Day 2 of Homestead Miami Speedway
Day 2 of HMS
When I woke up Saturday morning, I woke up ready to go. I was burnt, tired, and desperately needing a coffee, but I was ready. It was race day. Race day and I wouldn’t be watching it from SpeedTV like I always do. No, I would be there in the stands. I would see it all happen in person. I was almost too excited to breathe. And I don’t think I ate that morning. But off I went to HMS. It was practice when I got there, but I tried a little bit of CT stalking (my hot cocoa gave me courage) before going up to the stands and watching the cars. I don’t know if anyone knows this…but really, a lot of the times, the cars just look like little Hot Wheels going around and around, and I giggled uproariously at that.
After practice, I met up with Diana the rig. She was in a photo taking binge so I just kind of followed her and took pictures with her on my shitty digital cam. We stopped for this Dempsey FAN GIRL with the most ridiculous clear backpack with a checkered flag detail on it. She came bouncing up to us (literally bouncing, I’m not joking here) and wanted to know if we had bought tickets to the meet and greet. To show off her epic coolness for having purchased tickets to a meet and greet that seated 250 people, she showed us some wristband. Now, I’m not against liking Patrick Dempsey. I love the man, I do. He’s gorgeous, a good actor, and hell, he’s doing damn well racing cars. But when the fangirls are only there to see him and have no interest in his teammates, I get a little frustrated. Needless to say, I wasn’t as nice as I could have been.
After the FAN GIRL got the message (I’m pretty sure she did anyway as she left us alone the rest of the day), we were just poking around, grinning at everyone we saw (Todd Lamb, is that you? Yes, it is you!”), a tow truck suddenly came into view, and on the back of it was a very, very, badly injured #44 Porsche. Apparently, there had been a nasty accident in turn 4 and when I say this car looked like hell, I mean the crew had some SERIOUS work on their hands. It was at this point we saw James Jordan, Jim, and I actually met him. Diana was very concerned about the asshole photog leaning against our car and she went to tell him to keep an eye out.
But we left the DR area, still taking pictures. We were on our usual stalking CT mission again, and this time, I saw one of the Ghost Drivers in the flesh. Now, I don’t know where I suddenly got the cajones, but I walked right up and interrupted him in the middle of a conversation. Sadly, he was busy and told me to come back. I was to never see him again. But alas, we tried. There was some success and we could at least get on with our day and stop stalking CT drivers. Which was good, because I was sort of starting to think I was a little creepy.
After Diana finished with her photo binge, we went on our way to the Rolex Fan Walk. Well, we made our way up there, stopped at the old cars, and then made our way to the Rolex Fan Walk. Really, we should have known this was going to be epic when one of the drivers commented on how the line didn’t make any sense. We lined up in front of them and then had to go all the way down to the left. Apparently, this confused a driver. But what we didn’t know was how truly awesome this Fanwalk would be. It was my first one so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was a little disappointed when I noticed that the DP guys were just signing their hero cards and stacking them up. While I’m not the biggest fan of DP, I do follow a couple of them pretty closely and something about that offended me. But who am I to say anything? I’m just a fan.
So we’re doing our thing at the fanwalk, and we come up on the Chip Ganassi table, one of the DP cars I usually cheer for. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas had their signed hero cards and I grabbed one, just as Diana mentioned that she really likes Scott Pruett and the Ganassi car. I honestly don't know what possessed me in that moment. Maybe it was the pure effort it was taking to not fangirl over Joe Foster. Maybe it was the fact I was hungry. Maybe I was getting slightly frustrated with the Dempsey fan girls. But when I opened my mouth, I did indeed have a fangirl moment. Over Scott fuckin' Pruett. And when I say fangirl, I mean, I opened my mouth and said loudly while staring at the hero card, “I LOVE SCOTT PRUETT.” And suddenly, Diana goes, “Well, I think he’s happy to hear that.” And I turn my head and there’s Memo, laughing his ass off and Scott kind of smiling. I swear to god, I don’t know how fan girls do it on a daily basis. I wanted to die on the spot.
