12/13/2002

THE NASCAR PARTY
by Andy Owen

There are only two things I can't wait to happen each year.  The first like many of us may agree is the first race of the year at Riverhead Raceway. The second thing, not many are as grateful and lucky to attend (like myself), is the “NASCAR Champions Party."  That party is at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. It starts at the stroke of midnight. To be able to dance, talk, and eat & drink with Stewart, Waltrip, Earnhardt Jr., Wallace, and many more (basically half of the NASCAR Winston Cup drivers) is unbelievable.

I’ve had conversations with all of them whether it was this year or over the last few years.  One of the most memorable conversations was with NASCAR President Mike Helton.  I mentioned Riverhead Raceway to him and talked a bit about it but I was more interested in whether or not a new NASCAR Track is in the talks for N.Y. area. It is, but not out east in the Pine Barrens like is rumored, its more likely it will be in the N.J./East Rutherford area. Why? Well, the answer makes sense.  It’s just way too much of a haul for all the NASCAR teams (its way off track, out of the way).  So, it’s promising but an incredible financial burden on someone.

Another conversation was with my favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.  It was two years ago but it’s still embedded in my head because of the content.  He was alone in a GM hospitality room and I stumbled across him at 2:30AM while looking for his father (which at the time was my favorite driver).  He was at a table drinking, of course, a Budweiser.  We didn’t want to bother him so we waited at the lonely bar at the other corner of the empty room. He generally is surrounded by A LOT of people in the main ballroom, and it appeared he came in the quiet room to relax a bit.  The plan went well, for shortly after he came over to the bar for another Budweiser.

I said to him, "Do you know I named my son after your dad?"

He said, "Really, that’s cool."

Then I said, "If I ever have another son I'm going to name him Dale also."

He responded "Well, you can’t have two Dales?!"

I replied, "Nope, I’m going to name him Dale Jr.!" And at that point we both laughed out loud."

He calmed a bit and said, "really?"

I said, “hell yeah, I’m not kidding.”  We laughed again.  I asked him after several minutes of talking where his father was, and he said that his dad didn't feel good and was in his room."

We stuck it out till 4:30am hoping Dale Sr. may come out and party a bit, but he never did. When we were leaving I turned to my friend and said, "next year we'll meet Earnhardt Sr. Well unfortunately I hate to end it on this note, but we all know what happened on lap 499 in Daytona.  I always wondered if Earnhardt Jr. ever mentioned our conversation with his old man over coffee one day, or a Budweiser.

In closing, if you wondered if the NASCAR drivers are cool to hang with, they are, and I never met one that wasn’t cool (even Robby Gordon). And on a side note, man can they party!

NASCAR PARTY SHOTS
#20 Tony Stewart along with LIJ Reporter/Photographer Andy Owen	#12 Ryan Newman along with Andy Owen	#18 & #20 Owner, Joe Gibbs along with LIJ Photographer Ed Colon
The suave #20 Tony Stewart in the early moments of the party.	The fun-loving #20 Tony Stewart in the middle moments of the party.

Source: Andy Owen/LongIslandJam.com
Posted: December 13, 2002