September 21st, 2008 by Scott
Today Angie and I had a gig at the “Monster Mile,” also known as the Dover International Speedway. It was an awesome experience and we had a great time, even though we had to arrive early in the morning (as in “the stars are still out” early in the morning).
Since we were brought in to entertain for the Nascar sponsors, we were allowed a little VIP bonus. Prior to the speedway being opened to the general public, we were allowed a glance of the track. I took several pictures from Pit Row and on the track itself!
Pretty cool!
And it is amazing at how technologically advanced Nascar racing has gotten. This is one high-tech sport.
For example, they inflate the tires with Nitrogen to prevent temperature changes as they race, and are acurate to within half a pound of pressure!
Get this: they don’t have speedometers! Instead, they gauge (no pun intended) how fast they are going by looking at their RPMs! When coming off the track, into Pit Row, they cannot exceed 35 mpg for safety. And the officials are strict about this. Last week one driver was penalized a lap for going less than a tenth of a mile per hour over that speed limit. Ouch.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
September 14th, 2008 by Scott
I was hired to perform magic at the Commerce Bank Bike Race in Philadelphia this weekend. They held the race (at least the start and finish part of it) at the Art Museum.
Since I was working most of the time, I didn’t have much time to take many pictures, so these are three that I took early in the morning.
They had a 20, 35, and 50 mile race today and the racers in the picture below are some biking enthusiasts who were just getting started (they were part of the 20 mile group). Temps were up in the high 90’s today with a humidity that felt like back when I lived in Daytona, Florida. I could really feel for the bikers.
Every since I was hired to entertain at the Allentown Commerce Bank race at the start of the summer, I’ve been hooked on biking again. Years ago, I used to hang out at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome every Friday night with friends. Then it faded.
But my wife has had a titanium Basso road bike for years and so after the Allentown race this past spring, we dusted it off (okay, so we REALLY took the thing apart and got it back in shape!) and started riding again. I haven’t had the chance to talk about it much. There’s a special something about those who ride.
Not only is it a rewarding challenge to go riding in the countryside (these Allegheny Mountains make it a true workout – and the view is unreal!), but biking is such a great exercise that gets the blood going. Aerobic exercise REALLY helps the heart!
