Page 270 - 2019_NPPG_digital copy

TAILGATING

NASCAR STYLE

Ronnie Neely knows that on game day Tailgating at Texas Motor Speedway is Texas where tailgating legends are
the traffic up I-35 toward Texas Motor religion to some. The large rigs that lit- born. Each track finds its own identity
Speedway is slower than usual, but he ter the asphalt jungle are outfitted with and traditions.
beats most to the track. margarita machines, state-of-the-art
grills, serving tables, cable television, Bristol Motor Speedway in August is
As Neely family and friends get within surround sound, subwoofers, or an where tailgaters have all day to mari-
a few miles of the track, that familiar old-fashioned smoker. nate in beer and burgers before a night
smell starts to fill the air. “You feel the race. Lowe’s Motor Speedway has
excitement in your lungs, in your heart, Few sports have embraced the tail- some of the most passionate NASCAR
all over,” the 12-year tailgating veteran, gating tradition like racing. It’s not just fans on the planet. There, tailgates are as
Neely says. loud and raucous as any. Indianapolis,

At some tracks, it’s Bud Light you
smell; at others, it’s hot dogs. In
Texas, it’s barbecue. Brisket, sliced or
chopped, that is how they do it.

270 THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2019 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE