My son fell in love with Talladega and has been talking about Nascar a lot lately. This past Sunday, he got me tickets and I was able to enjoy the whole spectacle that is Nascar!

First, the best thing I can say about it is the feeling of community. You have a lot of people just hanging with a common goal to watch and experience Nascar. Families with kids of all ages, tents, grills and flags to support their favorite racer gather in a big field of cars and trucks for the first few hours.

We were treated to eggs and sausage tortillas and hamburgers by extremely gracious hosts-my son has amazing friends. Beer was drank, water kept us hydrated and the smell of sunscreen was all around.

To sit with nothing to do but relax and wait, it seems many of us don’t know how to do this anymore. It reminds me of going to my son’s football practices, to spend time with no expectation and nothing pressing is a rare treat these day.

Next, a long walk to the stadium. It was a cool breezy day so it was perfect. Be sure to bring your own ear protection, I will explain this later. As we get into the stadium area which is huge, there are the vendors for the teams with all kinds of merchandise and things to eat. It was like going to the fair-including the corndogs and nachos.

Inside, we were lucky to be under an awning as the sun would have baked us if we were any closer. The sound and thunder of the cars is just incredible-wear your ear protection now-with or without the radio to hear the race, my son let me hear what his driver was listening to which was very interesting.

Through the whole race, I was given information on what they do, why they do it and what to expect next. If the race gets a little quiet, expect there is probably a crash and a caution. I got to learn about what a pace car is and how they warm up for races.

My son and his friends filled in all the information I would never have known, go with someone who is knowledgable. There is quite a science to the whole process and to listen to the people passionate about their particular racer was very exciting.

Unlike other competitive games, no one is the adversary, everyone is just excited about their favorite doing well-there was only one racer that was applauded when they crashed-Nascar fans know who that racer was-I don’t.

267 laps of ridiculous speed, a big hot dog with all the trimmings and nachos-and lots of Busch Beer; a wonderful day at the races. The people watching is amazing, the feeling of being with friends and family and the power and presence of the cars speeding around the track-it was truly a wonderful experience.

After, the herd walks to the cars, we ended up waiting for thirty minutes, eating what was left of the grilled hamburgers and all I can say is I will be back. It was a special day and an amazing way to spend a Sunday: with my people.