Every girl can learn a thing or two from racing.
I knew nothing about sports car racing before my twin brother got a job on the crew of the Dodge SRT Viper team. Since then, I’ve been learning anything I can about how the races work and watching every single one, so far this season. Him being on the pit crew became a reason for me to get really passionate about the races and, after attending my first race, I was completely hooked.
Drivers
The first time I attended a
race, looked around at the drivers and was quite surprised. I
hadn’t studied anything about the teams, so I hadn’t known what they would look
like. But ladies, I think it is a pre-requisite for every driver to be on a GQ cover. Most of the drivers are really young. A driver I met on the Audi
team was only a couple of years older than me! This is because drivers
start training in their teen years. They usually make it to
fast cars around the time they are 16, so when they are in their early 20s, and if they are very good, they can get placed on a professional race team. They all
have to have a similar shape and build; put a fire suit on -- in some cases, add a European or Latin accent -- and it’s the equivalent of
putting a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. Most of them are very nice and, unlike other
professional sports, these guys love their fans because it is such a small,
tight knit community.
Dominic Farnbacher, on the Dodge Viper team, actually has
his own Twitter account for his hair, and I’ve got to say he must put a lot of
effort into it because it’s like Edward Cullen’s on crack.
Just go to a race, walk
around, and if you are lucky enough to be granted clearance for the paddocks, go to
the autograph signings. You will be very pleasantly surprised.
Fan of Grey's Anatomy? Patrick Dempsey is a gentleman driver who has his own race team, Dempsey Racing, and drives a Porsche for the
GTD class. You’ll see him at races, but he likes to stay in his elite, little
trailer. And yes, now you understand his weird mattress commercial which he
integrated his race car into --think he needs some extra cash?
Team
The fan base and community are small because the people who are part
of it are special and all share the same deep-rooted love for cars. The
teams are so close because they all need to work together to do well; it isn’t
just about the drivers. They may be the quarterback in the game, but what you
don’t see are all the special people in the pit lane. It’s not just the engineers who are coaching the drivers through the race; it’s the driver changes and pit
stops where multiple people have to work together in just seconds. The teamwork
is truly remarkable and the smiles at the end when they know their hard work
has paid off as they get a podium finish is all very heartwarming. See any crossovers
into a sorority setting?
The second race I attended was just
a 20 minute drive into downtown Detroit for Belle Isle, back in May, rather than
flying across the country to California like I did for the first one. Each time
I go, I get to converse with the team members a little bit more and they begin to recognize us every time. One of the crew members, who always says hello when he
sees us, came up and asked if I would be their flag girl for the race. I found it so cool to be a part of
their team for an hour, standing on pit lane next to the car, crew members, and
driver/owner Ben Keating. These guys are beyond nice, and what could be better
than that?
Cars
These cars are not normal cars; they’re race cars. But, here is the catch -- not everything in NASCAR belongs in
Talladega Nights. I prefer the Tudor International SportsCar Racing (and the
GTD and GTLM classes to be exact) because they are sports cars, just with a
twist. They’re special, hot and the names are those that you can understand -- like Viper, Audi, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette, to name a few.
Knowledge
You know the saying,
with knowledge comes power? Same thing applies here, ladies. If you know
anything about sports cars, especially racing, and you talk about it with a guy, I guarantee one of two reactions: their jaw drops, or they get nervous and
stammer. The reason is always the same, because you just added an element
of surprise and mystery to yourself. These men know you are something special.
It’s like taking some basic knowledge of sports, when you talk to a guy, and
multiplying it by 10. And if they actually have knowledge about racing, too,
you’ve found yourself a keeper.
Excitement
Go to a race whenever
you can! I’ve been to two -- Long Beach in California and the Belle Isle
race in Detroit. Each were very, very different. That’s the way it goes with the
races; they are alway different. It’s not like football, where you get
touchdowns, and you either win or lose. That is so repetitive! With a race,
anything can happen. There are four classes of cars racing at once on one track, a
car from a completely different class than another can get in the way of the car that's winning. There are three podium finishes, not just a win or lose, for each
class. There are many different rules IMSA has that can throw a wrench into the
race, from a penalty box to the rule that all pit crew members must have their
hands off the vehicle before it goes back into the race. There are so many
things that are out of your control at every race, including the car, itself, sometimes having trouble.
There are two days of racing -- qualifying, which
determines which position a car will start in for the actual race, and race day. A car can go from eighth to first in just a few
laps. It is so exciting to watch that any other sport will leave you utterly
bored.
Excited and ready to go to a race? The next race is Aug. 23 to Aug. 24 on FoxSports 1.
