledged I was there. I told him the best of luck this season, as switching to Dodge was a huge undertaking. It meant a lot that he took time to speak with a fan when he didn’t have to.
Yeley, Bowman, Hill, Creed, Meyer, and SVG were all nice to the fans. They answered questions, took photos, and joked around. It was refreshing to see a sport where the athletes care about the fans.
The star of the show for us was Cole Custer and the Haas Factory team. My wife placed a bumper corner from Custer’s Xfinity Car last season on the table.
“Oh yeah!” Custer said upon seeing it.
He knew it was his the moment it hit the table. He even signed with the #00 instead of #41.
A Haas employee had heard me ask if this was a ticket or wristband-only event. Another fan said it wasn’t. After the autograph, that employee stopped me.
He said, “It was BS that teams make you pay for autographs, and at Haas, they didn’t do that. Free autographs should be part of the fan experience.” I agree with him.
My wife’s favorite moment was when we were walking around. I was wearing a Leavine Family Racing shirt. For newer NASCAR fans, it’s a small team that folded in 2020. A Spire employee stopped me. He told me it was amazing that I was wearing that shirt.
He said, “That Mr. Leavine was a great man and gave him his start in NASCAR.”
As a NASCAR fan, it was great to hear how much of an impact a team that is no longer with us had. Those teams, no matter how small or how long they’ve been around, are making an impact on regular people.
Image Credit: Logan Riely/Getty Images
