Will DecherRichmond.comTuesday, September 13, 2005NASCAR events are a unique social phenomenon: nowhere else in sports can one find marketing done so effectively, athletes as accessible and fans as knowledgeable. It is also one heck of a party. With hundreds of thousands of die-hard fans collect days ahead of the race and begin partying, the race atmosphere is less like a sporting event and more like a Jimmy Buffet concert. Or Woodstock, depending on who you meet. This party atmosphere is also a family retreat for many, a chance to take a short vacation and bond over some good food, good beer, and good company.
The Utley's have been NASCAR fans as far back as they can remember, but in '92 they decided that watching the race on television wasn't quite enough anymore, and once they had experienced racing live, the never looked back.
"'92 was our first race," Kim recalls, "but after that, we loved it so much I went ahead and got permanent tickets. I have season tickets and come up and see all the races."
Kim Utley and her family have been coming to Richmond International Raceway for close to 15 years,
"This has been going on since '92," she explained, "my family and I are from Virginia Beach and we drive up here twice a year and my cousins fly in from Wisconsin, we do it every May and September."
The Utleys had parked their vehicles across from each other and had set up a pair of tents between their tailgates; they had fired up the grill with bratwursts, hot dogs, and sausages. Like the fans around them, they were all smiles, and glad to give out a beer and a brat to anyone who happened to wonder between their trucks. "We always have a good time," said Kim, "we are going to keep this up forever."
Many NASCAR fans travel to see the race closest to their home, but what sets the Utley party apart is the amount of coordination involved in getting cousins in from Milwaukee.
"They fly in on Thursday and I drive to the airport and pick them up, and we have a hotel room on reservation for the races. The rest of the group, they all drive up for the big race on Saturday morning," explained Kim. "We've been doing this so long," added cousin Ray, "that it doesn't we've all become familiar with how we do it, there's no problems."
If one were to visit Yankee stadium or to go see the Philadelphia Eagles play, one would not be surprised to encounter awful fan behavior. Spectator sports are often the site of the worst of a crowd mentality. In a sport that takes pride in the toughness of its competition and the stamina of its competitors it is endearing to find out that the fans don't lose touch of the family. The Utley's are no exception here. For instance, there neighbor a few car rows ahead of them was also here for family, a soft spoken Montana resident who wanted simply to go by Glenn.
"I've been a race fan, well, since forever," said Glenn, "I grew up watchin' dirt tracks in Montana, mostly." This is the second year that Glenn has driven from Montana to spend time with his daughter, who lives in Baltimore. "I used to live around here,but I come up here during the year to see her, she's sixteen, it's a good chance to reunite,"
Glenn explained wistfully, and to push the subject Glenn any further would be cruel, for his eyes were tearing up. "Normally I rent an RV," he said, "but this year I went with something smaller because gas prices were so high."
But not every story is too delicate to tell. Ray explains that he used to be a dirt track racer, and he gives a plug for his favorite Richmond business, Stockcar Products, while cousin Scott plugs his favorite track in Wisconsin, Slinger Speedway, and an up-and-coming racer, Erik Darnell. This reporter was a little concerned about the journalistic integrity of dropping names, but the Utley's and their extended family made it clear that the free bratwurst he was munching on was contingent upon the press for their favorite places.
Given the high cost and long distance, one wonders why cousin Scott and the Wisconsin side of the family make the trek down to Virginia. "Richmond, this race, is a heck of a good time," explained cousin Scott. "I go see races all over the country and this one is always a lot of fun. People down here are laid back, the people at the track aren't overbearing," said Scott, smiling, "plus, I get to see my cousin Kim, I have cousins in my own city I don't see, but I see Kim twice a year." If there are two things Virginians are known for, they are hospitality and keeping a strong family bond, and at Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR embodies the attitude of Richmond's residents.
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