Special Events

Houston NHRA Drag Races 2021

Posted by OfficialPaulMichaels on May 26, 2021

Posted in: #motorsport, Entertainment, Houston, NHRA, Racing, Special Events, Texas. Tagged: #NHRA #HoustonRacewayPark. Leave a comment

This year, I made it out to the drag races, held on the outskirts of Houston in a town called Baytown. It takes me 45 minutes to get to the track, so it’s an easy drive.

The Saturday that I attended the races, the forecast was for rain. I got there early and stayed a few hours before leaving to avoid getting wet.

One of my goals in going to the race was to get some updated photos for a book I’m writing about my experiences while working in the NHRA for 10 years.

The first thing that you see when arriving is the ticket building. I think I paid around $42 for a Saturday pass.

As you walk to the Midway and Pit Area, you pass the line of cars waiting to race. When I worked in the NHRA, I had a credential that allowed me to go anywhere. My hopes are to get a Media Pass next year.

One of the first things you see is the Junior Dragster display. I’m sure that every kid that’s ever driven one of those absolutely loved it.

Walking through the Pit Area of an NHRA event is full of excitement. The race teams are working on very expensive race cars and you can get an up close look. This is a Top Fuel Dragster that easily goes over 300 mph in a few seconds.

This is the engine of a Pro Stock car. The teams will dismantle and rebuild an entire engine in between rounds. It’s quite amazing to see.

This crew is working on a race car called a Funny Car. When someone, many decades ago, first saw the body of this car, they said, “That’s a funny car.” And the name stuck.

Here’s another Funny Car being worked on. They also go over 300 mph.

Here is the rumble of a Top Fuel Dragster. Pure Power.

The Top Fuel Dragster and the Funny Car use a fuel called Nitro. When the cars run their engines after rebuilding them, the fumes can be rough. The noise is extremely loud and the fumes cause your eyes to water, also they burn along with your nose and throat.

At every race, you’ll see guys standing right near the cars, in the midst of all that noise and fumes. You know they can barely breathe, yet they stand there and take it all in. I could never do that.

Here is a Funny Car running in the pits, complete with the fumes.

The companies that sponsor race teams also spend lots of money on entertaining their VIP guests and customers. Here is a top of the line Hospitality Set Up. The teams set up an area to host their guests near where they work on the cars. It’s a great view.

Here’s what the inside looks like. With covid still an issue, the spacing is for distancing. Ordinarily, there would be more tables and chairs.

Here’s a hospitality area with regular seating. They have an up close view of the team working on the car.

The NHRA has had a long history of successful female racers. 2021 is no different.

Nitro Mall is a large store that travels the country with the series. When I traveled the country with the NHRA, I knew the guys that had to erect and dismantle this tent. It is no easy task.

They have lots of merchandise to choose from and it’s fun to shop.

I always check out the hats.

I try and get an event hat if they’re still available.

I only saw one model and she couldn’t take her mask off for a photo. Nice girl though.

I noticed that the Food Court area now has nice seating. That is a definite upgrade.

I also looked inside of The Burnout Bar. Having a drink during the race is a superb upgrade.

A Texas outdoor event isn’t Texan without Turkey legs.

And meat on a stick is always great.

I didn’t stay around for the Pros to race, but I did get one race on video.

That’s it for my quick trip to the drag races. I’m hoping to get better coverage next year.

Spider 113

R.I.P. – David Prowse, a.k.a. Darth Vader

Posted by OfficialPaulMichaels on November 29, 2020

Posted in: Hollywood, Houston, Special Events, Star Wars, Texas. Tagged: Darth Vader, Disney, George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Star Wars. 1 Comment

It is a sad day in the Star Wars universe. The actor who originally played Darth Vader in the first three films has died at 85. David Prowse was chosen to play Darth Vader because he was 6’6” and a body builder. They wanted someone that was intimidating in the suit. And although they used James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader, Prowse was impressive because of his size. He towered over 5’9” Mark Hamill, especially after putting on those big boots.

In later years, David would tour the comicon circuit and sell photos. I was at a comicon in Houston a few years ago when I looked over and saw this old man sitting at a booth by himself. Then I looked at the sign above his head. When I saw that it was the original Darth Vader, I was a bit shocked that there was no line to meet him.

I eagerly walked over and begin to chat with David. He was a very pleasant man. I could tell that in his prime he was a big person. His hands were enormous. I also noticed that he had a pair of walking sticks behind him. Over the years he had some major health concerns and now needed assistance to stand and walk.

He was selling 8×10 photos of himself as Darth Vader from the movies. They were all great photos to choose from. I eventually chose the photo where he was giving the choke hold motion with the Force. David was more than happy to sign it for me. It’s one of my most cherished possessions. Not many can say they’ve met and talked with the original Darth Vader.

