You have to be a racing/NASCAR fan to appreciate what we went through..... in a little, very little, town south of Jacksonville...
Friday, early evening, DH decides after our once per week (or less) shopping trip, we stop in for an early dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant (alot to do with my begging too).
By the end of the dinner, AA is being very good, two trips to the "potty" and many happy giggles eating her vegetables with her fingers... yes, broccoli, peas, zucchini, carrots.... OK, I digress....
DH is over hearing a conversation at the next table (it is very early on a Friday, and 90% of the tables are still empty), he hears some words about "NASCAR" while two gentlemen are chatting with the wait staff.
DH says to me, "go over and talk to these two guys about NASCAR". Of course I answer with What???? What part of NASCAR? Are they Owners, fans, sponsor...? Give me a little more info.......
So DH says, well I don't know but it sounds like they are "in NASCAR".
As you may know at our age, neither one of us can hear very well, so I don't even attempt to try to get too excited or try to figure out who these guys are. I can only see one by face, the other has his back to me.
At the end of our meal, I am paying for the dinner and DH says again, "they are "in" NASCAR". Not sure what or how.
So I say, OK, this is interesting and I LOVE NASCAR, so I tell him, I will get AA ready to leave and have him wait for me while I finish gathering up our belongings and he can stand somewhat near the "NASCAR" table and see if he wants to say anything to the gentlemen. So he stands there with little AA and then I am not sure what happens. I finish gathering up our stuff (including climbing under the table to retrieve a bracelet of mine that AA was playing with and happen to drop).
Next thing I know I am being introduced to GEOFF BODINE!!
I know all you non-NASCAR fans have stopped reading this and gone onto better blogs, but hey, this is EXCITING!! Not until we reached the car did it sink in with me that this guy is a great racer, survived one of the worst wrecks in NASCAR (year 2000) history; I am proud to say my DH reminded me of that fact (I still think the worst wreck was with my FAV driver Ricky Craven) and has done so much for the racing sport including supporting the USA Bob Sledding Team AND has raced and WON in my home State of Maine at Oxford Plains Speedway AND knows my FAV driver Ricky Craven (did I tell you he said he knew my FAV driver??) AND Geoff has won the Daytona 500!! We just watched his brother, Todd, win the final truck race at Homestead last weekend!! He is fun to watch!!
I didn't lose it until I was in the car and asking DH "Why didn't we take a picture? Why didn't we get his autograph"??? At races, drivers expect it, but at a local restaurant, you hardly want to bother them..... but I didn't even think about it until I decided to call Melissa, my sister in Maine (she was the only person I could think of real quick who might be excited about our news too) and she said... sheesh...... didn't you take a picture with your cell phone?
OK, my excitement is decreasing, I am slowly un-winding. So exciting. Why do we always realize after the moment what we would have said, could have asked?
It was FUN, it was NICE, he was GRACIOUS! Thank you for our thrill!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
GEOFF BODINE!! Yes...
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5 comments:
It's great to run across a fav celebrity who's gracious.
Girl, you are a Mom now - having a camera on hand is indispensable! Let that be a lesson to always carry one in your purse! ;o)
Me = jealous
How come stuff like this never happens to me?! I think I was near Kurt Busch one time when he was in town planning his wedding. (But who wants his autograph?)
Lucky you! And, yeah, get a pocket camera!!
That is pretty neat! (Cracks me up that your husband told YOU to "go over and say something to them"! Can we take from that, that you are the more talkative one?! LOL!)
Alyson,
I "get it".
We once took a vacation that only someone like you can appreciate. Drove to Carlisle, PA to the biggest car show in the East, went from there to Martinsville to catch a race, then on to Concord where we were the guests of Kenny Wallace at his newly built home and his shop, went to the new NASCAR museum, took the van ride around the Charlotte track-a lot of bank even at a low speed, visited several drivers' shops, went on the Nashville to go to Opryland and the Grand Ole Opry, and then drove home by way of Bristol so that we could go to that track.
Between that trip and the speedway here at home, we have met both good and bad people in racing. Probably our all time favorites for being just plain nice guys are still Kyle Petty, Ricky Craven, and Kenny Wallace.
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