2010 Roar Before the 24
Paul & I showed up at the track at about 9:30 AM on Saturday. We'd already had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Lakeland so we were good to go. Get set up at our accustomed spot (#503) just after infield turn 3, and watch some fast cars.
Well, there weren't any. There was sleet and light snow so the track was deemed unsafe. But it's Florida so how long would we have to wait for more moderate temperatures? Last year at the 24 Hours of Daytona, we woke up on Sunday morning to ice on our stuff, but by 11AM we were in t-shirts. That was not to be the case this year. I don't think it ever got much over 35° on Saturday. The wind was about 15-20 mph as well, so there was no joy, but there was the green tarp which was blocking some of the wind. We used the time to take a walk through the paddock. Couldn't see much there as the garage doors were all closed due to the cold. Did manage to get a picture in the Team Ganassi pit area though. We walked back to the set-up. We managed to cook lunch and soon thereafter, cars took to the track. After a lay-off of a month or so it was nice to see and hear some real cars hit the track. Their tires were stone cold and the track was stone cold, so it made for an interesting couple of laps until a little heat got into the tires. Wheel spin where you'd never expect it. As the afternoon went by, it never warmed up. At around 4PM or so we started the cooking for the dinner we'd planned. It was good. Hot off the grill, it was great, but in a matter of minutes, it wasn't hot anymore. Still pretty good though. We cleaned up and broke everything down in about 20 minutes. We had originally planned to camp at a near-by KOA as there's no camping at the track for this event. Fortunately we decided to hit a nearby La Quinta Inn. That was a great decision. Even better, right next door, only a two minute walk, was a Wing House so we could have our 4th meal of the day along with a BL or two.
Sunday came and the temperature was even lower. There was a "Continental Breakfast" at the La Quinta, so we partook. Had waffles and coffees. We went to the track with the expectation that we'd fix up the standard breakfast to sustain us through the morning. Alas, it was too cold to even get set up and cook, so we meandered over to the paddock again and this time it was bustling with activity. We watched as the cars hit the track once again. This time from the deck over the garages, and later all along the infield.
It's a great event, but it's much better if it's not freezing. There's really no such thing as too many clothes on days like this. We left at a little after noon and decided to hit the Wing House again for a light snack to get us home. It was warm in there so it was good.