After I finished paying for my 8×10 photo and he signed it, he asked if I wanted a photo with him. I said sure pretty fast. He asked me to come around behind his table and sit with him. His assistant took my camera and got ready to take the photo. Just before the photo was taken, David asked me to put my hand on his shoulder. Then the pic was snapped. When I got home, I realized that David had made the photo much more of a friendly photo by having me place my hand upon his shoulder. It looked like 2 old friends posing for a photo. I’m sure David did that with a lot of people, but it still made me feel special.

David is known all over the globe as Darth Vader, even though he wouldn’t be recognized on the street. It’s actually kind of funny to think about David’s fame. He’s one of the most famous people that nobody recognizes. Can you imagine David in a pub during his prime. He would be chatting up the ladies and have to tell them who he was. It probably went something like this…

“Yeah, I’m Darth Vader from the movies.”

“You don’t sound like Darth Vader.”

“Well that’s because they used someone else’s voice.”

“Oh really?, I’m sure.”

“No, no, really, I’m Darth Vader. Watch me make the Force pose.”

So, in hindsight, I’m sure David struggled with being famous and not famous at the same time.

I hope David makes it into Heaven… and God asks him to wear the suit occasionally. Maybe God will give him the use of the Force to help keep people in line up there. Wouldn’t it be funny to be in Heaven raising some Hell and in walks Darth Vader, suit and all, to straighten shit out.

I’m a little sad today that David is no longer with us, but also happy that his suffering is over. I hope and pray often that I get into Heaven… and maybe I can meet David again. It definitely wouldn’t be a bad thing to have Darth Vader as a drinking buddy inside the pearly gates.

On this somber day, let’s think of the contribution David made to Pop Culture and the history of Film. He may well be voted the best and worst Villain of all time. May the Force be with David on his journey through the stars to meet his maker. He was and is loved by millions upon millions of people and fans. Maybe that will help him when he is being judged for his life on this planet. We, as regular people, can only hope to be as well-liked as David is.

Godspeed Darth Vader and I hope to see you again.

Spider 113

I wrote a book… and it’s funny!

Posted by OfficialPaulMichaels on June 27, 2020

Posted in: AstroWorld, Cool Things, Entertainment, Houston, Life, McNeese State University, Partying, Sex, Six Flags, Special Events, Sports, Texas, Uncategorized, WaterWorld, Women. Leave a comment

Over the years, I’ve often thought about writing a few books about 2 of my careers and my adventures along the way.

Well, recently with Coronavirus and the shut down of America, I decided to pen a book about my adventures as a lifeguard at the first waterpark built in Houston, TX.

I had started the book a few years back so when I decided to finish it, I spent hours upon hours writing, editing, adding photos and rereading the book several times.

The book has some very funny stories in it that will make you Lol. Several of my lifeguard friends read it while I had it posted on my blog. Here are some quotes from them about the book.

“OMG…Outstanding F*%@in job on the WaterWorld Book! Wow…Just WOW! Talk about wonderful almost forgotten memories coming back! SPIDER you hit this one outside the park! Fyi If you haven’t ordered your WW book you really, REALLY SHOULD!” – Patrick Orlaska WaterWorld Guard

“I finished reading the lifeguard book written by Spider Michaels… if you haven’t read it… you need to. WaterWorld was my life for so long… I’d do it all over again!! The book is fantastic and I can’t wait to get my own signed copy.”
– Joni ‘Radar’ Waggoner
WaterWorld Supervisor

“Lots of great memories! Thanks for the laughs Spider, you truly are one of a kind!”
– Carrie Tefteller Benavidez
WaterWorld Guard

“While I was always a little intimidated by Spider, I admired his leadership (those other guards WORSHIPPED him – and the nicknames and his competitive spirit in lifeguard competitions, etc. made work fun). I mostly kept my distance from him (God forbid, I’d end up on the wrong end of one of his pranks), but I heard through the grapevine here and there about his antics – I could tell he was a pretty funny guy – and I loved the “jokester” in him. I realized now… having finished his book… that I didn’t know THE HALF of it! It was a good read.”
– Annie Godwin Bell
WaterWorld Guard

“This book is Vintage Gold. Brings back so many memories of the classic 80’s-90’s when the music was awesome and we all had few worries. Immerse yourself into our world of lifeguarding. You won’t be sorry!”
– Debbie Byars Leibham
WaterWorld Guard

Those are some pretty impressive quotes and I sincerely thank my friends for writing them.

When I was ready to order some copies from Amazon for my friends, I wanted to order a few extra for a Media Blitz, so initially I ordered 60 books. About 50 for my friends and 10 to send around to local radio station DJ’s.

After I posted this next photo, I had some more orders for the book. Now out of the 60, I have one left. I even had to get one back from my sister to send to someone. She’ll get the first one from my next order… signed.

