Atlanta NASCAR Race

March 18, Friday

Michael and I got up early and got ready and got packed. By the time we parked, checked Michael’s bag, got through security, and got some food at Panera it was time to board. Once we got off the plane and got Michael’s bag, we met up with Dad and went to get the car. We didn’t have time to stop by the hotel before dinner so we went straight to dinner at Georgia Shrimp Company and met Bill and Karen Smithson. I’ve been hearing about them for years but this was the first time I met them so that was nice. The dinner was really good and everyone enjoyed their meals. 

We headed back to the hotel and got checked in. They have a restaurant at the hotel so I suggested we go get dessert so that’s what we did. Then we came back to our rooms and got ready for bed.

March 19, Saturday

Michael went to breakfast with Dad and they spent a long time talking. It was almost 11 AM when we left. We went in the wrong way and had to go all the way around the track to get to the credentials trailer. The line was insane and we knew it was going to take like an hour to get through it. 

It was cold and windy. I asked Michael to go get my scarf from the car, and as he passed by the trailer, he saw another line that was for crew and industry people. He got in that line and asked if they could help him. They asked who he was and he said that we were with car 47 and it was our wrap on the car this race and she said she would help us so that was great. We got all of our passes plus Bill’s and Karen’s and then we got out of there. We parked in the reserved parking even though we weren’t sure if we were supposed to but we got right in with our VIP passes. Then, just as we were figuring out where to go, a guy came by with a golf cart and drove us all the way to where we needed to be. Brian got to us quickly and took us back to the trailer. We got up on top and watched the practice race. 

The driver, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., was the fastest today and came in first. It’s too bad this didn’t happen yesterday, because otherwise then he would’ve been first for tomorrow but it didn’t work out like that because of the rain on Friday so he’s actually going to start in 28th place. 

Dad really enjoyed seeing the garage

Tad, one of the owners of JTG Daugherty Racing, explained that there is some kind of algorithm that determines placement and since he didn’t do well last week, he will start in 28th place.

Since Ricky finished first today, Michael and Brian were invited to go to the media center for Ricky‘s interview. They didn’t interview Michael because they mostly asked Ricky some technical questions. The good news was, he wore the SweetLeaf hat so that was awesome. 

While they were gone, Tad showed me and Dad and Brian's son Bryce around the garage. Dad had a ton of questions for him and he really enjoyed talking to him. 

We went over to the track to watch the start of the truck race.  

We hung out for a little while but once the team was done and they closed up the garage, we all left and came back to the hotel. 

This is the parking lot of the Peachtree Hilton hotel.  It was really nice.

View from our balcony

We relaxed for a little while and then met everyone for dinner at Due South Seafood Kitchen. Bill had come to the hotel and he rode with us to dinner. Karen was spending time with her sister. There were 12 of us at dinner. It was Tad and Paul from JTG, Nick and Russell from Alliance, Liz, Stacey, Brian, Bryce, Michael, me, Dad, and Bill. Dinner was fun. Everyone really loved the gator bites but they were too spicy for me. After dinner, we all came back to the hotel.

March 20, Sunday

We got up at 8 AM and got ready. Bill and Karen came to the hotel at 9 AM to have breakfast with dad, but we weren’t ready yet. We went down at about 9:30 AM and chatted with them for a while. Then we came back up to the room to get our stuff and left around 10:40 AM. We were supposed to meet Kinsley at credentials at 11:30 AM and we got there early. They gave us our parking pass and led us to our parking spot and then Kinsley drove us on the golf cart to the RV. It was a really nice RV. Dad really wanted to go walk around, but Ted told us that Ricky had been at the booth and now he was coming to the RV so we waited a few minutes for him and he got there at about 12:15 PM. He talked to us for a while and then we got pictures and ate lunch. 

After that, Dad went off with Bill and Karen because he wanted to buy a huggy cooler. Michael and I went with Paul and Stacey and walked around a bit. We went to the pits and then we went to stand on the track and wait for the drivers to come out.

It's interesting that they let the fans on the track, just minutes before the race starts.  It was a great view.

