Now for Something Completely Different

My blog has been about the concert industry.  However, my interests stretch from concerts to sports, mainly baseball and auto racing.  In this blog I want to talk about NASCAR racing.  I have a part time job as a turn worker (corner worker is name for the job) at Infineon Raceway.  Sometimes I work at other tracks in California.  The track I work at is not a typical oval racetrack, it's a road course.  The drivers or riders if it is a motorcycle race, at times cannot see what is coming up around the corner (hence corner worker).  I wave flags to warn the drivers and call incidents in to race control.  Sometimes I run to crumpled cars to check on the driver until safety arrives.  I've posted an article that was recently written about my boss, Liz.  This explains what I do and if it sounds scary...it can be at times.  But I love it!  

A few weeks ago I worked the NASCAR race at Infineon.  This is a spectacle of fans, music, jets, marketing and celebrity drivers.  My daughter and I worked together, this being her first NASCAR race as a turn worker.  A fellow turn worker and I spoke to one of the drivers, Clint Bowyer, as we walked with him across the Golden Gate Bridge for a charity event.  We asked him if he ever noticed the turn workers.  His response was, "No. I usually don't because I am so focused on driving left and right."  My friend explained to him that last year she was a turn worker at turn 8 where he had wrecked with another car, forcing her to run down a hill to avoid getting hit.  He didn't remember seeing anyone there.  I found an article titled, Behind the Scenes as NASCAR Gets It Right, about the race this year at Infineon and it explains how the drivers have to focus on driving left and right at Infineon and the differences in this track.  

Racing is an interesting business.  Infineon Raceways tagline is Think Outside the Oval.   I think that in the business of racing if you think outside the oval there are many opportunities.  

I've posted this YouTube video....my daughter is waving the yellow flag.  I was behind her in the communication box at the time. Didn't get on the camera this time.  Next race is Indy Racing League in August.  Stay tuned.