But instead, we moved on. Past the Gainsco guys (who were all fancy with their calendar they were giving out) and then finally to the Mazda guys. Now, this is where the details start getting fuzzy. Because the Mazda/Speedsource guys? HILARIOUS. And it all started with Todd Lamb, who was the first guy to sign the now famous Mazda cheat sheet, which was basically a huge poster with all of the Mazdas and the names of the guys who drove them for Rolex. Diana made some comment about it being a cheat sheet and Todd Lamb was all, “I think I like that.” And I said something like, “You’ll have to tell everyone from here on out they’re getting the Mazda cheat sheet.” He agreed. And then Diana had a brief argument with the 69 guys over which car was better 69 or 70. I was just merrily watching them sign my Mazda cheat sheet. And then, somehow, Diana started talking about the pictures she had taken of the cars flaming that morning. Jeff Segal says something along the lines of, “That would be cool to see. Better the cars flamin’ out than the drivers.” And Diana tells him that if he has Facebook, he’ll be able to see all the Mazdas flaming out. And in the moment that signed my fate for that fan walk, Jeff raises his hand, does a limp wrist, and says in the most effeminate voice ever, “Thanks, honey!” I died laughing, which I’m sure what happened next wouldn’t have happened if Jeff hadn’t been so damn funny.
I was still laughing when we moved to the 68 guys who promptly noticed our DR shirts. Who said what is fuzzy, but the conversation is as follows:
68 driver: Dempsey Racing, huh?
Me and Diana: Yep.
68 driver: Give me one good reason why you’re a Dempsey Racing fan.
Diana: JOE FOSTER (she might as well have said Joe Freakin’ Foster)
Me: Because they drive great races and keep getting better.
68 driver: So it has nothing to do with that Patrick guy?
Okay. Stop here. Hindsight, my friends, is 20/20. If I had bothered to look up at this point, I would have noticed that Patrick Dempsey was sitting right there, talking to some kid about Formula One. I also would have paid attention to the fact that the dude was looking at Patrick when he asked the question. But noooo, Jeff Segal had to go and make a gay joke and I was still laughing. Because my answer was humiliating, funny, and caused a snowball of events.
Me: Nah, he’s just okay.
Patrick Dempsey’s voice from out of nowhere: I’m just okay?
See? If I had had any sense, I would have tried to fix this situation. Because Patrick Dempsey was looking right at me and he had his scruffiness and the hat and the eyes and really, he’s a famous Hollywood actor. But for whatever reason, at the race, I saw him as a normal guy that I could just tease. So…
Me: Yeah, you’re just okay, sorry, Patrick.”
P *laughing*: Well, I’m working on it.
Me: We know.
And still…my brain was not telling me to shut up. Nooooo, my brain wanted me to keep on going. So when we walked up to Patrick’s table and the cheat sheet was handed to him, he was all, “So you guys are Joe Foster fans?” And I blurted out, “Of course, Ray Ray and Joe, who could be better?” And he just laughed and I managed to ask him to sign a hero card for a friend of mine. I thank him and then…Patrick and Joe had their bromance moment. Before I could even tell Joe that I love him and he’s awesome, Patrick hands Joe a picture Diana took in Utah and is all, “You look pensive in this one. Nice picture, buddy.” Or something to that effect. And I just move on down to Leh and James.
Leh and James are quiet sort of dudes, which I can respect, but I was dead set on getting them to say words to me. So the Mazda cheat sheet is passed down to them and Leh kind of looks at it and goes, “Oh man, Foster’s cramping our style.” Joe had apparently signed over the TS car because Patrick had to go and sign the #40 huge. So I laugh and say, “How do you guys like being part of Dempsey Racing?” Leh’s response? “They’re pretty straight.” And James asked us if we wanted a TS poster.
And then FINALLY, my brain goes, “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO PATRICK DEMPSEY??????” It was a total delayed reaction. And even though I then moved on to Andy Lally who I absolutely adore and wanted to talk to and have a picture with, I suddenly couldn’t stop wondering what the hell had possessed me to tease Patrick Dempsey. He’s not just any guy, he’s not a guy I’m flirting with, he’s PATRICK DEMPSEY. So I grab Lally’s hero card, move onto Spencer Pumpelly’s table, and I’m still totally shaking. I wanted to say something to Pumpelly, and I think I did, but all I remember is grabbing a hero card and turning to walk away. Diana mentions she likes him too and I go, “He’s right there! Go get a hero card.” So Diana goes and then she walks back and we start to head back to the Paddocks, thinking that that was the best part of the day. Boy, hindsight really is 20/20.
