Dura Lube/Kmart 500 Live Report by Chester Peek

I arrived in Phoenix at 4pm Saturday from Seattle. My daughter Tracy met me at the airport and took me to our hotel. My daughter is in the ARMY stationed at Fort Hauchuca, AZ and was going to attend her first Winston Cup race. We left the motel room about 6pm Saturday and drove out to the speedway. When we arrived I never have seen so many people camping in my life.

Tracy has friends from Fort Hauchuca camping there, and they greeted me like a long lost friend. We visited for a while, then Tracy took me over to the Winston No Bull stage with live music, a simulator, tire change contest setup. and photo booth. We had our picture taken, rode the simulator, and listened to the music. Tracy got an autographed t-shirt of, I think, the Denny Hall Band. We went back to the campsite and visited until midnight, then departed for our hotel room.

Sunday morning we left for the speedway at 6am. We arrived about 7:15am. I knew this was going to be a special day when the off ramp was closed do to an accident, and we had to use another one further down the road. Tracy and I visited with friends until the gates opened and then the fun began again.

We looked at all the booths, bought some gifts, and bought a Harry Gaunt hat for Tracy. Mr Gaunt autographed the hat for her, and was telling her about North Carolina, because that is her next duty station. We ate and then went to our seats in the third turn.

When the cars started on the pace lap, Tracy turned and just smiled at me, and I knew she was hooked. When the race started Ken Schrader looked hard to catch. Derrike's car was not handling well, because he was going high in turn three a lot. After a couple caution flags, and pit stops Derrike's car started doing better and he was passing cars. About this time Tracy told me to look up and I saw rain clouds and I know rain clouds, being from Seattle.

I saw Derrike starting to lose ground again and I was hoping for a caution for him, but instead the rains came and the rest is history. Tracy and I were wet from head to toe when we arrived at our car. Tracy and I were saying our good-byes at the hotel when she asked, "Dad are you coming to North Carolina to see me so we can go to a race?" and all I could do is smile.