The price of gas keeps increasing. As does the price of food, electricity, medical expenses and everything else. My paycheck just does not go as far as it did even a few months ago. That is going to have a serious effect on my NASCAR experience.
In 2006 my son and I went to the Daytona 500. Gas was only about $2.25 a gallon. $125 a night motel rooms a 100 miles from the track was kinda stiff but do-able, and it was worth $200 a ticket for two excellent days of racing at the mecca of NASCAR.
In 2007 the whole family went to Atlanta for the Kobalt Tools 500. I think gas was about $2.50 a gallon, the rooms were $110 a night 12 miles from the track and the $109 tickets seemed like a steal for three days of racing.
Also in 2007 I was able to get complimentary tickets to the fall truck race in Talladega for all the kids in the Children’s Home I work at and I. The kids had a blast.
In 2008 my live NASCAR viewing will be limited to the Spring Talladega Cup Race. My son, grandson, and I will be leaving at 5:30 in the morning on the day of the race, watch the race, and come home that evening. I figure gas will be $3.50 a gallon by then. It is $3.19 today. I can’t see that we can afford to drive anywhere else but there, or afford the extra gas to drive back and forth from a motel, let alone pay for a motel. You say I could camp, but NO, our U.S. Dollar is losing value so fast I can’t afford to buy the imported camping equipment I would need – that I don’t have.
My electric bill is going up 10% starting next month. My health insurance has already gone up. We will be eating much more rice and beans since we can’t afford the interest rate on the loan to buy fresh meat anymore.
Oh well, maybe next year.
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C2.0.3/334 Fri Jun 6 03:53:14 UTC 2008
4 Comments
houseparent
Feb 28 2008 11:27
I agree that....
I am blessed to be able to attend a cup race at all. Millions of people have never been to one cup race and this will be my third year in a row to attend a different one. Also if and when I move back home to Montana, I hope to be able to afford to travel in my retirement but who knows, I may be paying $5 a gallon for gas by then and won’t be able to afford to drive to the post office. So, I feel for all of you that don’t live near a NASCAR track
I was mostly just trying to use my NASCAR experience and the fact that I can’t afford a weekend trip to some new track like Bristol or Charlotte to illustrate how crappy the economy has become and how everything has become so stinkin’ expensive.
pookiechuck
Feb 28 2008 10:51
I look it at this way
I am lucky to live close to a nascar track. We only get the Trucks and Busch races, but for me its better than nothing. I am attending my first CUP race in april and I am thrilled to bits. But it will only be my one big race this year…...I feel though that if I can attend one CUP race a year, I gotta be doing something right.
Plus for the past 3 years, I have had to put off this trip for one reason or another. Good things come to those who wait 
Wheels48HMS
Feb 27 2008 23:50
You could move here
to Wyoming. Down in the southeast corner, in the Laramie-Cheyenne area, gas is level (for the time being – knock wood) at $2.75. However, there are no NASCAR venues nearby. I have to rely on either TV (which we don’t have) or the Nationwide feeds on the computer.
bigjr88fan
Feb 27 2008 23:44
so true
it’s getting so bad. eggs over $2 a dozen,ga$ 3.04 as of today. I always keep my suburban,and My Buick filled up, and I only drive when I need to.
I may limit my trips to car shows,to ones close to where I live. only time will tell