Infield Tailgate

Pontiac 400, May 6, 1998


Richmond International Raceway, Infield Seating

My brother in law had infield passes so we loaded up the truck and pulled into the infield.  My first time seeing a race from this vantage point.  The infield in Richmond sit down below the race surface in the corners as it is a banked track.  You really get an appreciation for how high the bank is when looking at it from the bottom.

Pre race they trot all the drivers around one by one in convertible cars.  A few driver draw loud applause like Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.  Jeff Gordon was reigned on with boos.  Almost to the point that it was uncomfortable.  Today, Gordon has lost that crybaby label.  Many other new drivers have taken the whiners torch passed on to them .

There was a wood photographer platform constructed at the end of Turn 1.  After being around the fence for hours a photographer asked my son if he wanted to come up on the tower with him.  He did and also go to witness a Jeff Gordon wall rub/crash in that corner.  The same crash photo appeared on the front page of the local Sunday paper the next day.  The photo was taken by the guy who took my son up on the tower.

Results:

Terry Labonte
Dale Jarrett
Rusty Wallace
Ken Schrader
Mark Martin