So Diana and I walk away, giggling and feeling like we’re King Shits for making the Speedsource guys laugh (and my brain is still calling me all kinds of foul names). We’re just feeling on top of the world and then…we see her. With her checkered back pack and DR t-shirt. FAN GIRL. She’s just standing there, this little pout on her face, and I burst out laughing before turning to Diana and saying, “Do you think she realizes there’s a fan walk going on like…50 feet from here where she could meet and talk to Patrick?” Which led to both of us laughing over the hilarity and absurdity of it all.
After we saw FAN GIRL, I wanted to go back one last time to see if I could find Ghost Driver Eversley again, but he was nowhere to be found so Diana and I went to the Grand-Am merchandise trailer, where I bought a hat because my face was on fire. So I throw the hat on and throw my hero cards and calendars into a bag. And Diana rolls up my Team Seattle poster. I totally thought it would be okay, and we would never need it again.
But we were wrong. So so wrong. Because we’re walking along and we’re in the Rolex section and I see Don Kitch, Jr. chilling out by our rig. Don Freakin’ Kitch, Jr. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite books is Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, and that after I watched Le Mans, I was like, “Holy shit, that’s THAT Don Freakin’ Kitch, Jr.! “ So when I saw him, my little heart went all aflutter. I was worried a fangirl moment was coming, I really was. He was talking to some photographer and we’re just standing there, hovering, holding our posters. And he looks over and says, “Can I help you ladies?” So I said, “Um, hi, Don. Can you sign our posters?” And he laughs and points to the photographer and says, “This is my friend, Patrick Dempsey.” I laughed and said something about having just seen Patrick. So then he turns to his friend and says, “Oh, they think I’m Patrick Dempsey.
And I could go on and on about this conversation with Don Kitch, Jr. I could. Diana and I spent a good 15 minutes with him. Suffice it to say, he signed our posters, personalized and everything, and then he started talking. And it’s the conversation that means the most to me out of all of the conversations I had in Miami. He was very open with us and he talked about a lot of different things. Le Mans, his dog, his racing school in Seattle, driving, and secrets about The Art of Racing in the Rain. And I will spend a long time treasuring that conversation and remembering it.
So after the conversation with the amazingness that is Don Kitch, Jr., Diana and I realized it was time for the CT Fan Walk. Now, when we had told Jim we were getting ready for the CT fan walk, he kept saying, “The cars are garaged over there.” And we’re kind of going, “Uh…no shit, Jim.” I THINK what Jim was trying to tell us was that the Fan Walk was not a fan walk like the Rolex, but a PIT WALK. Yeah, Diana and I went up all the way up to the damn grandstands pavilion and all we see are a bunch of old guys sitting at the tables. And then we see a sign. CT PIT WALK. Ah, hell. So we went down to the pits. Diana went off on one end to find Ghost Driver Numero 2 (Charles Espenlaub) while I went off on the other end to find Numero 1 (Ryan Eversley). While I was walking down there, I saw Scott Maxwell, kind of hiding behind the 15 Mustang and decided not to bother him (man, I’m good people) and kind of walked, looking at all the cars. Needless to say, neither Ghost Drivers were there and Diana and I went to have lunch.
The line was ridiculous (especially for a $3 hot dog and $4 bottle of water) and as we were standing there frying, we saw FAN GIRL. I didn’t think she looked very happy, probably realized that the so-called “Meet and Greet” wasn’t quite what she had imagined. I felt kind of sorry for her, sitting there all by her lonesome and not looking like she was enjoying herself. I never saw her again, and I kept an eye out for her. She probably left, not wanting to stay behind for some race. A true FAN GIRL to say the least.
So we ate and then we headed up to watch the rest of the CT race. Keep in mind, this is my first live race. I’m used to watching this on TV so I had no idea what to expect. Everyone who knew I was going said I would get bored, that I’d want to leave. My mom was even prepared for this. For the record, everyone was WRONG. I have never, in my entire life, been more on the side of my seat. I was breathless for half of it, and I found myself screaming and cheering and getting pissed. I honestly don’t know how more people don’t watch and like racing.
