Attending NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway (Austin: buying, live, bus)

[SickOfCalifornia]

Hi all. I just moved to Austin, and I am so excited to finally live relatively near a good NASCAR track.

I know that getting in and out of Texas Motor Speedway is a hellacious undertaking because of the number of fans and limited road access. I would really appreciate any and all tips from NASCAR fans who have attended a Cup race for their advice about travel in and out on race day.

For example: Should I even bother to try driving in, or are chartered bus packages more realistic? If I can't camp, what's the best way to get in and how long does it realistically take? Also, where is a good section of the Speedway to sit? Any other tips for race day? Or the ticket level I should buy? Or if buying pit passes is worth it or a gimmick?

Big race fan here, thanks!

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

Hi all. I just moved to Austin, and I am so excited to finally live relatively near a good NASCAR track.

I know that getting in and out of Texas Motor Speedway is a hellacious undertaking because of the number of fans and limited road access. I would really appreciate any and all tips from NASCAR fans who have attended a Cup race for their advice about travel in and out on race day.

For example: Should I even bother to try driving in, or are chartered bus packages more realistic? If I can't camp, what's the best way to get in and how long does it realistically take? Also, where is a good section of the Speedway to sit? Any other tips for race day? Or the ticket level I should buy? Or if buying pit passes is worth it or a gimmick?

Big race fan here, thanks!

I took my 10 year old last year. My wife got us tickets in the cheap seats on the backstretch. We parked in the backstretch lot right next to the track and were out of the track within 20 minutes of the end of the race.

[**NoodLes**]

I will probably never ever go back to TMS, there are no words to describe how bad the traffic is before and after the race. Remember, before you head back out, use the restroom cuz your gonna be sittin for a loooooooooooooong time. I'd rather listen to screeching chalk on a blackboard then go thru that debacle ever again!!

[ChristieP]

Now that the roads to/from TMS have been improved, gettign to/from the track is really a breeze. It's nothing like it used to be the first few years when the roads around it were non-existent!!

[SickOfCalifornia]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Now that the roads to/from TMS have been improved, gettign to/from the track is really a breeze. It's nothing like it used to be the first few years when the roads around it were non-existent!!

What kind of time-frame should I be looking at? How early should I leave? Any specifics would be really helpful.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

What kind of time-frame should I be looking at? How early should I leave? Any specifics would be really helpful.

You don't just go for the race. There are warm-ups, vendors' trailers, opening ceremonies, etc. My dad is a huge NASCAR fan, and he usually plans to get to the track about 9-10 AM for a race with a noon-1 PM start. He wants to see everything before the race! I think it would be safe to say to leave 4 hours before the start of the race if you want to see the grounds.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Just wanted to bump this up and see if there was any more advice for me.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

Just wanted to bump this up and see if there was any more advice for me.

Advice: consider open-wheel racing, preferably Formula 1..Nascar is a joke.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by skids929

Advice: consider open-wheel racing, preferably Formula 1..Nascar is a joke.

Formula 1 isn't much better. Sure the cars are cool but the series is about as competitive as NASCAR. Plus, Formula 1 has *cough* Team Orders *cough*. Nothing like watching the leader slow down and pull over so the team's #1 driver can win the race. In every other sport they call that cheating.

The IRL used to be amazing but they've been using the same chassis and engine package for 5 years now. The competition level is terrible and the on-track product has been tricked up with gimmicks like push-to-pass to make the racing seem better. The series is also thoroughly dominated by 2 teams - Penske and Ganassi.

Is NASCAR great? No, but I'd rather watch it than an open-wheel series where the race is typically decided in the first turn of the first lap (F1) or a series who's only American buy-in is a marginally talented calendar model.

[BigCanada]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

Just wanted to bump this up and see if there was any more advice for me.

I would agree with a previous poster. If you are coming for the Sprint cup, I would plan on getting to TMS about 10 or 11 for the 3pm race. Driving in is usually pretty easy that early before the race. It will be a little bit heavier than average traffic but should not be bad. Getting out can be a different story if the cops are mucking up traffic by sending people out of their way. A lot of times, they will send one lane a certain way without any warning and there is no room to go over a lane. I would recommend coming in and leaving out of the north enterance as the south is typically considered the main enterance and there are less fans coming from the north.
Pit passes are worth it as the pits are a sideline pass for a racing fan. The pits usually close about an hour before the race so the earlier you get there the more time you have down there. As with any track, the grounds are huge and it is usually about a mile to walk from the parking lot to the pits/infield. The vendors displays are also pretty cool to check out.
Google maps says about 4 hours solid on I-35 to I-35W so to get there by 11am you would probably want to leave by 6am allowing for traffic, accidents, gas, etc.

Have fun!
BigCanada