The week

[mayqueen517]

So, it's coming up on race week, which means I will be almost completely MIA until probably Sunday.

I do general infield security, so it's not too bad (like if I was in the stands, omg thank you but NO), but still, ennnhhh.



I get to explore taking out my monroe and putting it back in every single day, which should be interesting. Especially considering it took me almost 5 minutes to figure out the best way to get the ball off to change it last night. XD (Whatever, I got it in June, I'm still not A+ awesome with fiddling with it)

I'd leave it in, and my boss would let me, but SMI Security says no because LOLOLOL SAFETY HAZARD. Which, okay, with some of those drunk ass rednecks, I wouldn't put it past them to grab at the piercing.

[/ramble]


Anyways, sorry. Last year, in October, I showed up after all the haulers and motorhomes had been brought in, since it was my first time working at the speedway.

Back in May, I worked a lot of it, which meant that I got to help park some motorhomes etc.

This year, I'm going in on the day everything starts. I have to be at the speedway at 8am, which isn't bad at ALL. I'll go to my post, which is at the top of the Competitor Motorhome lot. It's where all the drivers park their motorcoaches and shit, and it's generally a good spot.

The good thing about going in early is that by the time we're halfway through everything, I'll have all those bitches totally trained to have their credentials out, and I'll barely have to check shit.

That sounds lazy and...it is. XD

Anyways, Monday I'll go to my spot, settle in with my car and the stool I have. What I have to look for are parking stickers that say "Competitor Motorhome Lot", things like that. They have to have them in their window or I don't let them in. And a lot of people think that if I know them, I'll let them through.

Nope.

Unless they say they're picking someone up, then generally I'll let them through only after checking their hardcard.

The hardcards are the key, really. The passes are sort of ignored, if only because I'm pretty good about remembering tag numbers, etc, and if they're in there longer than half an hour without the proper pass, I can have them towed. I um. Maybe had Clint Boyer towed in May. WHATEVER, HE DIDN'T HAVE HIS PASS. Bobby (my boss) loved that to distraction. It still makes him laugh.

And sometimes people really ARE just going through to pick a driver up for an interview. Typically, it's a judgment call.

The hardcard is exactly what it sounds like...it's a pretty normal ID card and what-not.

On it, you'll see a picture of the person, who they're affiliated with, what organization, etc. And on the back, there's a disclaimer and all that fun stuff.

So basically, if it was for, say..Dale Earnhardt Jr

Picture of him
Driver
Team 88
HMS (which stands for Hendrick Motorsports, his team owner)

And that's a big thing, because we have to see that. The thing about those hardcards? The strict rules about them come from the drivers. They sat down with our security heads (Bobby being one of them) and said, this is what we want your security to do.

Okie-doke.

For the record, at least 80% of them are fine about showing it and even hold it up at the window of their cars or as they walk by. About 10% forget about it and are totally sheepish when they do (I like them. XD). Around...8% of the drivers will get seriously offended when you card them and demand to know the name of your boss. (When I tell them it's Bobby, things tend to change, because Bobby dislikes all drivers equally and they know it. XD)

That remaining 2%? They're the ones famous enough that you just do not card. Case in point: Last October, I was standing around, minding my own business, as you do, and all of a sudden, I see this really tall guy walking towards me.

Man, I thought, he looks super familiar. Hey, he's wearing a hat like Richard Petty.....OH MY GOD, IT'S RICHARD PETTY.

So, no, I didn't card RICHARD PETTY. (If you don't know NASCAR, Mr. Petty is A HUGE DEAL. Also, an absolutely lovely human-being) (which is more than I can say for a few other famous drivers)

Checking hardcards and parking passes is the majority of my job. A lot of times, because I see them so often, I'll tell the motorhome drivers to just show it to me early in the morning and all, and I'll let them roam freely.

Along with checking hardcards, I have to check passes on the golf-carts.

This past May was especially interesting, because after spending around 2 weeks or so around these guys, they're all super friendly, and they were all SUPER WORRIED about me passing out and shit. (Because I did Weds-Sat the first week and Weds-Sun the second week...6am to 6pm in the May heat) Michael Waltrip kept sending me water every single freaking day, which was DELIGHTFUL of him.

My personal favorite from May was Marcus Ambrose, the Aussie driver, because his crew came through, none of them with hardcards or ANYTHING. And one of them was appealing to me to try and remember them and I couldn't help but LAUGH. (There are a couple of thousand people on the infield at any given time) And finally, Marcus goes, "Aw, c'mon, we'll be the ones with the funny accents!" and beamed at me.

...Yeah, okay, I let them go. (and hey, if I needed to flag them down, I could just go THEY WERE FROM AMBROSE'S CREW, GET MAD AT THEM NOT ME) (XD)

Later on, however, on the last night I was there, they sent out a filet mignon steak medallion and a baked potato for myself AND our night-shift guy as a thank you. (And thus, night-shift guy and I will pretty much let Marcus and his guys go through whenever)

....Jesus christ, I get off-topic easily, don't I?


So, on Monday, I'll go in at 8am and work until 6pm. Later, if they need me to, though I doubt they will. Nothing will really happen until Wednesday, honestly.

After that, Tuesday through Saturday, I'll be going in at 6am and working until 6pm. At which, I will head home, which is, almost exactly a 30 minute drive, both ways. (I know this because from my house to the trailer to check in, I can listen to all of Bang by Empires. XD)

So that puts me getting home around 6:30ish. I'll eat, maybe check stuff online briefly before showering and then around 8 or so, I crawl into bed.

The thing about it is that to get there at 6am, I have to leave my house by around 5:20am, to account for stop-lights and traffic. So I usually get up around 4:45am.

O_O

You can ask hector_rashbaum, I'm like a fucking zombie at the end of the week.

However, I strangely like working over there at the speedway. Not only is it a positive environment, but it's good pay. I've got the best boss EVAR. He backs me up on shit, doesn't ever take the drivers' side over his security, he brings us water constantly, and haggles with the speedway so they'll cook for us. (Because we're such a tiny contingent of workers, a lot of it is bring your own food. I let a couple of the other infield guys stash their food in my car. Bobby'll stop and grab some stuff to take it up to them)

Also, Bobby doesn't care if I take my notebook in, so long as I do my job and pay attention. In fact, in May...while working, that was how I wrote at least the first three or four scenes in my BGBB.

IDK, I love working over there. The point about all of this was. I dunno, rambling, honestly.

I'm gonna try and keep you guys updated, so I might end up doing that through voice posts, hee. IDK, if you read all of this, YAY. XD