Books 1

My lifeguard friends also requested that I sign each copy to them. Signing and packaging 59 books, each with a different note, takes quite a while. At one point, I had to take a break because my hand was cramping up. I could never do a book tour where all you do is sign copies of your book.

Here is a photo of the books, all signed and packaged for shipping.

Books 2

I went through an inventory of my life and I think I have about 4 more books in me. My first, “Lifeguarding at a Waterpark” will probably be my longest at 518 pages with 625 photos.

My 2nd book will probably be about my time working in auto racing. I spent about a decade working in NASCAR, IndyCar and the NHRA Drag Racing series. This book will be entitled… “My Motorsports Memoir: A Photo Essay.”

My 3rd book is about all of my travels all over the U.S. and Europe. I’ll call it “Spider’s Travels”, similar to Gulliver’s Travels.

My 4th book will be about the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I spent the whole week of the rally one year and got some great photos and stories. The book will provide insight to those going to the rally and those wishing they could go to the rally. I expect the photos of the women will be the most popular chapter.

My 5th book will be a book of Poetry. I’ll have over 100 poems in this book that I’ve written over the years. They’ll cover Life, Love, Celebrities, Death, Heaven, the Afterlife and several more subjects.

Being able to Self Publish through Amazon has made it possible for anybody to write a book and get it into print. My 1st book, at 518 pages with color photos, cost $37.67 to print. With shipping, I think each book cost me $41.27.

Now that price is the Author’s cost. When a person orders my book off of Amazon, the cost goes up to $96.11. There’s a few bucks in that for me, but Amazon gets the Lion’s share. I will add that there’s a Beach Lifeguarding book for sale for about $140 on Amazon and it’s not nearly as long as my book with as many photos.

Any way you slice it, Amazon is the way to go to get your book in print. Otherwise, you have to seek out an Agent, which could take years, then this Agent has to find a Publishing House that believes in your book.

After spending years to finally get your book published, you only get about 12% from each sale of said book. And besides, book stores are closing down faster than you can say, “No business.” Everything is going Online now.

As I said earlier, I had started my book a few years ago so some of it was already written but when I picked it up again and finished it, it was only a few short months and I had a paperback edition in my hot little hands. You can do it too.

It’s been said that everybody has at least one good book in them. If you’ve ever dreamed of penning the next great American crime drama or your dream is to be the next J.K. Rowling well Amazon can be your ticket to getting in print. From there, who knows what could happen for you.

I have plans to send copies of my book to all of the local radios station drive time DJ’s in Houston as well as popular radio stations in L.A. and NYC.

I’m also sending copies to most of the Late Night Talk Show hosts. Hey, they may have a few minutes to laugh at my book and then who knows? Here are the letters.

Letters

I have to say, working nonstop on my 1st book has drained me. I’m going to take some time off before starting on any of my other books.

In closing, I wrote this post to motivate any of you to write your own books. If you have any questions, please contact me. I’ll be glad to help.

Lastly, anyone interested in reading my book, here is the link to purchase it from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFLPR5

As always, be safe and have a chill day.

Spider Michaels

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

Card FB Post 1

The company I worked for in motorsports was called RaceWorks and we were a MotorSports Marketing Agency.

Our company spent a lot of money on uniform shirts. These first photos show those shirts.

This was at an event in Houston.

Here too.

We’re in Florida for a race in this photo.

This one is from Phoenix.

We’re at the Brickyard 400 in Indy for this pic.

We were at a Truck Race when this picture was taken.

Outside the Pennzoil hauler.

Dallas for the Texas NASCAR Race.

zzzza

Phoenix again.

Indy for the 500.

With Bart Conner, Olympic Gold Medalist.

Karen and Kellie at the Indy 500.

Karen, Kellie, Moi’ and Tiffany.

Xiao Xiao and I at the Brickyard 400.

Kendra and I at the Brickyard 400.

Johnny and I at a Sport Compact Race in California.

Karen, Amanda and Moi’ at the Indy 500.

Here too.

These next few pix are from NYC.

Wendell and I at the NY Stock Exchange.

Kellie and I at the NY Stock Exchange.

When in NYC, I tried to make it to the Empire State Building when in town.

I’ve been to the top 2 or 3 times.

Times Square’s ‘The Naked Cowboy’.

16b

NYC Finest.

17a

21a

Near the ferry that takes you to the Statue of Liberty.

Times Square.

Central Park.

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Central park.

Scan 4

Central Park.

Scan 5

Handing out free Banners at the Indy 500.

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XIao Xiao getting busy.

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When flying, occasionally I flew in First Class. No better way to travel.

Pomona, California drag race.

Indy 500.

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Phoenix, Arizona.

