The Top Reasons to See the Prelude to the Dream Event at Eldora

After going to the Prelude to the Dream event at Eldora Speedway for the fourth year (out of five years running), I decided that I needed to make a list of the top reasons why you should see it for yourself. Sure you can watch it at home on HBO, but being there is the best part.

#1: Tony has finally taken care of the bathroom situation. In previous years the track bathrooms were terrible and by the halfway point of the night, you wanted to avoid it at all costs possible. This year Tony fixed things and the bathrooms were cleaned fairly frequently.

#2: Dirt is everywhere. During the last three races, I ended up with a chunk of dirt the size of a quarter hitting me in the throat. This year it was my boyfriend’s turn, as he got the dirt in the throat. We looked at each other and just started laughing. We had to keep laughing when we got home from Eldora and discovered dirt in our clothes, my purse and anywhere else we had an uncovered part.

#3: Randomness everywhere. This year I stopped by a small table of Kevin Harvick autographed merchandise to pick up a car I’ve coveted, only to discover that the people running the table were actually his neighbors! He offered them a free trip up on his plane and then asked them to run the table. They were incredibly nice and I’d love to talk to them again in the future.

#4: The unexpected. Who would have guessed that AJ Allmendinger of all people would wreck into the wall and break his car? Or that Joey Lagano would not only ruin one car, but get in a backup car and wreck that one?

#5: The home track advantage. Yes seeing Tony win for the third straight year was a little disappointing, but at some point, someone has to get past him and walk out with that trophy. This is the place where Kenny Wallace won, without any experience on a dirt track so you never know what to expect.

#6: The cars. There’s nothing like seeing these late model cars up close and in person. You can’t fully appreciate the awesome gold and black car driven by Clint Bowyer unless you saw it in person. It’s the only place in the world where you can see all the drivers turn up in late model cars decorated just like their real ones.

#7: The drivers. When we took out seats at the track, we had no idea that we were sitting right across from Kyle Busch’s car and hauler, nor did we know that he’d spend the next two hours working on his car and joking around right in front of us. The drivers are incredibly laid back at Eldora and it’s something you don’t usually get to see. Hearing Kyle joke about forgetting what number he was driving was something I’ll never forget.

#8: Closer than ever. Eldora is unique in that you have the chance to sit closer than anywhere else. We sat right on the corner of turn 1, right beside the fence line. I was close enough to grab a visor tear off and stick it in my purse! Try doing that at a NASCAR race…

You can watch the Prelude to the Dream event at Eldora, but why would you? If you’re a NASCAR fan, you have to see this track and event up close and in person. It’s an experience that you’ll never forget.