OT - Advice for someone going to MIS for the first time
I'm taking my wife to the races this weekend (Consumers Energy 400) at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. I've never been to a race, or to MIS. Any advice on when to get there, where to park, what to take, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
I've been to the MIS website to get the scoop and they have a bunch of facts, but I'm looking for insight from seasoned race attendees! Thanks in advance...
August 6th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
Grow a mullet and a porn stache (see profile pic). Buy a pickup truck. Fill the bed with ice and Busch Light. Bring lawn chairs to sit on the roof of your truck. No need to go in.
August 6th, 2019 at 11:02 AM ^
you say that like its a bad thing....
never been to a stock car race but i bet it'd be fun to do at least once. with earphones.
August 6th, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
To be honest it's on my bucket list too. As is filling my pickup bed with ice and beer.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
we usually camp at creekside, so i don't have a lot of insight for someone coming in for the day. i think they offer parking over at that entrance that's pretty easy in/out. bring earplugs.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:35 AM ^
I had a comment but there is a 100% chance this entire thread would be deleted by lunch time because of it.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:46 AM ^
probably can confirm that comment first-hand
I 100% agree with the comment you did not post.
I figured the OP was serious about his question. I figured I would leave it alone in case someone actually posted something useful.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
BRING EARPLUGS
August 6th, 2019 at 11:12 AM ^
CAN YOU SPEAK UP? I LOST MY HEARING AT MIS YEARS AGO BY NOT BRINGING EAR PLUGS - BIG MISTAKE!
August 6th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
Hydrate early, sunscreen , both drink a big bottle of water as you walk from your car,rent a pair of the headphones to get in- car communications, drink a lot, earplugs, did I mention water?
August 6th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
Stay off the tarmac during the race unless someone gives you a quarter.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:39 AM ^
ANOTHER
LEFT
TURN
August 6th, 2019 at 10:45 AM ^
I used to know someone who went to MIS every year.
Nothing I heard from him was remotely safe for work, or really anywhere.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
don't forget to wear a hat and bring sunscreen.....
August 6th, 2019 at 10:52 AM ^
Lol the real question is, why are you going? Was this your idea or your wife's?
August 6th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
Ummm... yeah, it was my wife's idea. Her dad loved NASCAR racing and she enjoyed watching it with him. She said she wanted to go to a race so I got her tickets for her birthday. It sounds like we're in for an education this weekend!
Maybe you could have her kidnapped instead?
August 6th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
I still remember race days growing up....in Saline, several miles distant from the track, because sometimes those backup were fucking horrific.
August 6th, 2019 at 10:58 AM ^
There's free parking around the track and they have a shuttle service. Depending on how much you like traffic, getting there earlier in the day is a good idea. Green flag is at 3pm, so I'd recommend arriving around noon. Yeah, it's early, but that track can be a huge pain b/c it's a two-lane road through the Irish Hills. The parking lots are grass, so lots of people tailgate first and then head in, it's just nice to not be in traffic IMHO.
Water and earplugs are good, a seat cushion, hat and sunscreen as well. I'd also recommend renting a headset to listen to the driver/crew communications. Some tracks allow you to bring in a small cooler, I'm not sure about MIS.
August 6th, 2019 at 11:06 AM ^
you can definitely bring a small cooler at MIS. you'd be surprised at how many beverages you can fit into one of those soft over the shoulder coolers.
August 6th, 2019 at 11:20 AM ^
I thought at first that MIS referred to Mississippi. In that situation, my advice would’ve been to just keep driving and not bother stopping.
August 6th, 2019 at 11:21 AM ^
Watch out for flying debris...
My crazy story is that I’ve only been to MIS once, but it was for this race: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-fans-killed-at-us-500-race/ I think we were a row or two behind some of the people that were killed; thankfully we weren’t in our seats when it happened.
August 6th, 2019 at 12:10 PM ^
I was at that race, the section to the left, near the top. Saw the tire enter the crowd, saw it bounce up and leave. Pretty horrifying moment.
The Indycar races were way better than the stock car races, but that moment was pretty awful.
August 6th, 2019 at 11:25 AM ^
Take the back roads. Seriously. Take a look at the map and tee up a route that avoids the big roads (which will be really crowded).
It's now been nearly 20 years for me (holy cow, I'm getting old) but I can't believe that anything has changed. 127 and 12 are still the major routes into the area, and the stories about backups in those directions are... well, you can read some on this thread.
Time has passed, but the map is still the same, and so are the crowds (for example, I attended the May US 500 in 1996, the year of The Split, which was sold out at a higher capacity than the track now holds). My route always involved taking Scio Church out to M-52, south to Manchester. From Manchester I would turn left on Main street, which turns into Austin. Austin to Case, down the stairs to Horning, south on Antcliff, west on Wamplers Lake, but before I get into Brooklyn, south on Monroe Pike. Monroe Pike is where things get backed up, but by then you're really close to the track entrance that is just south of where Monroe Pike ends at M-50.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I almost didn't reveal my "secret route," but for all I know all the hipster fans take it now and the chances of me repeating that route to a race at MIS in my lifetime are extremely remote. So have at it.
