The Northwest Voice

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 A tank of gas to get us to the race: $60

Souvenir NASCAR T-shirts: $50

Jimmie Johnson Key Lanyard: $10

Eating lunch with Jack Roush: Priceless!  

In February 2007, my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, husband, and myself went to the Nextel Cup race in Fontana, CA; the Auto Club 500.  We sat in the Musco lighting suite to watch the race, but before the race started, we had the opportunity to check out the pit stalls and garages.  We were able to get autographs, particularly from Bakersfield's very own Casey Mears and his car owner Rick Hendrick.  We watched Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, make final adjustments to the #48 car.  And I got a hug and a picture from Sammy Hagar, who was there to sing the National Anthem!  We not only saw many of the drivers, crew chiefs, and owners, but we were able to get up close and personal with one of NASCAR's most legendary figures, Jack Roush!!!  We spent about an hour with the "Cat in the Hat" himself.  He invited us into Greg Biffle's trailer for lunch, where he personally served us hamburgers and Coca-Cola's (one of his main sponsors!).  For the better part of four hours, we sat in the Musco lighting suite, where we watched the race, ate, and drank to our hearts' content. It was truly the experience of a lifetime!