American motor racing in North Carolina
The Coca Cola 600 is an evening motor race fit for the whole family.In 1959, an American automobile dealer partnered with one of America’s first stock-car racers to build a 1.5 mile (2.41 km) track ideal for the popular American sport of car racing. NASCAR stands for “National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing”, and race they will this May.
The racing will begin in the late afternoon, to avoid the worst of the southern United States heat and humidity, and will end at 10 PM. Visitors to Charlotte from London will find the crowd raucous and enthusiastic, but usually quite friendly.
Americans are as enthusiastic about their wildly popular motorsports as some Brits are about football, so holidaymakers would do well to avoid disparaging one driver over another too loudly. Aside from that, the race is far more than cars chasing one another around a track. The night is a minor festival in itself, featuring tailgating, a uniquely American way of going on a picnic, and freely flowing beer and other beverages.
The race is one of NASCAR’s top 5 of the year. While the sport may seem pedestrian to some, the technology that goes into the tracks and cars is surprisingly sophisticated. The track’s lighting includes parabolic reflectors to cut down on dangerous glare for the drivers. Several times in the past, drivers have flown in from Indianapolis in order to run both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca Cola 600, driving 1,100 miles in a single day. Changes in race times have made that a less common practice in today’s races.
