The world is a confusing place and every so often we need a little advice. These days, with the advent of Wikipedia and the publication of the Zombie Survival Guide, knowledge is more accessible than ever.
SOUTHERN 500
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Yet, there’s nothing that beats hearing the wise words of a seasoned veteran for those of you planning a maiden voyage to Darlington Raceway this weekend for the Southern 500 Mother’s Day race.
You will need advice. Mythology teaches us that every Earthen traveler needs a spiritual guide to show the way to El Dorado, the land of Canaan and, at times, the bathroom.
After searching far and wide for more than 30 minutes, we found them riding on a chariot of peeling white paint and fading decals known as The Race Bus.
The legend of The Race Bus
It was long ago in 2001 that the Race Bus was created. Purchased by a group of young pilgrims, a 1970 Chevrolet C-50 school bus was restored and turned into an all-purpose NASCAR-watching vehicle.
Its exploits have become legendary. Its aura smells distinctly of party. Its street cred is significant.
“We’ve had political figures campaigning on top of the bus. Mark Sanford, when he was first running for governor, was on the bus shaking hands. We’ve had rock stars. The band Smashmouth hung out with us. We’ve had racers. Ricky Rudd came by. We’ve had movie stars like John Schneider (“Bo” of the TV series “Dukes of Hazzard”),” said Bill Rivers, co-owner of “Darla,” The Race Bus.
This year, The Race Bus will enter Darlington Raceway infield for the ninth time. With that much experience under the belt, we humbly approached the man known among his contemporaries as “Wild Bill” Rivers to impart us with advice for inchoate NASCAR fans entering their first race at Darlington.
He gladly obliged.
Wild Bill’s Beginner Race Fan Guide
FACT: You are required to have some type of NASCAR paraphernalia on you at all times, whether it be a hat, visor, shirt, shorts or tattoo.
FACT: You are required to have a driver to root for, even if that driver is someone whose name you pulled out of the NASCAR pool for that day. You’ve got money on the line, so it’s perfectly acceptable.
FACT: You had better either like beer or be prepared for a huge number of people who do.
FACT: If you come to the infield, you had better bring a lot of sunblock because there’s going to be a lot of sun during the day.
FACT: You had better have the right attitude because you’re gonna see all walks of life: doctors, ditch diggers, plumbers and people who have never been gainfully employed.
FACT: You had better be tolerant of loud sounds and bring protection in the form of foam for your ears or embrace scanners with headphones.
FACT: If you’re in the infield, you had better be at a spot where you enjoy the view because you’re probably going to see little else.
Infield with ‘The Mayor’
Co-owner of The Race Bus, alongside Bill Rivers, is Adam “The Mayor” Siegal.
“Before The Race Bus, I actually camped in a tent in the infield. It was 30 degrees, and I felt like a slab of beef in a freezer,” said Siegal. “I said, ‘This is the last time I sleep on the ground.’”
It was shortly after that The Race Bus was purchased at an auction for $300 and restored continuously during the course of the past eight years. As one who has experienced the nadir and the zenith of infield tailgating, Siegal had his own advice for beginning race fans.
The race, Siegal said, is all about geography.
“The primary difference between being in the stands and in the infield: If you’re in the stands, you are confined and you can’t move around, whereas it’s more of a social gathering in the infield,” he said.
He said tailgating in the infield is an experience every race fan should experience once.
“I would say the best experience on The Race Bus is when there’s 50-plus of your friends standing on top of the bus at the exact time when they drop the green flag,” he said. “That’s the coolest experience. Most people who are first timers, I say, ‘Get up on top! The race is gonna start; you gotta see the first lap.’”
A rookie mistake, Siegal said, is “probably spending oodles of dollars at the souvenirs table. They get to the race and say, ‘Oh my God! I don’t have a driver. I need to pick a driver.’ Then, they go to a souvenir table and come back with $500 worth of souvenirs.”
The Race Bus, he said, is the key to happiness during the infield experience.
Why?
“I would say the indoor plumbing is probably the key for our site. We also have the ability to bring in our own beverages and food. It’s best to do your own shopping,” he said. “Thank goodness it only happens once a year. I’m too old to make it more than once.”
Infield Vocabulary
The infield features a wide variety of personalities that, to the beginning race attendee, may appear mind boggling.
Yet, as Adam Siegal reminds us, “people like to think racing is crazy and redneck, but it’s really not. It’s a social gathering.”
There are all kinds of people, and it helps to be aware and appreciate the diversity.
“People in the infield are little bit of a different breed. Most of us go in on Thursday evening and do not reemerge from the infield until Sunday,” said Rivers.
That’s a long time to be together, so remember that these are the types of people you’ll meet and to respect and be kind to them.
Overly Inebriated NASCAR Fan: This type will be encountered many times throughout the weekend and especially as the daylight fades. Rivers said it’s important to treat them nicely, but also to remember to be nice if you, in fact, become an Overly Inebriated NASCAR Fan.
Border Control: These are track officials who guard the entrance to the infield. These are amiable people, but they take their job seriously. Which means, he said, no stowaways.
Stowaways: This is someone who sneaks into the infield by hiding in an RV or former schoolbus converted into an RV facsimile. Rivers said he spoke from experience that being a stowaways is not an advisable tactic.
The Bulletproof Drunk: Otherwise known as the angry drunk, the fighting drunk. “Those people can go somewhere else,” Rivers said. “If they won’t leave, we will remove them from our section of the infield.”
Race schedule
Friday
n 8:30 to 11 a.m. Nationwide Series practice
n 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sprint Cup practice
n 1:30 to 3 p.m. Sprint Cup final practice
n 3:10 p.m. Nationwide Series qualifying
n 5:10 p.m. Sprint Cup qualifying
n 7 p.m. Diamond Hill Plywood 200 driver introductions
n 7:30 p.m. Diamond Hill Plywood 200
Saturday
n 6:50 p.m. Southern 500 driver introductions
n 7:20 p.m. Southern 500
Bill Rivers of Darlington co-owns “The Race Bus,” an old 1970 Chevrolet school bus that he and some friends converted into a race fan’s ultimate vehicle to take to Darlington Raceway. Photo by John D. Russell/MORNING NEWS
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