I used to watch the Indy 500 every year growing up. Like Al Unser Junior and Scott Goodyear. I remember the split happening and kind of lost interest after that.
Wasn't there a ton of accidents right at the beginning of the race? So it ended up with a bunch of big name drivers all out super early?
The split is the most spectacular instance of a sport self-destructing that I am aware of. I strongly favor the CART side (which is shown by the race I attended; what the sport is now is very good and, not coincidently, largely similar to what existed then) but both sides were so bull-headed that they nuked what was an amazing sport almost entirely.
There weren’t “a bunch of crashes” at the beginning. There was one massive pileup that totaled nearly half the field right before the start. They stopped the race, and most of the drivers were able to pull out back-up cars and make the new “start” some 100 minutes later, but it was a disaster.
Thanks for the explanation. Long time ago. I just remember it being crazy embarrassing. Didn't realize they still got to race. I think I was kind of done with it anyway and probably turned it off at the time during the delay and moved on. Indy was one of my favorite sporting events for years as a kid. Wanted to be a race car driver so bad. Dad took me to one race. It was a wild experience. Cars were so fast. Remember Andretti (sr) was ahead by a few laps and then blew his engine and couldn't figure out who won.
On the way out, there was all these guys chanting at some lady on a van who ended up taking her shirt off. Pretty cool day for a 6 year old.
This was my first and only race at MIS. I was 11 and I remember asking my Dad what happened if they crashed during the warm up lap. He said it didn't happen, and then they all crashed. It was a long race...
August 6th, 2019 at 11:46 AM ^
- You can bring food/drinks in, if the bag is clear and fits their size requirements (not sure of specifics).
- Make sure you have sunscreen and hats, and plenty of it.
- Bring something to sit on - a seat pad, etc. The metal bleachers get old after a few hours (same as a Michigan game, honestly).
- Educate yourself a bit on the drivers, if you don't know anything going in. Pick a favorite if you don't have one - both Brad Keselowski (#2 Ford) and Eric Jones (#20 Toyota) are from Michigan. Keselowski comes from a big racing family from Rochester and is a huge U of M fan. Otherwise, find a number, sponsor, or make you like and go from there.
- I would highly, highly suggest renting one of the scanners for the race - it makes it infinitely better. I own one but the gist is you can hear, unfiltered, all the teams' radio communications - cussing, strategy, the whole bit, it's fantastic. The devices they have now incorporate that in but also have the TV broadcast as well.
- The only other question I have is where are your tickets located? I can give some general advice for your location in the grandstands as well.
August 6th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
We're in the center section, eight rows up, just past the start/finish line.
August 6th, 2019 at 12:22 PM ^
Lower down will hamper your view of the backstretch a bit, but you get a great view of pit lane and events at the start/finish line. Good spot.
Like stehenrjking said, you may have a slightly blocked/incomplete view due to being so low. Typically the races aren't sold out anymore, so you should be able to move around and find a view you'll like. Personally I enjoy just off of turn 4/right at the entrance to pit road, but I also recommend at least taking a walk down the grandstands into turn one and standing as close as you can get to the fence for the sense of speed at the end of the straightaway.
Go into it with an open mind; have fun!
August 6th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
Been to a couple. A lot different than in tv. It’s pretty fun.
Headsets are cool
sunscreen
beer, more beer
the higher the seat row the better. Tailgating is awesome and recommend
August 6th, 2019 at 12:20 PM ^
I used to go to MIS with my dad every year for the IndyCar race when it was a CART staple. Great time.
Hotel Putingrad isn't kidding. You must, must have ear protection. Good earplugs or quality sound-dampening muffs. You'll see some people without and think you might look uncool; don't. Unless you have personally attended a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral, there is nothing like the noise you will encounter. It is loud even as auto racing goes*--all auto racing is loud and the noise is all great, but NASCAR V-8s roar in a way that turbocharged Indycars don't. It's wonderful, but you will need noise protection.
Additionally, advice others have provided about sun protection and hydration are spot on. You will sweat a ton out there under the sun for hours in the middle of the day. I don't think you need to be there 3 hours early, but the only approaches (I always went through Manchester and approached from the Northeast, but it still gets crowded) are narrow and you will want to give yourself plenty of time to park and migrate to your seats.
Mostly: Have a good time! Know a bit about the key cars and work to keep track of them. Watching a race at a place like MIS, where you can follow cars and position battles all around the track, is enormously satisfying. A scanner is nice if you can afford to rent one. A program is good if you don't know all of the cars by heart. But just have a good time.
August 6th, 2019 at 12:20 PM ^
If your wife was related to you before marriage then you're all set.
August 6th, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
Plan on bad traffic. It often backs up for miles so make sure you get an early start. If you can get a Pit Pass, it's a lot of fun. Everyone is so friendly in the Pits and infield area. Lots of fun.