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Pool party.

One of my first events.

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Houston Raceway Park.

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On a nature trail in Upstate New York.

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After the drag races, I gave out free hats.

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With Kenny Tran in San Antonio, Texas.

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Shooting video with Kenny Tran.

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Daytona 500.

AOL & Z

Giving a Pit Tour.

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Mark Parrish and I at the Texas NASCAR Race.

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Karen, Kellie, David and John Barnes.

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Kendra and I.

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Karen and Kellie.

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Daytona 500.

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Doing a raffle at the Hospitality Tent.

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Daytona 500, Winston Vision Hauler.

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Signing trucks for fans.

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Mark and his big rig.

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Tricia putting on a barrel cover.

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Pomona, California.

Phoenix International Raceway.

Indy 500.

Dinner party.

Indy Museum.

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Horseback riding in the Pocono Mountains.

Shop talk.

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Marilyn and Elvis impersonators.

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Blues Brothers impersonators.

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Atop the Sprint Vision hauler.

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One August, I went to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally instead of the Brickyard 400.

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While there, I visited Mt. Rushmore.

6 (1)

Tricia, Moi’ and Wendell.

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Handing out Raffle Prizes.

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Kellie and I.

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Miami driving school.

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Ronald McDonald.

Ronald McDonald

One of my first assignments – NHRA Drag Racing.

Scan 4

Crazy Indy 500 fan.

The Brickyard - Fan

While in Philly for a drag race, I visited the Liberty Bell.

Z & Li Be 3

Kendra and Xiao Xiao.

Fe and Me at a Sport Compact Race.

With Al Unser, Sr.

Tricia, Kellie, Johnny and Christy.

Kellie and I at the 500.

Kellie & Z @ Indy

Kellie and I at a NASCAR Race.

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At the Panther Racing shop.

With Bart Conner.

We’re in Memphis for this photo.

We enjoyed a lot of meals when we were out of town for a race.

This was in Miami.

Me, Debbie, Tricia, Kellie, Karen and Johnny.

Plus Wendell.

Here we are at St. Elmo’s Fire in Indy for the 500.

David, Debbie and myself.

Me and Park Miller.

Johnny and I in Florida.

Crazy race fan.

Indy 500.

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Taking a carriage ride in Memphis.

At the Texas NASCAR Race.

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I’m at the Houston NHRA Event with Jeannie.

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Tending bar at a race.

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Going on a Pit Tour during a Truck Race.

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Wendell, Myself and Kellie in New York for the Awards Banquet.

00258

We raced Go Karts in almost every town we traveled to.

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Johnny seemed to win a lot.

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Here we are at an Indy Karting track.

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Kellie, Wendell and myself at the Awards Banquet in NYC.

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Karen and Moi’ in the Texas suite.

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We had our Xmas party, then went to see the Nutcracker.

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Indy 500.

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Phoenix International Raceway.

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Karen and I atop the Winston Vision hauler.

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Indy 500.

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At a party at Panther Racing.

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Giving a Pit Tour.

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With Jennifer at the Daytona 500.

Jennifer @ Daytona 500 8x10

When I would travel, I tried to rent a convertible.

That’s a lot of luggage.

Debbie and I at the campgrounds in Indy for the 500.

I also promoted ContraGear, while handing out free banners to the fans.

On a Pit Tour at the Brickyard 400.

p13

Karen and the Big Wigs.

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Karen and Tiffany.

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Kenny Bernstein and Karen.

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I was in the centerfold photo for ESPN, the Magazine.

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While working in the NHRA Sport Compact drag racing series, they asked me to run the Bikini Contests. What could I say?

The following photos are from some of those Bikini Contests.

"Toshiba Digital Camera"

Denver, Colorado.

"Toshiba Digital Camera"

Toshiba Digital Camera

Fontana, California.

Oregon.

New Jersey.

With Duane Sweeney, the Official Flag Man for the Indy 500.

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Here’s his autograph card. They don’t stand on the track any longer to do this.

Duane Sweeney

The Flyin’ Elvi. Elvi is plural for Elvis.

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Johnny, Kellie, Moi’, Wendell and Tricia.

PM 211

Me and Fe at an NHRA Event in Houston.

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Tiffany and I at the Daytona 500.

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Indy 500.

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Phoenix International Raceway.

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With a crazy race fan at the Indy 500.

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Al Unser, Sr. gave me a ride around the Indy track to show me the racing lines.

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Signing the Start/Finish Line.

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I did this a lot with my Pit Tours.

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And it never got old.

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Rupert from the TV show, Survivor.

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Ben Affleck at the Daytona 500.

i-6tMQGHN-X2

One of my favorite actors, James Garner, was a guest of ours at a race in Phoenix.

James Garner - Jim Rockford

My favorite James Garner movie is The Great Escape.

