Art of tailgating: NASCAR fans great with the grill

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tailgating is as much a part of NASCAR as the cars that roll across the track.

And just as track conditions have evolved over the years, so has tailgating.

The techniques and flavors of the time-honored tradition, which centers around an open flame and open arms, is becoming just as sophisticated and trendy as the sport it occupies.

Mario Batali knows this first hand.

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A celebrity chef and food ambassador for NASCAR, the culinary expert observes tailgaters at the tracks like a crew chief studies crankshafts in an engine.

"I'm noticing the food seems higher end, it seems, fancier in a way," said Batali, in Daytona this weekend promoting the kickoff of NASCAR Cooks!, a program designed to spotlight NASCAR and its love affair with food ultimately leading to a TV and radio show.

That said, Batali said you still see hamburgers and hot dogs being prepared at every turn, only some are revved up a bit, much like the Carrabba burger Batali prepared for several race teams getting ready for Saturday night's Pepsi 400.

The burgers are jam-packed with jalapenos, chipotle peppers and chili pepper -- pretty spicy, Batali said -- and in true tailgater fashion, the epicurean ate one for breakfast Saturday.

Jody Weiss brings a refined style to the tailgating tradition as well. Growing up in Hawaii, the 38-year-old is known for his Huli-Huli chicken, an authentic Hawaii dish with an Asian infusion of ginger and soy sauce.

"I like to prepare different things," he said. "Things that make my friends ask for more, but really it's about keeping your belly full and seeing what trouble you can get into."

Ginger and soy sauce are two ingredients typically not equated with NASCAR tailgating but they are in line with the trend of growing ingenuity around the tracks.

One example was discovered by Batali last spring at Texas Motor Speedway. A gang of tailgaters laid down a bed of coals several feet long to slow roast a steer.

"I came around the corner and there was an entire steer spit roasting and had been for a day and a half," he said. "I didn't expect to see a whole cow, a whole 1,600-pound beast on a pit, but it was delicious."

Then there was the "Midnight Gumbo" found at Talladega Superspeedway.

"At midnight this area in the infield turned into a sort of night club and this guy was making gumbo in a 30-pound pot," he said. "It was some of the most delicious and beautiful gumbo I've ever had and he was just giving it away."

Giving it away is a large part of what makes tailgating special. Americans, especially NASCAR fans, have perfected the art of sharing their food with people they've never met before.

"We wouldn't have it any other way. The food is what brings people together at these races," said Scott Coombs, 44 of Orlando, Fla.

Coombs was posted up near a multi-million-dollar motor home equipped with a satellite radio and television -- a setup that would make tailgating and camping purists cringe.

Nevertheless, times are changing, fans must evolve and the demand for tailgating toys is growing, as is the technology.

"I have seen so many gadgets pop up over the years," Coombs said. "I've seen gas-powered margarita machines, motorized coolers that you can ride. People are way into tailgating these days. It's not just hamburgers and hot dogs."

Batali said he prefers the days where fans made smokers from trash cans and grilled on hibachis "as opposed to these giant trucks they call grills.

"But the food is getting better because they have much more control," he said. "The equipment is more tailored to their needs."

The precise origin of tailgating is argued although the general consensus is the art form began in college football -- the very first college football game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. Fans traveled to the game by carriage, grilling sausages and burgers at the "tail end" of the horse.

Tailgating may have begun with football, but if you ask Batali and millions of fans, it ends with NASCAR.

Why?

"NASCAR fans tailgate four days in a row," Batali said. "It's more like Woodstock."

Batali said NASCAR is head and shoulders above any other sport when it comes to cooking and carrying on.

The numbers tell the same story as well.

NASCAR fans are more likely than non-fans to own a grill, go on an overnight camping trip and go tailgating, according to Simmons National Consumer Survey.

More or less, NASCAR teams tailgate every meal inside or outside the track, said Roy Ruggles, whose Busch Series team is conveniently sponsored by Kingsford and the supply of charcoal is unlimited.

"Charcoal grilling tastes better anyway," said Ruggles, who prepares three meals a day for an average of 50 people who are a part of the Wood Brother/JTG Racing team.

From spaghetti and meatballs to kabobs and roasted pork loins, Ruggles has yet to find anything he can't cook on a grill.

His team owner recently bought him an outdoor grilling cookbook and he's got plenty of practice ahead of him with 19 races left on the schedule.

Whatever techniques or tastes tickle your tailgating fancy, there's always an opportunity or a group ready and willing to fire up the grill and spark conversation at a NASCAR track.