Nascar Camping Camping at Nascar Races

(posted on August 25, 2008) We are honoured to confirm that Nascar Camping as a group was the highest earning group for the NASCAR Foundation for the track walk this past week at Bristol Motor Speedway. According to Nascar Camper JimmieJohnson, "During the pre-walk activities we as a group were recognized and a few members went up on stage and presented a check. Of course that was all of the organized recognition but many people stopped and talked to us along our half mile journey."

Below are some photos of this great event. Click on images to enlarge. Thanks to JimmieJohnson for the images.

(posted on August 19, 2008) The NASCAR Foundation track walk at BMS is only days away, and the NascarCamping.com web team and Melissa Young (bigolepig to the forum regulars!) are laying down the gauntlet!

"If you are like me you wish you could attend the Track Walk in Bristol," Melissa says, "(so) I signed up to walk in spirit.... We only have a few days to get this done. Give what you can...sign up to walk if you are going to be there. Let's make our voices heard in Thunder Valley!!"

Those who intend to participate in the actual walk must go to the CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO WALK link on the page so the Nascar Camping team gets credit for the entry. If you are NOT be able to attend, but would like to make a donation, please click on the CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION link.

...AND WE WILL SEND YOU YOUR CHOICE OF A ROOKIES TAILGATE PATCH OR LAPEL PIN!!

Not a member of the forum?? Joining is easy! Sign up, make your donation, then PM Melissa with your address and choice of pin or patch!

In April 2008 NascarCamping.com and its huge extended family of race fans undertook a fundraising drive for our first ever NASCAR Foundation Track Walk. We're thrilled to announce that we won first place in the overall fundraising competition between various groups.

For this, we extend a heartfelt thanks to all Fellow Campers who donated money to this great cause. We're waiting to see if NASCAR will post details on their site too, so we can link to it and share the good news. We're also looking at posting our own 'Hall of Fame' listing the contributors and the amounts they donated.

We also want to thank Melissa Young (bigolepig) for spearheading this project at Texas Motor Speedway and organizing it from start to finish. Melissa, without you this would never have happened. What we need her to now do is clone herself and take her little 'pig feet' all over the country so that she can work the same magic at each track that's hosting a walk this year.

Having said that, however, we're realists and know that it's not possible. So we're challenging ALL OF YOU to step up and organize teams for the other NASCAR Foundation Track Walks. There's a lot we can collectively do for this cause: as Melissa said, if all of our regular forum members contributed $5.00, we'd raise $1500 at each walk!!

The NASCAR Foundation Track Walks are a perfect official charity of choice for us as a group. It gives us the chance to meet in person, deepen friendships that have already grown strong online, and raise money for an excellent cause.

Imagine going to a race with this kind of purpose in mind: not just to watch the cars and revel in the speed, but also to make a difference in someone else's life. As I've always said, making a difference in someone's life is truly the meaning of life. We have the power to do this, so let's do it!

I am also extremely proud of my ongoing association with the Motor Racing Outreach, a laudible and dedicated organization, and have supported it in a number of ways, one of which was the donation of four campsites at Graves Farm Campground (Michigan International Speedway) to MRO volunteers. These sites alone were worth $1200, but it's the least I can do for such a praiseworthy group.

It was our privilege to recently donate six tickets to the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities. Nascar Camping is proud to be a supporter of such a worthy cause.

I have always availed myself of every opportunity to support the racing community, and will continue to do so. One of my fondest memories took place at Daytona. The fighter pilots from 325 Fighter Wing based out of Tyndale, Florida, were my guests at my Daytona social events in 2005 and 2006. As a pilot myself and former 'military man', I always had a great time talking to them about their missions and aircraft. One year we talked for a couple of hours about both subjects! If you were at the Daytona 500 in 2005 and wondered why #4 after the flyby was rocking his wings back and forth, he was saying hello to us down in the Lake Lloyd area! I for one sure appreciate what they have done for us (and I'm Canadian!) so it was truly an honour to get to meet them and shake their hands. See my blog entry about it here.

Using this site as a base, I intend to explore further avenues of support for NASCAR fans. The possibilities are as vast as the Internet itself.

Below are some photos and a fantastic video of Melissa receiving the praise she so richly deserves!

We were pleased to learn that Eric Knuuttunen, son of forum member Terry Knuuttunen (Madfinnhockey) was featured on the front page of the Laconia, NH Citizen. Well done!!

Cayuga Speedway

Hamilton, Ontario businessman and philanthropist Chris Ecklund, who is NascarCamping.com's founder and sponsor, is pleased to announce that he has commissioned Tim Miller, veteran sports journalist for the Hamilton Spectator, to write a book about Cayuga Speedway. Dubbed the "Crown Jewel" of Canadian racetracks, the 5/8 mile oval has a vibrant 40 year history worth preserving. Over the years, Cayuga Speedway has seen such NASCAR legends as Dale Earnhardt Sr., Rusty Wallace, and Don Biederman pit their skills against Canada's top racing talent. Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Ron Fellows have also competed there. It has hosted some of the biggest events in Canadian stock car competition.

Mr. Ecklund is self-publishing the book, which will be a coffee table volume, and intends to have it available for purchase in time for the ARCA race in June. He is paying all costs associated with research, image acquisition, writing, and publication out of his own pocket. The book is intended to educate sports writers and race fans of all ages about Cayuga Speedway's thrilling past as well as hint at its glowing future.

Do you love NASCAR? Then join us as a member of the NascarCamping.com group!

NascarCamping.com has been covered by both the internet and print media. Race fans also find us via word of mouth, which is especially important to us. We've built this site up using fan photos, reviews, and feedback.

There's a separate section for each track that hosts NASCAR races and events- be sure to visit each one for current camping information and fan-submitted photos of past events. Other site features include:

Ask The Tech- we have a RVIA Master Certified Tech with over 20 years' experience as a regular participant on our fan forum.
Buying Tickets on Ebay- Melissa Young (bigolepig on the forum) has written an Ebay guide that includes tips on how to avoid being scammed when you purchase race tickets on Ebay.
Nascar Flags- New to NASCAR? Find out what all those flags mean!
Nascar News - all the leading NASCAR RSS feeds in one place!

Be sure to also check the NEWS section each time you visit, as all site additions and changes are announced there.

Send mail to info@nascarcamping.com with questions or comments about this web site.

LATEST SITE ADDITIONS:

Below are photos submitted by Shirley Wright. Click to Enlarge. Thanks so much, Shirley!

ARCA "06" Tim Mitchell Driver

ARCA_Anthony with Shirley and SteveW