James Garner - The Great Escape

I also loved the Rockford Files.

James Garner - Polaroid

Paul Newman was heavily involved in racing.

Paul Newman - Cool Hand Luke

With Patrick Dempsey at the Indy 500.

Patrickdempsey8x10

Muhammad Ali loved the camera.

Jim Nabors aka Gomer Pyle at the Indy 500.

Jason Priestly.

Bart Conner.

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Bart Conner, Karen and myself.

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Bart, his wife, Nadia Comaneci and myself at Panther Racing.

Indy VIP's 1

Tommy Lee from Motley Crue.

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I asked Ice Tea for a photo, then he posed like he was constipated. If that’s how he poses for photos I would have passed on him. I included it to show what an ass he is.

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John Walsh, from America’s Most Wanted fame.

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Jim Harbaugh.

Scan 7

Junior Seau and Jim Harbaugh.

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Karen and I in Vegas.

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Kellie, Tricia, Wendell and myself.

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Mark Parrish and I.

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At Daytona for the 500.

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Indy 500.

Panther Racing party.

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Jeff and Karen working on a commercial.

JG 6

Kellie and the pilots.

Kellie - Pilots

Kellie n NYC.

Kellie Hollywood

In Miami for a driving school.

Miami 2001 - Z Winner

Partying in Miami.

Miami, Paris Chix & Too Much Vodka

Awards Banquet in NYC.

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Johnny Montrose.

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In Miami for the final race of the season.

Scan 2 (1)

After Go Karting.

Scan 3

In Hollywood.

Scan 4

Jerry and I at the Houston NHRA Event.

Scan 5

Wendell, Johnny, Kellie and I.

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Indy 500.

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We always had a blast on Halloween.

Braveheart and Kendra.

Johnny, Wendell, Kellie and myself.

I met these guys in a bar in Phoenix and had a blast with them.

Should have gotten arrested, lol.

With the FireHawk at the Indy 500.

Every time I saw Linda Vaughn, a famous model from back in the day, I always got a photo with her.

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p14

At the NHRA Awards Banquet in California.

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Sin City, Vegas, baby.

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Myself, Fe and Richard Brady.

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Tiffany and I at Phoenix International Raceway.

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Kellie and I taking a break.

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Mr. Clean.

Mr. Clean Autograph

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Indy 500.

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John Sirois, Kellie and myself after our very first event.

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I always had time for the models.

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Harrah's Models

Gotta get those digits, lol.

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The Indy 500 trophy.

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PM+166-740423893-O-XL

NHRA Drag Race.

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Mark Parrish and I.

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Fe and I at a Sport Compact Event in Colorado.

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Indy 500.

Z & Crash Gladys

Now for some Victory Lane, Winner’s Circle photos.

Kortnie and I at a Sport Compact Event in New Jersey.

Kortnie and Spider

Karen and I at the Indy 500.

Z & Si8x10

I hope you enjoyed seeing these pix. Racing was a great career for all of us.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

One racing season, Quaker State wanted to have a Dyno-Challenge at the races.

We hired a crew from Dallas to drive all over the country with their Dynamometer to measure the cars horsepower.

At the end of each race weekend, we gave out oil for prizes to the winners of each category.

We had a “Standings’ board so they’d know who was in the lead.

It always drew a good crowd.

Dyno 1

The racers loved knowing what their horsepower was.

We even had models working with us.

Kortnie was the prettiest model on the entire circuit.

The race fans loved getting her autograph cards.

She would sign autographs and pose for photos.

Here she is with our booth.

And with a hot motorcycle.

She was always more attractive than the bikini girls… and taller.

Our models would pose with the Dyno-Challenge winners.

The racers loved that.

It was an easy gig for me. Hang out with models all day and then photograph winners.

Here’s Kortnie with a commentator, Steve.

With an NHRA Vice President at the annual awards ceremony. They asked her to be the Trophy Girl for the awards after they saw her in that dress.

I bought it for her on Hollywood Boulevard the day before.

We had fun after the awards.

Kortnie was always a knockout.

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We had a lot of fun together.

Kortnie and I in New Jersey.

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Urban Racer took some good pics of her.

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You see, prettier than all the rest.

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This HPD Officer loved getting a pic with Kort.

HDP 1

While we were in NYC, Gilbert Gottfried couldn’t keep his eyes off of her chest.

KCGG1

People began photographing Kort like it was a photoshoot.

KCGG2

The best pic of Kort and I.

Kortnie and Spider

It was fun traveling the country with the Dyno crew and Quaker State racer Kenny Tran.

Kenny Tran was the first racer to put my logo on his car.

We also ran a booth at the World of Outlaws series.

We’d pick a winner and give them VIP seats.

