I woke up this morning silently yelling at my cell phone as the alarm continued to go off. Seven o’clock! That’s not early, although yesterday was an extremely long day. I get up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, my body and mind saying, “ Just five more minutes!.” I don’t have time for five more minutes. Breakfast is in an hour. I still need to shower, do my hair, my makeup and get dressed. As I brush my teeth I think back to yesterday.
It was long, but a good first day. It was a good introduction to the sport. It started off with breakfast, check- in and a Rookie Seminar. Then we headed off for a Sprint Luncheon.
It was during that luncheon that they announced that NASCAR fans are invited to help design the race for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona. They’d do it by voting on four different categories online or through their smartphones.
After the luncheon we headed off to the Stewart-Haas Racing portion of the day. Where we got to hear from their team about their plans for the year, and ask questions. Many of those questions centered on the new generation 6 cars, and the Indy 500. Why Danica Patrick decided to sit out and if she sees herself ever running in that race again in the future.
That led us to a writing break, which I was unbelievably grateful for. I had met so many people in less than two days, I am lucky if I even remember one persons name or what media news outlet they’re here with. I needed the time to regroup and take a breath.
After the two hour break, we were headed off to the Richard Childress Racing dinner and Russ Catlin Media Awards; all of us on buses. As my friends would have said it college, it was an “epic fail.” The traffic kept us stuck on the road, almost at a stand still, for over an hour! Everyone on the bus kept busy on his or her smartphones. I couldn’t even tell you how many tweets went out about our road trouble. However, when we arrived there it was clear, the dinner was worth the wait.
Besides Richard Childress and his drivers taking the spotlight, the cars also demanded attention. You walked into the dining area to see the new Chevrolet NASCAR cars on display around the room. The food was being served buffet style in the back. There fish, crabs, beef tenderloin, appetizers and desserts. More than you could count. I can only imagine everyone’s taste buds were basking in the delight! The wine was also excellent. There were array of choices to choose from reds to whites.
The RCR dinner ended a bit later than initially planned, since we did arrive late. Our next stop, beginning almost 45 minutes after it was set to start. That event was with Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Goody’s.
It was during this part of the night we found out Dale Earnhardt Jr. was joining the team for Goody’s headache powders. A product Richard Petty is already a sponsor for. They will promote the product together, through a multi-media campaign. The two have never worked together before.
Now today is going to be just as exciting, if not more. There will be a luncheon at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and exotic car thrill rides scheduled for later in day!
Check back later. I promise to get back to you on how the day goes.
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for the latest updates from the road! (@LizCupScene)
Day 2 Photo Gallery (updated throughout the day)