They had a little ceremony and a swearing in of some new recruits of the Air Force. The drivers were introduced and then they rode off in pickup trucks and then we went over to the car and Ricky came to the car and we got pictures with him again. 

Ricky's intro

Michael and Tad

More pictures with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

Our SweetLeaf group

Here is another view of the racetrack.  The race is about to start.

Here is Ricky getting ready to start the race

There was a flyover and the national anthem and then it was time for the race to start. We got to sit in the pit box for the whole first stage, which was 105 laps. That was pretty fun. It hurts my ears to have those headphones on but it’s fun to hear their strategy during the race. Dad loved it. He was super happy about sitting in the pit box. Ricky started in 28th and got all the way up to fourth by the end of the first stage. 

Here they come!

And they're off!

Such a great place to watch the race!

This is a video of a pit stop while we were up in the pit box

Cars #18 and #42 were on either side of us and both had damage.  It's so sad when they figure out that a car is out of the race.  #18 went back in, but #42 was done.  #18 sustained more damage later and didn't finish the race.

Once the first stage was over, it was time to give other people to turn in the pit box. There were some chairs to sit in and we walked around a little bit and just watched from near the pit box. 

This is a great video of another pit stop, taken by the racing team

Supposedly, this is Richard Petty, watching the race from his trailer.  That's what I was told, anyway. Normally, that's not allowed at this race, but I guess they make an exception for him.

Enjoying the race

Ricky made it all the way to first place and he stayed there for quite a few laps. He led for a total of 22 laps. One of the nice guys on the crew let me get up close to get this awesome video of Ricky in 1st place.  What a great view!

On lap 201 of 325, Ricky's tire blew out and that was it. It’s such a shock to watch that happen on the screen and realize that’s it, he’s out of the race. He pulled into the pit and they knew it couldn’t be repaired and he was done so he backed out and went to the garage. It was so disappointing and heartbreaking. We stood there at the garage and watched the crew work on the car for a little while, but then there was nothing else to do but leave. 

We followed Paul back to the RV so I could get my backpack and then he showed us to our car and we left. We ended up going to Carrabba's for dinner. I really liked my steak and also the bread. We got two desserts and they were both amazing, berries and butter cake and cheesecake. Then we headed back to the hotel and said goodbye to Dad and went to our room to relax until it was time to go to bed.

It was a long day but we had a wonderful time!  Such an exciting day for SweetLeaf!

Expo West

It has been three years since we have been to Expo West.  It is our biggest trade show of the year.  In March of 2020, this was one of the first big events that was cancelled due to Covid.  Our team was already there and the booth was set up when they cancelled it.  Michael never even traveled there.  So, we haven't been since 2019.  It was a great show, even though attendance was down from how it used to be.  From what I heard, there are normally 100,000 people at Expo West and this year there were around 60,000.  We had a fantastic location.  You could see our SweetLeaf sign when you walk into the hall, and it was right next to two bathrooms, haha!  The booth looked fantastic and the team was happy with how everything went.  As an added bonus, Nathaniel and Audrey came to the show on Thursday.  Nathaniel drove Brian's SweetLeaf-wrapped Camaro around the Anaheim Convention Center to show it off, and he and Audrey helped at the sampling booth. 

I arrived on Friday afternoon.  Michael and I walked around a bit and he also had some impromptu meetings in the booth. 

My first stop on Friday was to see Nathaniel and Audrey at the sampling booth! 

In this picture, I'm standing inside the booth.  See how close the bathroom is? 

I'm standing in the same spot but turned, and here is the second bathroom!

Views of the booth

From inside

From the east side

From the west side

From the north side

From the southeast side

Michael and I took Nathaniel and Audrey to dinner Friday night.  On Saturday, we spent quite a bit of time in the booth and also walked around. Nathaniel and Audrey left in the early afternoon and went to the beach for a few hours.  

Later that evening, we all went to Downtown Disney and bought some treats and went to a few stores, like World of Disney and Lego.  I had to get treats from Sprinkles bakery and Marceline's Confectionary, where they sell my favorite Disneyland English toffee.  

On Sunday morning, Michael drove Nathaniel, Audrey, and me to the airport.  Michael drove there, so he drove home and I flew home.  It was a great trip!