MIS is a lot of fun and the first lap is a thrilling experience. We started attending with the USAC twin 200's in the 60's and then NASCAR. You will have a wonderful afternoon and the food is not bad. Second to a wonderful time at the Big House. GO BLUE AND ENJOY.
August 6th, 2019 at 12:49 PM ^
If your wife is interested in augmentation, take her around the infield. there will be plenty of visual references with which to frame your decision! Oh, I think a race goes on somewhere around there too...
August 6th, 2019 at 12:50 PM ^
***double post
Been going to MIS for years, usually camping outside Turn 4 in June, and on the infield in August. The infield at a NASCAR event is some of the best people watching on the planet. Anyway, for tips, some of this has already been said, but I'll reiterate the good advice.
- Yes, you can bring coolers in, they need to be soft sided, the size limit is pretty generous, make sure to hydrate and wear sunscreen don't underestimate how much the complete absence of trees and all the concrete can do to absolutely scorch you.
- Traffic got a fair amount better about 5-6 years ago as they started making the roads leaving the track one way outbound after the race. That said, plan a little bit of post race tailgating time to let traffic clear.
- Rent a scanner from the racing electronics stand. Pick a driver to root for and follow them. Brad Keselowski in the number 2 is a good pick for Michigan fans. I can't say enough about this as it takes the experience from watching a bunch of cars going in a circle to an actual, well...sport, you know with rooting interests and stuff.
- If you're in row 8 that is REALLY low, I can't stress ear plugs enough if you won't be wearing scanner headphones, even with them it is going to be LOUD.
- In row 8, don't wear white. You won't feel them all the time but you will be getting hit with little bits of rubber coming off the tires and your white shirt will be grey light grey by the end of the race.
- Pre-race pagentry is pretty cool, make sure you get there in time to watch.
Mostly just repeating, but highlighted advice I would say:
1. Use the cooler policy to your advantage. They allow pretty large coolers, which easily fit under the seats, and you can put whatever you want in them as long as it isn't glass. I'd recommend snacks and some water, obviously, but big point of empheais here: YOU CAN ALSO BRING YOUR OWN BEER. This was especially nice for me at the June race earlier this year that got rained out. Helps pass the time waiting to see if they're going to delay or not.
2. You will want earplugs. You won't die without them similar to how you wouldn't up front at a rock concert, but that doesn't mean it is a good idea, either.
3. There are many ways to get to the track and taking a non-standard route can save you some time, but races don't sell out like they used to either so its honestly not worth it if you aren't confident in what you're doing. Parking is plentiful, free, and if you end up parking far away, there are shuttles so transpiration logistics aren't a big deal.
4. Don't listen to the NASCAR haters and have a good time. I'm not as big into NASCAR as I used to be, but its still fun to catch one every now and then. I might add that compared to sports like football, the benefit in seeing a race live are still as valid as ever over TV. Racing on TV can be brutal when you can only see the few cars on the camera, but at the track you can see everything and there is almost always something going on in the field, even at a track as generally boring as MIS. There is also no way to appreciate the sound and feel of the cars going by on TV.
That being said, they've been screwing with the rules for car setups for years trying to make tracks like Michigan less boring and IMO, they appear to have finally gotten it right from what I saw in June. The race was still dominated by the best car, unfortunately, but usually that means lapping 75% of the field and frequently having huge leads; this time it was very tight and the leader never really pulled away at all while there was a lot of passing for every other position. Hoping there isn't quite as big an outlier in who has the best car this time, I expect the better passing to apply as much to 1st place as 2-10 this time.
If you find you like it enough though, I'd recommend taking an adventure to a more bucket list track like Bristol, Daytona, Darlington, etc. (just not Indianapolis, that track is grossly overrated; you can't see squat no matter where you're sitting)
All good stuff, though in the last paragraph I would redirect AWAY from NASCAR tracks (though Bristol would be fun) and instead recommend broadening the types of races you go to. Indycar races are a blast, and you can make a place like Mid-Ohio or Belle Isle easily. IMSA is a great show, and there are different classes on the course at the same time that provide lots of passing and great variation in engine notes.
And I still plan on catching a Top Fuel drag meet at some point.
To each their own of course, but TBH I really don't enjoy open wheel racing very much. In my view, the primary entertainment to racing is in passing, which is significantly less frequent in open wheel, both due to the courses they run and the nature of the vehicles. That is generally my retort to anyone who makes a left turn comment about NASCAR and doesn't just hate racnig in general.
Maybe I'm wrong on this one, but I feel like passing is generally better for NASCAR when they are at road courses as well. Passing zones are still generally restrictive, but that doesn't stop them from trying when the race is on the line and the margin for error is much greater since making contact isn't going to immediately destroy the car. Makes for great drama between the hotheads too.
That being said, I would like to see a race at Belle Isle one of these years since it is so close and I can pair it with a lot of other fun for the day being in Detroit. I also hope Indy Car looks at doing a race at the new Charlotte course soon. That was extremely entertaining last year and I think that course could translate well for them.
Stay up all night for the party and post pictures
Thanks everyone for the great advice. I know we'll enjoy the race so much more because of your help!