That completes this NHRA 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

Being an invited guest to a suite to watch a race is a great experience. Sometimes, there’s even a bus ride to the race included.

The following photos are of a few of the suites I worked while in Motorsports. This first one is from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We used this suite for the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400.

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The bus would pick up the guests at their hotel and bring them to the race with a police escort to beat traffic. If you’ve ever been to a race like this before, then you know it’s the only way to go besides a helicopter.

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We’d have breakfast ready when the guests arrived. There would be the morning’s paper and the TV would be on racing programming.

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We changed drivers every so often, so we had to redecorate the suites also.

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The guests would have breakfast and something to drink, then get ready to start their day at the races.

I would take those that wanted to go, on a Garage and Pit Tour. They’d learn a lot and get some great photos.

After the tours were over, it would be getting close to lunch time. Sometimes we had guests that ate a liquid lunch because all of the beer and cocktails were free from the bartender.

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Here I am with our Driver, Greg Biffle, as he speaks to the guests.

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Our bartender Paula, Karen and Kellie in our Indy suite.

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Our staff was one of the nicest.

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Paula, Karen and Kellie.

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Paula, Moi’ and Kellie.

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Karen, having a good time in the suite with the guests.

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I liked getting to the track very early. Most times I’d be there to hear the cannon go off to signal the start of race day.

Here’s our view from the suite.

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Quite a bit of difference when you add hundreds of thousands of people.

It’s a tranquil feeling early in the morning, mixed with excitement for what was about to unfold this day. History will be made.

Being on the front stretch was always great. The driver’s call this canyon of fans “The Million Dollar View’. I drove this track in a NASCAR race car, so I know what it feels like to drive it, but nothing like what a real race car driver sees with all of the fans present.

This next pic is from the Brickyard 400.

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Now I’ll show you the suite at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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Not as nice as Indy, but still great accommodations to watch a race.

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Each guest also received a ‘Goodie Bag’ with things they could use throughout the day, i.e. a hat, a Koozie, a shirt, autograph cards, ear plugs if the suite had an outside observation deck, like Indy.

The breakfast, lunch and free beer and cocktails still applies, as well as the bus ride to the track from the hotel.

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On hot days, it’s nice to watch a race from inside the air conditioning.

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The item most used by our guests was the koozie. They always drank a lot of beer.

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The TV’s allowed our guests to see the replays and hear the commentators call the race.

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We had nice furniture to relax on.

And lunch was always hot and good.

During the Caution Flags, we’d hold a Raffle for Prizes to keep the guests entertained. A lot of times, I’d be the one to buy the Raffle Prizes and I always bought nice things… things that I’d like to win if I were a guest.

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Atlanta had a little outside room next to the suite for smoking. That’s the view below.

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This photo shows the disparity between the people in the air conditioned suite and those camping in the hot Infield.

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Now we’ll take a look at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol is nicknamed ‘Thunder Valley’.

It’s like a bowl of thousands of people and loud ass race cars. The noise is deafening.

Here’s the campground nearby.

This view is from a photo I took at Phoenix International Raceway from our suite.

Here is the view from our Daytona suite.

It was a great place to see the Pre-Race festivities from.

I miss Daytona.

Kortnie and I in our suite at the Houston Raceway Park drag strip. I hope you enjoyed this brief look at a day in the suites.

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That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

I’ll start this post with talking about Bannering. All of the companies in Motorsports utilize Banners for Marketing.

I worked with Pennzoil / Quaker State and hung my share of Banners over the years.

The race fans love Banners.

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Sometimes they’re used as a clothesline, lol.

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When a Banner has the word ‘Racing’ on it, they’re in higher demand.

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Companies use inflatables for advertising also.

This Dale Jr. inflatable was pretty cool.

The Hospitality Tents always had plenty of Flags, Banners, Pennant Rope, Inflatables and Show Cars.

Our guests never had a hard time finding our tent.

Sponsors pay millions of dollars to have their name and logos put on a race car.

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M&M’s is definitely the Primary Sponsor on this car and team.

Here’s one of their ‘War Wagons’. He’s wearing a fire suit.

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Teams never miss an opportunity to advertise for their sponsors.

Can’t miss that logo.

I loved seeing the Budweiser logo’d stuff.

There should be some logos on these Gas Can covers.

Companies try to maximize their sponsorship dollars by doing Field Marketing also.

Here’s the AOL dude.

Had to get a pic with him.

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Some companies played games with the fans. Here they see who can hold these batteries the longest.

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Pepsi always spent top dollar to promote their soda.

Some companies use models and I love that.

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The tracks especially get logo’d because of TV time.

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Here are some tire covers for Mountain Dew.

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They even logo’d the UPS truck and had an ad campaign trying to get Dale Jarrett to drive the truck in a race.