The CT race was intense. It really and truly was. I know a lot of people haven’t watched it yet as I believe it airs the 13th on SpeedTV. And when it does air, WATCH IT. I know I will be. So I’m just going to list the highlights:
- Number 75 Honda. This is Ghost Driver 1’s car. And I was watching it, rooting for GD1. And I don’t know if GD2 in the 48 BMW or Scotty in the 15 Mustang passed, but the next thing I knew, I was looking up and there was an orange car smoking out. I thought it looked like the orange Hondas belonging to Compass360 Racing but I just couldn’t tell. And then when we noticed the 75 hadn’t gone by us again…we knew it was done for 75 and GD1. And it was sad.
- For most of the second stint, 15 and 48 were neck to neck. 1st and 2nd. I was cheering so loud for Scotty Maxwell that my throat was starting to hurt. At this point, it came over me that I was truly a racing fan.
- The #13 was having some problems seeing and ran into the sand barriers, right as he was trying to enter pit lane. Incredible accident, and kind of bittersweet. This called for a caution, which helped get Charles and Scotty back up there after their pit stops.
- If you want to know where they finished…well pooh. I’m not telling you. Watch it on SpeedTV and experience the adrenaline for yourself.
So after CT race, we stayed up in the stands and watched the Rolex Pit Walks. Let me tell you, we were sitting right across from the DR pits, and we could not see that yellow car. Or at least barely see it. There were people EVERYWHERE, probably all hoping for Patrick to be there. When he finally did, people were supposed to be LEAVING pit lane so it was just hilarious to see all of them kind of turn and want to take pictures with him. It left me very happy to say the least. I’m not a fan of huge crowds.
Anyway, so we hunkered down for the race. By this time, I was practically jumping out of my seat. And when I saw that little #44 Porsche, I was so excited for it. Of course, I did predict it would only last an hour of the race and Diana said 45 minutes, but I was happy to see it would at least race. Again, I could go into detail of the race, but I’m assuming most of you watched it on TV, if you didn’t, it airs again tomorrow on Speed at noon, so WATCH IT. I’m not even going to talk about highlights. I just want to take this minute to address my status as a race fan.
Before HMS, I don’t think I was a casual race fan. I knew who drivers were, I knew teams, and I even somewhat understood the rules. I loved watching races on TV. But in the total of what…nearly 6 hours of racing I watched Saturday, something completely shifted in me. I’m a girly girl. I have a cute little dog I dress up in clothes. I watch Grey’s Anatomy, read crappy romance novels, and my hero is Audrey Hepburn. I paint my toes ruby slipper red and my fingers are cotton candy pink. I love wearing dresses. I am a girly girl and nothing has given me the feeling of intense adrenaline, excitement, and breathlessness like that which racing left me. I love auto racing. I love hearing the cars, I love watching them go round and round, I love counting back from the leader to find out where my car is, and I love the feeling of it. I know it may be what some consider “red neck” and maybe it is, but you know what? It’s incredible. I wish I could find the words to describe the smells, the sounds, the vibration you feel from deep within you, the feeling of cold steel against your hands as you grip it, waiting for your car to come around. I wish I could find the words to get across this point that auto racing is one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I am truly a cemented Grand-American auto racing fan.
After a basically cautionless race until the very end, despite Todd Lamb’s 30 car catching on fire with a ton of smoke (thankfully Jordan was okay), and with 15 minutes to go, it suddenly hit us that TS/DR was probably going to get podium so we BOOKED IT back down to the paddocks and then over to Victory Lane. By the time we got there, the checkered flag had dropped and I looked up to see that we had passed the 70 car and that we were IN 3RD PLACE. I thought I was going to die, I really did. I mean, it was DR’s first podium finish, and maybe it wasn’t the 40 car, but it was still DR’s first podium finish, and it was INCREDIBLE. Being there in Victory Lane as the champagne was sprayed everywhere, and hearing Patrick and Joe cheering for Leh and James…I think that just cemented the amazing experience for me.
After the podium, Diana and I saw Joe, who said he was feeling sore (no wonder, dude had just driven a car for 2 hours!) and we congratulated him and told him 40 was going to be next. He grinned and said he hoped so and then we went off to say goodbye to Dave and Jim, as Kirt and RayRay were missing. After that, we went out to the separate parking lots, feeling…well…basically on Cloud Nine.
I gained a lot out of the weekend. An awesome new racing buddy, a greater understanding of the sport, and even some confidence. But mostly, this girly-girl, this girl who started watching because Patrick Dempsey said he raced, well…she became an honest to god true race fan. I’m hoping to maybe head out to VIR in April, if not, Daytona, here I come!!!!!!!!!!!
