Earlier this week the kids went on a tour of MIS (Michigan International Speedway). Both kids had been to the race track last fall for another event. This week they got a behind-the-scenes tour.
Mysteryas says:
We got to see a whole building just for tires. We got to walk on the track, up to the top where the track is slanted. We got to ride in a car on the track. We only went about 25 miles per hour though. We learned that the track was two miles long. Over 100,000 people can watch a race. There is a ‘rabbit hole’ to get under the track during the race. In the middle of the track, there is a play structure for kids to play on. The next race will be in August.”
Mysterina says:
We went on a fascinating tour of the whole place in a special van. The only time we got out was to walk up the track and to check out the party / fan club building. We even rode around the track. On the outer edge of the track they have a shorter wall (2 1/2 to 3 feet high) so drivers don’t hit the cement wall if they are thrown out of their car during an accident. The track is slanted at the curves to help the drivers stay on the track.
We drove by the building where all of the race tires are stored. It is full of tires. For each race, drivers have 15 extra sets of tires. The tires are special tires that don’t have treads.
The party / fan club building has an area where you can get food and another area where you can sit, eat and watch the race. The two elevators have names (one is Otis) and can talk. They say things like “First floor.”
We found out that the track is 2 miles long and that the bleachers are colored so it looks like they are full when they are empty.
They have large campgrounds which are used during race weekends. There are two race weekends each year and a total of six races.
Read more at http://www.mispeedway.com/track_info/about_mis/