At first race, student from Dominican Republic soaks it all in
Students are encouraged to work as active media members at the race track and ultimately tell the story of their unique experience at a NASCAR event. Following each immersion, one student will have the chance to see their work published on NASCAR.com.
Last month, Nerys Medina, a student from the Dominican Republic, attended Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway and filed this story.
This journey started by chance. Thanks to the Student Media Immersion program that provided my friend Marjorie and I the chance to witness the last race of 2014 of what I now know as the NASCAR Camping Truck World Series. It was a wonderful experience.
I am Nerys Medina, an advertisement student from the Dominican Republic. Until recently, the only thing I knew about NASCAR was its name and that it was something related to cars. Now I know better.
We arrived at Homestead-Miami Speedway where we were dropped off at Gate 1. After taking photos and being amazed at finally arriving there, we approached the track staff to ask about credentials and the Media Center … that was the start of what we fondly call the “Epic Quest.”
After confusion over the credential location, we finally arrived at the credential office where we were spotted by Edward Williams, a really friendly and kind member of the NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications staff who was assigned to provide us with credentials needed to start our adventure.
We arrived at the Media Center where we met Laura, John and Yvette who helped Edward during our stay. We were guided around the Media Center and stopped in the cafeteria for a snack.
After eating, Laura informed us that we’d get the opportunity to interview a very important character, Alba Colon. Alba is the lead engineer of Chevrolet Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. She informed us about the manufacturers participating in the races: Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota and talked to us about many things, including Chevrolet’s friendly rivalry with Ford. Talking with Alba was an incredible experience; she explained many things and gave us good tips for the future.
The place we talked to Alba was in the driver press conference room where Edward told us later all the drivers and sponsors would be for the driver/crew chief meeting. Meanwhile, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trophy was already on stage so we were allowed to take a few pictures with it.
After the inspiring talk with Alba, Edward proposed a tour of the garages and explained the gist of the different inspections that the cars have to pass in order to be able to compete. We also saw Victory Lane where Edward told us that the race winner goes with the winning car (in our case truck) and celebrates with the crew members and fans. We walked around the track for a long time taking pictures of different cars and listening to all of the details provided.
Laura later found us and invited us to see a live interview with Austin Dillon. We saw that he was given a special headset in order to listen and answer the questions asked by the reporter. It was really interesting and I was astonished that he could hear and answer calmly without being bothered by cars running in the background. I wonder if the saying ‘practice makes perfect’ could be used in that situation.
A few minutes before the start of the race, we were provided with earplugs and a device called ‘FanVision,’ which contained the drivers’ stats and showed the race live.
Earplugs ready, excitement and giddiness present, we watched the race and pit stops from behind pit road. With trucks in their positions and everyone holding their breath, in the blink of an eye the race started.
When the trucks were racing, I couldn’t believe how fast they could go. I was able to admire a couple of pit stops. Seeing the speed and precision to change old tires, adding or removing changes to the truck and even giving it a push when needed was awe-inspiring.
It was an incredible experience watching everything live and it makes you really appreciate all of the dedication and effort everyone pours in their work.
In all, it was a wonderful day and also an eye-opening experience that got me really interested in NASCAR. Before, I thought a race was only cars going in circles and nothing else, but after seeing everything, I’m aware now of all the hard work needed to keep such an incredible event in top-notch condition. The knowledge gained from this trip is something that will stay with me for a long time.