When I woke up Saturday morning, I woke up ready to go. I was burnt, tired, and desperately needing a coffee, but I was ready. It was race day. Race day and I wouldn’t be watching it from SpeedTV like I always do. No, I would be there in the stands. I would see it all happen in person. I was almost too excited to breathe. And I don’t think I ate that morning. But off I went to HMS. It was practice when I got there, but I tried a little bit of CT stalking (my hot cocoa gave me courage) before going up to the stands and watching the cars. I don’t know if anyone knows this…but really, a lot of the times, the cars just look like little Hot Wheels going around and around, and I giggled uproariously at that.
After practice, I met up with Diana the rig. She was in a photo taking binge so I just kind of followed her and took pictures with her on my shitty digital cam. We stopped for this Dempsey FAN GIRL with the most ridiculous clear backpack with a checkered flag detail on it. She came bouncing up to us (literally bouncing, I’m not joking here) and wanted to know if we had bought tickets to the meet and greet. To show off her epic coolness for having purchased tickets to a meet and greet that seated 250 people, she showed us some wristband. Now, I’m not against liking Patrick Dempsey. I love the man, I do. He’s gorgeous, a good actor, and hell, he’s doing damn well racing cars. But when the fangirls are only there to see him and have no interest in his teammates, I get a little frustrated. Needless to say, I wasn’t as nice as I could have been.
After the FAN GIRL got the message (I’m pretty sure she did anyway as she left us alone the rest of the day), we were just poking around, grinning at everyone we saw (Todd Lamb, is that you? Yes, it is you!”), a tow truck suddenly came into view, and on the back of it was a very, very, badly injured #44 Porsche. Apparently, there had been a nasty accident in turn 4 and when I say this car looked like hell, I mean the crew had some SERIOUS work on their hands. It was at this point we saw James Jordan, Jim, and I actually met him. Diana was very concerned about the asshole photog leaning against our car and she went to tell him to keep an eye out.
But we left the DR area, still taking pictures. We were on our usual stalking CT mission again, and this time, I saw one of the Ghost Drivers in the flesh. Now, I don’t know where I suddenly got the cajones, but I walked right up and interrupted him in the middle of a conversation. Sadly, he was busy and told me to come back. I was to never see him again. But alas, we tried. There was some success and we could at least get on with our day and stop stalking CT drivers. Which was good, because I was sort of starting to think I was a little creepy.
After Diana finished with her photo binge, we went on our way to the Rolex Fan Walk. Well, we made our way up there, stopped at the old cars, and then made our way to the Rolex Fan Walk. Really, we should have known this was going to be epic when one of the drivers commented on how the line didn’t make any sense. We lined up in front of them and then had to go all the way down to the left. Apparently, this confused a driver. But what we didn’t know was how truly awesome this Fanwalk would be. It was my first one so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was a little disappointed when I noticed that the DP guys were just signing their hero cards and stacking them up. While I’m not the biggest fan of DP, I do follow a couple of them pretty closely and something about that offended me. But who am I to say anything? I’m just a fan.
So we’re doing our thing at the fanwalk, and we come up on the Chip Ganassi table, one of the DP cars I usually cheer for. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas had their signed hero cards and I grabbed one, just as Diana mentioned that she really likes Scott Pruett and the Ganassi car. I honestly don't know what possessed me in that moment. Maybe it was the pure effort it was taking to not fangirl over Joe Foster. Maybe it was the fact I was hungry. Maybe I was getting slightly frustrated with the Dempsey fan girls. But when I opened my mouth, I did indeed have a fangirl moment. Over Scott fuckin' Pruett. And when I say fangirl, I mean, I opened my mouth and said loudly while staring at the hero card, “I LOVE SCOTT PRUETT.” And suddenly, Diana goes, “Well, I think he’s happy to hear that.” And I turn my head and there’s Memo, laughing his ass off and Scott kind of smiling. I swear to god, I don’t know how fan girls do it on a daily basis. I wanted to die on the spot.
