The first race I went to was the 1999 Pepsi 400 when I was 10, but I never really started watching on TV consistently until 2003. First 'Dega memory was the '03 Spring race when Newman's tire going down triggered The Big One on lap 4 or something. Then Sadler's flip in the Fall race, I gave up my ticket to a Buccaneers vs. Saints game to stay home and watch it.
Favorite 'Dega memory besides working on the #30 car in last year's ARCA race was in 2011 when a friend and I randomly decided to drive up to Alabama from Orlando at 3 AM the morning of the truck race. We stopped at a Walmart just outside of Atlanta, picked up a couple Crimson Tide folding chairs, cooler and a cheap tent. Scalped tickets and winged it the whole weekend, complete with watching an LSU vs 'Bama game at a packed Applebee's (Talladega Nights, we had to go to Applebee's) then going to a local bar called the Montana Saloon. Ended up passing out in the truck at the Saloon's parking lot (wasted money on the tent, oh well). Woke up Sunday AM to a nice letter on a napkin under the windshield wiper from 2 girls who my buddy apparently got to know pretty well that night. Watched the Cup race that day slightly hung over, thought we saw Regan Smith die, photo finish... drove 9 hours back to Orlando and made it to work Monday morning with 3 hours of sleep.
DEGA
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obviously asking for time off, getting refused then becoming ill was like placing a big pink neon sign above your head reading 'sickie'.