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The Pit Boxes are always logo’d and are on TV quite a lot. " "

The race cars are the most important things to have logo’d. They get the most exposure.

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The trash cans even get some Logo Love.

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Drivers are constantly asked for autographs.

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Even when they’re walking to go to work.

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Notice all of the logos on Rusty Wallace’s fire suit. That TV Camera is recording all of them and the sponsors love that.

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UPS uses logos so people can find them.

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A lot of teams do ‘One Off’ sponsorships for one race only.

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Here’s the generator used to keep the fluids in the car warm until race time.

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Good Year also markets their tires.

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These are Gas Cans from when Phillips 76 was the fuel sponsor.

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Now, the fuel sponsor is Sunoco.

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They do a good job of logo-ing their stuff.

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The signage above the garage areas also has logos.

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One of the coolest logos I ever saw was the one for the KISS car. I hope you enjoyed reading about NASCAR Marketing.

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That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 is held annually at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Here are the famous bricks.

The Brickyard 400 trophy is one special trophy in all of motorsports.

When you win, they place your name on a ‘Brick’.

Official Pace Car.

A throwback photo from Winston Cup of the Officials getting ready for Race Day.

On Race Day morning, the cars are inspected prior to racing.

NASCAR Officials check everything.

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These next photos are of my Pit Tours.

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I enjoyed educating Race Fans.

They learned a lot from me and enjoyed the race better because of it.

I conducted lots of research to build up my knowledge of the sport.

I met people from all over the country while working in NASCAR.

This photo was taken from our suite.

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Jeff Gordon taking his ride around the track.

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Cool ride.

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Dale Jr. doing the same thing.

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the best places to see a race.

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The track gets crowded before the race begins.

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It’s a beautiful sight to see all of the colorful race cars all lined up.

The famous bricks again.

I never bored of going to the races.

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Cool hats.

Great pic.

The Pit Crews line up also.

The famous Pagoda.

There’s no other track like IMS.

We had a great suite for viewing the race and getting photos.

The Pit Crews are always exciting to watch.

A ‘Mechanical Ballet’.

I have a whole post on Pit Crews.

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When you win, you get to do a ‘Burn Out’.

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The fans love it.

Kevin Harvick’s autograph.

After you tear up your car doing burn outs, you head to Victory lane.

The great thing about the Brickyard is that the whole team gets to kiss the bricks. I think I’m the only photographer to get shots from this vantage point.

Great shot, if I do say so myself, lol.

The inaugural Brickyard 400 race was held in 1994, and the 400 was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916.

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This photo should have been in a magazine.

I wonder what that rubber tastes like.

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After the kissing comes the climbing.

The fans love this and get some great photos.

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Later, the team assembles for the Victory Lane photos.

Indy has one of the most unique Victory Lanes of any track.

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Great day to be Kevin Harvick.

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Kendra and I at the race.

I always loved the Brickyard 400 and I got a ring for one of Gordon’s victories.

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If you ever get to the Brickyard 400, you gotta go by the campground near the track. You’ll see some funny sights for sure.

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That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

February 22, 1959 – The first Daytona 500 is held and Lee Petty defeats Johnny Beauchamp.

Most Victories: (7) Richard Petty (1964, 66, 71, 73, 74, 79, 81)

Most Consecutive Victories: (2) Richard Petty (1973-74); Cale Yarborough (1983-84); Sterling Marlin (1994-95); Denny Hamlin (2019-20)

Most Times Completing All 500 Miles: (16) Bill Elliott

Most Miles Completed: (14,892.5 miles; 5,957 laps) Terry Labonte

Driver Leading the Fewest Laps and Winning: (1) Kurt Busch (2017)

Youngest Winner: 20 years, 0 months, 1 day, Trevor Bayne (2011)

Oldest Winner: 50 years, 2 months, 11 days, Bobby Allison (1988)

Here is the Dale Earnhardt Memorial at Daytona International Speedway.

I tried to go by and photograph it every time I was there.

Dale died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.

Big Bill France, the father of NASCAR, and his wife, Anne.

Here are 3 photos from 2 different years.

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I witnessed a truck with a trailer get stuck in this tunnel.

Millions of fans wish they had access to the Infield through this tunnel.

The inside.

You always see the Blimp for a Daytona 500.

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Cool Pace Car.

The cars on Pit Road.

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Pre-Race festivities are always eye catching.

Ben Affleck started the race one year.

Right after 9/11, the security was beefed up.

Observers and snipers were on the buildings.

Pit Road gets extremely crowded.

Sometimes, it’s hard to move.

Imagine trying to work in this environment.

Before the race, drivers have time to chat.

Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip.

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Daytona International Speedway is 2.5 miles long.

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A 500 mile race is 200 laps.

Daytona always has a crash called ‘The Big One’.