But instead, we moved on. Past the Gainsco guys (who were all fancy with their calendar they were giving out) and then finally to the Mazda guys. Now, this is where the details start getting fuzzy. Because the Mazda/Speedsource guys? HILARIOUS. And it all started with Todd Lamb, who was the first guy to sign the now famous Mazda cheat sheet, which was basically a huge poster with all of the Mazdas and the names of the guys who drove them for Rolex. Diana made some comment about it being a cheat sheet and Todd Lamb was all, “I think I like that.” And I said something like, “You’ll have to tell everyone from here on out they’re getting the Mazda cheat sheet.” He agreed. And then Diana had a brief argument with the 69 guys over which car was better 69 or 70. I was just merrily watching them sign my Mazda cheat sheet. And then, somehow, Diana started talking about the pictures she had taken of the cars flaming that morning. Jeff Segal says something along the lines of, “That would be cool to see. Better the cars flamin’ out than the drivers.” And Diana tells him that if he has Facebook, he’ll be able to see all the Mazdas flaming out. And in the moment that signed my fate for that fan walk, Jeff raises his hand, does a limp wrist, and says in the most effeminate voice ever, “Thanks, honey!” I died laughing, which I’m sure what happened next wouldn’t have happened if Jeff hadn’t been so damn funny.
I was still laughing when we moved to the 68 guys who promptly noticed our DR shirts. Who said what is fuzzy, but the conversation is as follows:
68 driver: Dempsey Racing, huh?
Me and Diana: Yep.
68 driver: Give me one good reason why you’re a Dempsey Racing fan.
Diana: JOE FOSTER (she might as well have said Joe Freakin’ Foster)
Me: Because they drive great races and keep getting better.
68 driver: So it has nothing to do with that Patrick guy?
Okay. Stop here. Hindsight, my friends, is 20/20. If I had bothered to look up at this point, I would have noticed that Patrick Dempsey was sitting right there, talking to some kid about Formula One. I also would have paid attention to the fact that the dude was looking at Patrick when he asked the question. But noooo, Jeff Segal had to go and make a gay joke and I was still laughing. Because my answer was humiliating, funny, and caused a snowball of events.
Me: Nah, he’s just okay.
Patrick Dempsey’s voice from out of nowhere: I’m just okay?
See? If I had had any sense, I would have tried to fix this situation. Because Patrick Dempsey was looking right at me and he had his scruffiness and the hat and the eyes and really, he’s a famous Hollywood actor. But for whatever reason, at the race, I saw him as a normal guy that I could just tease. So…
Me: Yeah, you’re just okay, sorry, Patrick.”
P *laughing*: Well, I’m working on it.
Me: We know.
And still…my brain was not telling me to shut up. Nooooo, my brain wanted me to keep on going. So when we walked up to Patrick’s table and the cheat sheet was handed to him, he was all, “So you guys are Joe Foster fans?” And I blurted out, “Of course, Ray Ray and Joe, who could be better?” And he just laughed and I managed to ask him to sign a hero card for a friend of mine. I thank him and then…Patrick and Joe had their bromance moment. Before I could even tell Joe that I love him and he’s awesome, Patrick hands Joe a picture Diana took in Utah and is all, “You look pensive in this one. Nice picture, buddy.” Or something to that effect. And I just move on down to Leh and James.
Leh and James are quiet sort of dudes, which I can respect, but I was dead set on getting them to say words to me. So the Mazda cheat sheet is passed down to them and Leh kind of looks at it and goes, “Oh man, Foster’s cramping our style.” Joe had apparently signed over the TS car because Patrick had to go and sign the #40 huge. So I laugh and say, “How do you guys like being part of Dempsey Racing?” Leh’s response? “They’re pretty straight.” And James asked us if we wanted a TS poster.
And then FINALLY, my brain goes, “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO PATRICK DEMPSEY??????” It was a total delayed reaction. And even though I then moved on to Andy Lally who I absolutely adore and wanted to talk to and have a picture with, I suddenly couldn’t stop wondering what the hell had possessed me to tease Patrick Dempsey. He’s not just any guy, he’s not a guy I’m flirting with, he’s PATRICK DEMPSEY. So I grab Lally’s hero card, move onto Spencer Pumpelly’s table, and I’m still totally shaking. I wanted to say something to Pumpelly, and I think I did, but all I remember is grabbing a hero card and turning to walk away. Diana mentions she likes him too and I go, “He’s right there! Go get a hero card.” So Diana goes and then she walks back and we start to head back to the Paddocks, thinking that that was the best part of the day. Boy, hindsight really is 20/20.
