Watching a NASCAR Winston Cup race on television is nothing compared to seeing it in person. I got the opportunity to go the Chevy Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia, and I had the time of my life.

If you ever go to a Winston Cup race, get pit passes. It is well worth the extra money to go onto the track and watch the crews prepare for race time and see the cars roll out onto pit road.

As we were heading through the underground foot tunnel to the track, I heard someone say the name “Roger Penske.” I turned around, and there was car owner Roger Penske walking directly behind me. You never know whom you’ll meet when you are at the track.

While we were in the pits, some of the teams handed out race-used lug nuts as souvenirs. I received them from Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Kenny Wallace’s teams. Jeff Gordon’s pit box was the most exciting because some of the crew men hung around to answer questions, take pictures and chat with the fans.

When you are in the pits, you can really get a sense of how much banking there is. It doesn’t look like much on television, but it is more than you think. I like the design of the Richmond speedway.

The track is moderately banked at 14 degrees, and has a “D” shape. The Bahres at New Hampshire International Speedway at Loudon could learn from what the people at Richmond have done. If they made New Hampshire International Speedway more like Richmond, with more banking and a smoother entrance into the corners, you would see a lot better racing.

When we headed to our seats, we had no idea what was planned by RIR. Taped to the front of our seats were cards we were supposed to hold up just before the start of the race. The red, white and blue cards, together, created a huge American flag.

When the time came, I was taken aback by how it all came together – and the effect that it had on most people. It was almost as though everyone said “wow” at the same time. That was very special. A chant of “USA, USA” started soon after.

Then, it was time to race. A few extra pace laps were run to clear the Speedy-Dry off the track because one of the show cars put down oil. Everyone was on their feet when the green flag waved. You paid for a seat, but not one person was using it.

When you first hear 43 cars roaring by, it is almost overpowering. You don’t just hear them go by, you feel them go by.

You can never appreciate the speed of these cars – and this is at a short track. I can’t imagine seeing how fast they would go at Daytona or Talladega. There is just nothing compared to being there yourself. You can watch the driver you want, and not the driver the announcer wants to watch.

It wasn’t long before a car was into the wall, and it was Elliott Sadler. It was difficult to see his car because we were seated low in turn four, and couldn’t see the entrance of turn three because of the haulers. That was a big problem for the spotters as well, and it was a big reason for there being so many crashes in turn three.

Soon we saw Jeff Burton, Jimmy Spencer, Sterling Marlin and Terry Labonte go into the wall. I watched closely as Labonte spun and hit the wall hard. It is amazing that these athletes (yes, they are athletes) can walk away from these rough crashes.

Labonte’s car was demolished, but he walked away without a scratch.

There was a lot of passing, crashing and blown tires. Most of the excitement was in the last 10 laps when some guys pitted for fuel or blown tires, and Tony Stewart lost a transmission. But at the end, it was Matt Kenseth in Victory Lane.

All in all, it was a great race and a fantastic experience for anyone who was there. I’m looking forward to going to more NASCAR races, especially those at Richmond.

Alex Barber is a senior at Brewer High School. He can be reached at: AlexBarber02@yahoo.com.