CONCORD, N.C. -- When Pennie Stacey clings to the catch fence for the start of the All-Star Challenge screaming Bobby Labonte's name at the top of her lungs, she's knows the driver in the No. 43 can't hear her.

But it doesn't matter; she's having the time of her life in what she considers to be the best night of the year: Ladies night.

"If he sees me, he'll go faster," said Stacey of her favorite driver, evidenced by her yellow No. 43 T-shirt and visor.

Girls rule boys drool: That's the loud battle cry of Stacey and nine other girls from Spartanburg, S.C., who make an annual pilgrimage to Lowe's Motor Speedway for the All-Star race and have since 1999.

Connected by their love of the NASCAR, but more a need for female bonding away from husbands and children, the ladies set up shop outside the track for tailgating, gossiping and good times.

Like giddy campers around a camp fire, their lawn chairs are circled around a cooler packed with baked goods and select beverages. They are a stone's throw away from the souvenir haulers because no girl's trip would be complete without shopping.

And much like men preparing for Super Bowl Sunday, these Spartanburg ladies spend hours at department stores shopping for the perfect chair, snacks and enough sugar to rival any teenage slumber party.

Here is where the ladies hang for hours until it's time to take their places in the Chrysler grandstands where the group draws some pretty perplexed stares.

"One year, some men looked at us and said, 'What is this, a PTA meeting?'" laughed Shelby Taylor, the appointed ring leader of the group and employee at Wofford College in Spartanburg.

But the stares of apprehension dissolve once Taylor and Stacey break out the "bait."

Once the "bait" is out of the box, the ladies suddenly have more friends than they can count.

"As soon as you open the container, you meet whoever is behind you and in front of you," Taylor said.

The bait is a mixture of yellow cake mix, chocolate chips and condensed milk baked into a bar of heaven made to attract "cute boys" for the single gals in the group.

Ironically, it's the married gal in the group, Stacey, tasked with baking the aphrodisiac.

Stacey and her all-female posse represent the face of NASCAR's new flourishing female fan base -- an estimated 30 million women who love NASCAR for a variety of reasons.

Some women say the sport has become more family friendly in recent years, while others say marketers are just now speaking their language creating more fashionable clothing options at retail.

That's all well and good, but for this group, it's all about ... "The hot drivers of course," Stacey said. "We like them based on their looks."

"That's why we aren't Kyle or Kurt Busch fans," chimed Beth Fowler, who decked out in red Dale Earnhardt Jr. gear drives 100 miles every year hoping merely to catch a glimpse of the highly coveted driver.

But if you look at Taylor, she has on denim shorts and a plain blue blouse, nothing more. She is a silent supporter of Jeff Gordon.

"That's because she doesn't want things thrown at her," pointed out Karen Mauney, a 38-year-old freelance writer and Dale Jr. fan.

At the wrap of the night, the ladies will pile back into the minivan, sun-kissed from the day and high on laughter. They'll sit in a long line of traffic wishing they had just a few more laps or perhaps just one more caution flag that could have prolonged their inevitable trip back home to reality.

"We take a lot of pictures," Taylor said. "Take a lot of pictures and start planning for next year."