NASCAR In Heels Takes on Charlotte

The Coca-Cola Stage at Speed Street.
Credit: Holly Strain/Skirts and Scuffs 

I’m finally back!

As many of you know I have recently spent a wonderful week in Charlotte, North Carolina. It went by way to quick, and I honestly wasn’t ready to come home. The weather was gorgeous, scenery was beautiful, and the people were wonderful, and I haven’t even got to the racing yet!

We boarded our plane in the pouring rain and arrived in Charlotte to bright sunny skies. The excitement mounted as we were approaching the racetrack, and once we got there I’d say we were nothing less than pumped! We started off at the Sprint Experience. It was pretty quiet there on Thursday, but we managed to meet some pretty cool people there throughout the weekend. I also took a bit of time on Thursday to check out the haulers and do a bit of shopping. Shocker right? And although I spent more time buying souvenirs for everyone back home, I did keep my eye out for the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to women’s NASCAR fashion. We made the trip to the infield for qualifying and we were right up front for the action on pit road. It was the first race trip for my partner in crime, Amanda, so we were taking it all in. She got lots of amazing photos, and we even met a fellow Skirts and Scuffs gal.

Friday was a bit more of a “chill” day for us. Our first stop of the day? Concord Mills Mall. I had to watch what I bought because my suitcases didn’t leave much room for shopping, but I had a blast just checking out everything the mall had to offer. Of course I did manage to find room for a Forever 21 purchase. Later on we headed into Charlotte to see what Speed Street had to offer. I don’t remember the last time I saw so many people. There were points in the evening that I actually found myself frustrated by the amount of people trying to all go to the same place at the same time. Other than that, it was a great night. We didn’t stay to see Justin Moore, but we got to see Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte play a “Family Feud-style” game with fans, and to be honest, people-watching was entertainment in itself!

A shot from the amazing pre-race ceremony on Sunday.
Credit: Amanda Glavish

Saturday and Sunday were both spent at the track, and they were hot ones! We were all over the place; shopping, walking through the garages, hanging out on pit road, watching practice and so much more. One exciting note for myself was getting to see Roshon Fagan from Dancing with the Stars. Obviously I am a huge dancing fan, so this was an unexpected highlight. I didn't take the time to wait in line for his autograph, but I did snap a few pictures. They were two very tiring, but very exciting days. By the time we were done at the racetrack all I wanted to do was go to the lake, or   find a pool to jump in.

Trying to keep my balance on the steep banking
of Talladega at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Credit: Amanda Glavish

Our last stop of the trip was at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Wow! It is such a cool beautiful place. Amanda and I spent a lot of time in there checking everything out, and of course shopping in the gift shop. I loved how hands-on everything was, and I must say, standing on the Talladega banking made me want to head to Alabama even more now!

Needless to say I am ready to head back to North Carolina…yesterday! I loved the weather, and didn’t even get a sunburn. We had an amazing time, made lots of memories and met some really cool people, but there is so much more to do and see, and many more people to meet. The south really did rub off on me. I haven’t said "fixin" or “y’all” but I was looking for a sweater as soon as I stepped off the plane.

Thank-you North Carolina, we really hit it off, we will have to do it again sometime! And sometime soon!

Holly Strain is bringing her spin on the NASCAR world to Skirts and Scuffs, as she says, it is The Great American Sport through the eyes of a single girl. Holly is a Canadian born writer currently studying Publicity and Public Relations through the University of Toronto. Feel free to contact Holly onTwitter and via e-mail at hstrain@skirtsandscuffs.com.