"NASCAR at RIR" Richmond International Raceway Tip by Karnubawax

One of NASCAR's most popular tracks is Richmond International Raceway. The mega-popular Nextel Cup Series races here twice a year - once in mid-May, and then again in early September. Despite holding over 100,000 specatators, the track ALWAYS sells out. If you want to go to a Richmond Cup race, either plan early (like several months in advance to secure tickets and hotels) or not at all (and just stay out of town and deal with the scalpers). Either way will cost about the same.

RIR is a 3/4 mile banked oval - offering a good combination of speed and bumping n' banging. There have been some classic races here in the past, and the fall race is one of the most looked forward to events of the year - as it's the last race before "The Chase" (the playoffs for you non-fans).

Tickets are between $75-85 - if you're lucky enough to get 'em from the box office. When... not if, but when... the race sells out, you can get tickets from a variety of legalized scalping agencies, or try your luck with the touts. If you have a choice, sit as high up the stands as possible, especially in the turns. If I had my choice, the best seats in the house are right near turn 1.

Equipment: For a NASCAR event, the traffic is really not too bad. It's a bit of a hike from the free lots, but quite manageable.

The usual restrictions are in place as far as what you can bring in. Check out the website.

Believe it or not, you can actually bring your own BEER into the race track; it just has to fit into a 12 x 6 x 6 soft sided cooler! One strong word of warning, though! If you're going to be drinking, then, for God's sake, pace yourself! The races don't start 'till 7 PM, and if it's hot you can really overdo it and end up like these guys!

Address: 600 E Laburnum Ave
Phone: 866-455-7223
Theme: Sports Watching
Website: http://www.rir.com