Moonlighting

Hand stamped for the race

I've been cheatin' on y'all. Just joshin. Recently I was asked to be a guest blogger over at IndyCarMom.com and it took some precious time away from everyone here. We took Hudson to his first IndyCar race Father's Day weekend in Milwaukee. Tucker naturally went with us too, but he stayed back in the RV with grandma Harris. It was a sweet Father's Day trip.

I expect my blog will post on that site later this week. But I won't keep you in suspense. Here is my article and with extra pictures just for my readers.

Hudson's first Race Day.

For the Indy 500 you don't just get to the track hours early to avoid the traffic, you get there early because you want to. All of the pre-race activities: the pace cars, the Gordon Pipers, and driver introductions are a necessary part of the Indy experience. You want to be nestled in your seat by the time Florence Henderson belts out "God Bless America" and definitely ready to sing along with Jim Nabors and 200,000 other race fans "Back Home Again in Indiana". So adding all this pomp and circumstance to a race already at least three hours long, your child will be ready to leave as soon as they wave the green flag.

Enter in the Milwaukee 225. Only being a four hour drive from Indy, we elected to make the Milwaukee race the first for our nearly four year old. And it was a perfect fit.

We survived the RV.

Thanks to Michael Andretti’s intervention for the Milwaukee race, the tickets were reasonable, all the seats had great visibility, and the track was so accessible. We camped on the asphalt lot right at the track for only $35 a night, so we were able to relax once we survived the Chicago Skyway drive. Qualifying and practices were free all day Friday; as was the IndyLights race that evening. Saturday’s IndyCar 225 race was under two hours long: perfect for the little fans. We were able to carry in snacks and drinks allowing this to be an inexpensive family trip.

One day....

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the event will be the most challenging for our three year old to overcome. The awesome family funfest throughout the infield included a ferris wheel, carousel, bumper cars, and assorted other kid-friendly rides which were all completely free. Visibly every kid appeared to be in Heaven. And I was impressed too.

Yet, you know for the next couple of years, we will be explaining why there are no free free rides for his next track experience.

Seeing the drivers up close and personal is absolutely no problem. With just a pit pass you get closer to the drivers than you do with a garage pass at Indy. Ample autograph sessions and the IndyCar experience in the infield were busy, but not impossibly crowded. The track relays a feeling of your county fair grounds. It is easily walk able for little ones. Overall, this is a great option as a first race for our Little Man.

We’ll definitely be back. In the meantime, we will be wandering other tracks looking for the bumper cars.

Yep. I rode the ferris wheel with him. Cool view of the front stretch post race.

Will Power's car headed into the trailer. That's Josh and Dale at the bottom of the shot.

Ooooh yeah. Cheese castle visit on the way home was a-maz-ing!