So Diana and I walk away, giggling and feeling like we’re King Shits for making the Speedsource guys laugh (and my brain is still calling me all kinds of foul names). We’re just feeling on top of the world and then…we see her. With her checkered back pack and DR t-shirt. FAN GIRL. She’s just standing there, this little pout on her face, and I burst out laughing before turning to Diana and saying, “Do you think she realizes there’s a fan walk going on like…50 feet from here where she could meet and talk to Patrick?” Which led to both of us laughing over the hilarity and absurdity of it all.
After we saw FAN GIRL, I wanted to go back one last time to see if I could find Ghost Driver Eversley again, but he was nowhere to be found so Diana and I went to the Grand-Am merchandise trailer, where I bought a hat because my face was on fire. So I throw the hat on and throw my hero cards and calendars into a bag. And Diana rolls up my Team Seattle poster. I totally thought it would be okay, and we would never need it again.
But we were wrong. So so wrong. Because we’re walking along and we’re in the Rolex section and I see Don Kitch, Jr. chilling out by our rig. Don Freakin’ Kitch, Jr. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite books is Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, and that after I watched Le Mans, I was like, “Holy shit, that’s THAT Don Freakin’ Kitch, Jr.! “ So when I saw him, my little heart went all aflutter. I was worried a fangirl moment was coming, I really was. He was talking to some photographer and we’re just standing there, hovering, holding our posters. And he looks over and says, “Can I help you ladies?” So I said, “Um, hi, Don. Can you sign our posters?” And he laughs and points to the photographer and says, “This is my friend, Patrick Dempsey.” I laughed and said something about having just seen Patrick. So then he turns to his friend and says, “Oh, they think I’m Patrick Dempsey.
And I could go on and on about this conversation with Don Kitch, Jr. I could. Diana and I spent a good 15 minutes with him. Suffice it to say, he signed our posters, personalized and everything, and then he started talking. And it’s the conversation that means the most to me out of all of the conversations I had in Miami. He was very open with us and he talked about a lot of different things. Le Mans, his dog, his racing school in Seattle, driving, and secrets about The Art of Racing in the Rain. And I will spend a long time treasuring that conversation and remembering it.
So after the conversation with the amazingness that is Don Kitch, Jr., Diana and I realized it was time for the CT Fan Walk. Now, when we had told Jim we were getting ready for the CT fan walk, he kept saying, “The cars are garaged over there.” And we’re kind of going, “Uh…no shit, Jim.” I THINK what Jim was trying to tell us was that the Fan Walk was not a fan walk like the Rolex, but a PIT WALK. Yeah, Diana and I went up all the way up to the damn grandstands pavilion and all we see are a bunch of old guys sitting at the tables. And then we see a sign. CT PIT WALK. Ah, hell. So we went down to the pits. Diana went off on one end to find Ghost Driver Numero 2 (Charles Espenlaub) while I went off on the other end to find Numero 1 (Ryan Eversley). While I was walking down there, I saw Scott Maxwell, kind of hiding behind the 15 Mustang and decided not to bother him (man, I’m good people) and kind of walked, looking at all the cars. Needless to say, neither Ghost Drivers were there and Diana and I went to have lunch.
The line was ridiculous (especially for a $3 hot dog and $4 bottle of water) and as we were standing there frying, we saw FAN GIRL. I didn’t think she looked very happy, probably realized that the so-called “Meet and Greet” wasn’t quite what she had imagined. I felt kind of sorry for her, sitting there all by her lonesome and not looking like she was enjoying herself. I never saw her again, and I kept an eye out for her. She probably left, not wanting to stay behind for some race. A true FAN GIRL to say the least.
So we ate and then we headed up to watch the rest of the CT race. Keep in mind, this is my first live race. I’m used to watching this on TV so I had no idea what to expect. Everyone who knew I was going said I would get bored, that I’d want to leave. My mom was even prepared for this. For the record, everyone was WRONG. I have never, in my entire life, been more on the side of my seat. I was breathless for half of it, and I found myself screaming and cheering and getting pissed. I honestly don’t know how more people don’t watch and like racing.
