There may be no more loyal sports fans than NASCAR fans. Who else shows up days before a big event? The AAA Texas 500 doesn't run until Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. But the infield is already filling up.
Rob Comes didn't come to the track empty-handed.
"Just about everything," said the Oklahoma City resident. "Comforts of home, TV, satellite."
Surveying the site outside his trailer home, complete with all those those amenities, plus a tent, tables and chairs, he isn't exactly roughing it.
"No!" he laughs.
Comes is ready for racing, and other things.
"We enjoy the races," said the lifelong NASCAR fan. "A lot of people come for the atmosphere. We enjoy both."
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The speedway infield is a camper city. Chris Starnes brought a crew of friends and family from the high plains of Canadian, Texas — a five-hour drive. As he sipped from a Coors Light can at just before noon, he explained the draw.
"We pull in here Tuesday night, set up in the parking lot." he said. "They open the gates, we set up, hang out and party 'til Monday morning."
The party, for many, is already underway. It's like one big reunion.
"We come with some friends. It's a big get together," said Ted Weiler, who arrived Thursday morning from Lamesa. "We barbecue, watch the races, have a good time."
Sunday's race will bring the smell of grills and smokers, not to mention burning rubber and exhaust. The AAA Texas 500 is the eighth installment of NASCAR's 10-race version of the playoffs — the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
"They go really, really fast, and usually there's a lot of wrecks," Starnes said.
"On race day, it gets a little crazy," said CJ Bollinger, who drove in Thursday from Lubbock with his father. "Everybody's rooting for their guy and having a good time."
Getting to race day — for these fans — well, it's a process.
"The main thing is just come out, cook out, hang out with your friends and have a good time," Starnes said.
Last year, the start of the race at TMS was delayed for six hours by rain. With sun in this weekend's forecast, it's perfect weather for a party, and some good old-fashioned racing.
