A party planner from Fayetteville got a behind-the-scenes look at how to put on a big NASCAR event while a mechanic from Brevard sat alongside pit row watching pit crews for racers keep their cars running smoothly.
The planner, Michelle Torres of Fayetteville, and the mechanic, William McCall of Brevard, won VIP access to Friday’s NCEL 200 in a Lucke-Rewards drawing. Torres got to get the party started as grand marshal and McCall dropped the green flag as honorary starter.
Both Torres and McCall are NASCAR fans and they each got an insider’s look at racing. First came a tour of pit row and then a trip to the Media Center at Charlotte Motor Speedway to attend the Driver & Crew Chief meeting before the NCEL 200 started.
The two, accompanied by family members, not only got to watch the NCEL 200, but also the Sprint Showdown. They watched from the vantage points only a VIP gets, sitting in Pit Suites along pit row and later in the night from a private suite high above Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Torres and McCall were more than just spectators. For one night, they were race officials. Both shook hands with each of the 36 NCEL 200 racers as drivers were introduced to the thousands of spectators watching the race.
Torres’ big moment came after the singing of the National Anthem. As grand marshal, she gave the command: “Driver, start your engines.”
Meanwhile, McCall climbed the Start/Finish Flag Tower where he waved the green flag to get the 201-mile race started.
“Absolutely awesome,” said McCall, “the total experience, especially throwing the flag over all those trucks. It’s been a wonderful experience, a whole lot more than I expected. It’s one thing I will never forget.”
Torres said the night was a lot of fun. “It was just a thrill to be right down in the middle of it,” she said, “Not sitting in the stands, but right down where things were happening. It was exciting.”
Besides the VIP treatment at the NCEL 200, the two also received VISA gift cards, hotel accommodations on the night of the NCEL 200 and a ticket package that included tickets to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star race, NASCAR Nationwide Series History 300 race and the Sprint Cup Series Coca Cola 600 race.
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