Daytona crash

I met Jennifer on Pit Road, during the race.

Had to get a pic with her. She was a nice gal.

Victory Lane

Darrell Waltrip had good luck with the number 17 during his victory. He won on Feb. 17 in his No. 17 car during his 17th career attempt.

Spider Michaels, Bill Goldberg & Jeff Gordon. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

The following photos are of the big rigs used in NASCAR.

The first one is from when Nextel was the Primary Sponsor of the series. It’s the Registration hauler.

One time, we were so hungover and smelled of alcohol that they almost didn’t give us our credentials.

And here’s a Registration hauler when Sprint was the sponsor.

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My friend drove the Sprint Vision rig all across the country from race to race. Shout out to Mark Parrish.

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Next, we see the NASCAR Officials haulers. A driver never wants to get called into one of these haulers.

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These haulers can cover as many as 70,000 miles a year.

This is a shot from Phoenix International Raceway. Notice the hill in the background. I took a golf cart up it for the view. It’s a bumpy ride, but the view is worth it. Phoenix Hill Views

When the haulers first arrive, they begin to unload.

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Those silver rear doors, on the ground, are what is used to remove the race cars from the haulers.

This is a photo from a suite at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The rigs are parked according to the driver’s standings in the points.

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This is a rare shot. Steve Park, Dale Jr. and Dale Sr.

Here are the silver doors in action.

Teams bring 2 cars to every race. A Primary and a Back Up.

Phoenix again.

Here’s a better view of the rear doors.

During practice, the teams monitor things from atop the haulers.

This is a pic before their set up is complete. Look in the reflection to see me taking the pic.

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A photo of the inside of a hauler. I see the Dale Earnhardt logo in the back.

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Crews arriving for work.

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Dale Jr. was always a popular driver, now he’s a popular TV Analyst.

One of the best rear doors.

Now I’ll show you some Autograph card holders that are located by the haulers for people in the Garage Area to pick up cards from.

This is a cool one.

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Good branding.

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Good logos.

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Appropriate.

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Jeff had one of the best ones.

“Because we know a thing or two about NASCAR.”

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Nicely themed.

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I prefer it when the cards are positioned correctly, instead of sideways.

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Fans love Autograph Cards. I hope you enjoyed this post.

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That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of Fort Worth, Texas… the portion located in Denton County, Texas.

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I was working at the Inaugural Race at TMS. It took us 3 hours to get off of track property because of the rain and traffic. What a day.

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When you first arrive at Texas Motor Speedway, you usually go to the credentials office to pick up your pass for the race.

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A friend I used to work with in motorsports always got me a ‘Hot Pass’ for the Garage and Pit Area. It’s the best way to go to a race.

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The track and parking sit on 1,500 acres.

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There’s a North and a South Tunnel to get to the Infield.

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Here’s what it looks like coming out of the South Tunnel.

This is a Before Shot.

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And here is a little later on.

This is during the race.

Sometimes I got rides in the Pace Car prior to Race Day.

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The Blimp usually makes an appearance on Race Day.

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The Garage Area is the Holy Grail, so to speak, for a lot of people.

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The Texas Garage is 22,272 square feet large.

Texas Motor Speedway has 1,656 women’s restrooms and 843 men’s rooms.

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Thousands of people go through the Garage Area over the course of a Race Weekend.

Here is a rarely seen shot of the inside row of the Garage Area.

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A ‘Hot Pass’ allows you into this area also.

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While the cars are practicing or racing, the garage is a ghost town.

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This is a line of people on the fence without a Garage Pass. Millions want to get into the Garage Area and Pit Road during a race.

TMS has 24 Concession buildings and 23 Souvenir buildings.

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The reconfigured track measures 1.44 miles with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° in turns 3 and 4.

Here’s a robo-dinosaur they had to entertain the race fans prior to the race.

It demolished a car.

An interesting sight.

The Texas Infield has some of the craziest fans in NASCAR. See my post about it to see what I mean. Texas Motor Speedway Infield

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I love seeing fans dress up for the race.

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I always try to get a pic with the Pace Car, if I can.

I worked with Jeff Gordon’s team through Quaker State.

I even received a championship ring from Hendrick Motorsports. My Ring Collection

I’m always nice to the Gate Attendants. You never know when you might need their help.

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My last photo is of me with Miss NASCAR.

That completes this NASCAR 101 Course. Give yourself 3 Credits towards Graduation. Congratulations on your Quest for a Degree from The Universite de Arachnida.

Diploma Master 0

To see other course requirements for your degree, see next link.

Motorsports Degree Requirements

Any questions and/or comments may be directed to the following:

Dr. Spider Michaels, Phd.

https://SpiderMichaels.com

Spider@SpiderMichaels.com

Spider Michaels

Just some dude.

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