There are some perks to being in any profession. When it comes to video, I often find myself in places I didn’t expect to the week before. Last weekend was one of those times, with only a weeks notice I found myself here…
I had to videotape some scooter races on the track at Pocono Raceway before the Pennsylvania 500. It was a long day. If one ever goes to a NASCAR race you’ll know problem #1 is getting to the track, if you don’t come VERY, VERY early or camp at the track. Once there, my latest problem was getting press passes and of course television production trucks park about a mile from the main stand in order to keep the riff-raff away (which there is plenty of at any NASCAR race, which is half the fun!). NASCAR has issues with people without pants. I was wearing shorts, as were all the people I was going to be with on the track with, but they made a big deal about it that *I* didn’t have pants because I had a “blue vest”. I bought a $20 pair of gray “Pocono Raceway” sweat pants and was let onto the track. Mind you these pants didn’t match my brown, baggy summer shorts, but only those of you on my facebook get to see those pictures! A rain delay held us up another hour while they dried the track. (Jet engines on the track have a tendency to blow paint chips in every direction). I had to leave my son up in the booth, but that was fine because he wouldn’t have appreciated that noise or the paint chips in his eyes! When all was said and done the quick 2 minute scooter race was able to be squeezed in just before the race started.
Videotaping done, my job was complete! The payoff? Skybox tickets for me and my 4 year old son who had never seen a race before! Great for us because skybox street price is $500 PER ticket! So who buys these tickets? I ran into a good friend from high school who bought skybox tickets for both him and his girl. It was their “vacation” he told me, after camping at the track all weekend. What does a skybox get you? Free food and drinks along with a cozy dry place up high behind glass. 
To some this blocks out the experience of the noise and being in the crowd, but it was perfect for my son who doesn’t like loud noises! He has noise blocking headphones which he refused to take off before the race, even when it wasn’t loud FAR from the track at the fan booths!
He loved the race (what 4 year old who loves machines wouldn’t? And I have to admit, I was amazed myself since this was MY first NASCAR experience! I don’t know who was the bigger kid honestly!) and since we didn’t pay for the tickets, I was able to convince him to leave early and beat the traffic home.
While my job takes me away from my family now and then for travel, or for weekends for wedding videos, once and awhile it provides a few experiences I wouldn’t be able to share OR AFFORD with my family any other way!
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