The CT race was intense. It really and truly was. I know a lot of people haven’t watched it yet as I believe it airs the 13th on SpeedTV. And when it does air, WATCH IT. I know I will be. So I’m just going to list the highlights:
- Number 75 Honda. This is Ghost Driver 1’s car. And I was watching it, rooting for GD1. And I don’t know if GD2 in the 48 BMW or Scotty in the 15 Mustang passed, but the next thing I knew, I was looking up and there was an orange car smoking out. I thought it looked like the orange Hondas belonging to Compass360 Racing but I just couldn’t tell. And then when we noticed the 75 hadn’t gone by us again…we knew it was done for 75 and GD1. And it was sad.
- For most of the second stint, 15 and 48 were neck to neck. 1st and 2nd. I was cheering so loud for Scotty Maxwell that my throat was starting to hurt. At this point, it came over me that I was truly a racing fan.
- The #13 was having some problems seeing and ran into the sand barriers, right as he was trying to enter pit lane. Incredible accident, and kind of bittersweet. This called for a caution, which helped get Charles and Scotty back up there after their pit stops.
- If you want to know where they finished…well pooh. I’m not telling you. Watch it on SpeedTV and experience the adrenaline for yourself.
So after CT race, we stayed up in the stands and watched the Rolex Pit Walks. Let me tell you, we were sitting right across from the DR pits, and we could not see that yellow car. Or at least barely see it. There were people EVERYWHERE, probably all hoping for Patrick to be there. When he finally did, people were supposed to be LEAVING pit lane so it was just hilarious to see all of them kind of turn and want to take pictures with him. It left me very happy to say the least. I’m not a fan of huge crowds.
Anyway, so we hunkered down for the race. By this time, I was practically jumping out of my seat. And when I saw that little #44 Porsche, I was so excited for it. Of course, I did predict it would only last an hour of the race and Diana said 45 minutes, but I was happy to see it would at least race. Again, I could go into detail of the race, but I’m assuming most of you watched it on TV, if you didn’t, it airs again tomorrow on Speed at noon, so WATCH IT. I’m not even going to talk about highlights. I just want to take this minute to address my status as a race fan.
Before HMS, I don’t think I was a casual race fan. I knew who drivers were, I knew teams, and I even somewhat understood the rules. I loved watching races on TV. But in the total of what…nearly 6 hours of racing I watched Saturday, something completely shifted in me. I’m a girly girl. I have a cute little dog I dress up in clothes. I watch Grey’s Anatomy, read crappy romance novels, and my hero is Audrey Hepburn. I paint my toes ruby slipper red and my fingers are cotton candy pink. I love wearing dresses. I am a girly girl and nothing has given me the feeling of intense adrenaline, excitement, and breathlessness like that which racing left me. I love auto racing. I love hearing the cars, I love watching them go round and round, I love counting back from the leader to find out where my car is, and I love the feeling of it. I know it may be what some consider “red neck” and maybe it is, but you know what? It’s incredible. I wish I could find the words to describe the smells, the sounds, the vibration you feel from deep within you, the feeling of cold steel against your hands as you grip it, waiting for your car to come around. I wish I could find the words to get across this point that auto racing is one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I am truly a cemented Grand-American auto racing fan.
After a basically cautionless race until the very end, despite Todd Lamb’s 30 car catching on fire with a ton of smoke (thankfully Jordan was okay), and with 15 minutes to go, it suddenly hit us that TS/DR was probably going to get podium so we BOOKED IT back down to the paddocks and then over to Victory Lane. By the time we got there, the checkered flag had dropped and I looked up to see that we had passed the 70 car and that we were IN 3RD PLACE. I thought I was going to die, I really did. I mean, it was DR’s first podium finish, and maybe it wasn’t the 40 car, but it was still DR’s first podium finish, and it was INCREDIBLE. Being there in Victory Lane as the champagne was sprayed everywhere, and hearing Patrick and Joe cheering for Leh and James…I think that just cemented the amazing experience for me.
After the podium, Diana and I saw Joe, who said he was feeling sore (no wonder, dude had just driven a car for 2 hours!) and we congratulated him and told him 40 was going to be next. He grinned and said he hoped so and then we went off to say goodbye to Dave and Jim, as Kirt and RayRay were missing. After that, we went out to the separate parking lots, feeling…well…basically on Cloud Nine.
I gained a lot out of the weekend. An awesome new racing buddy, a greater understanding of the sport, and even some confidence. But mostly, this girly-girl, this girl who started watching because Patrick Dempsey said he raced, well…she became an honest to god true race fan. I’m hoping to maybe head out to VIR in April, if not, Daytona, here I come!!!!!!!!!!!