HRPT Day 6 - Rockingham Speedway

We followed the established path to Rockingham which was mostly small county roads.  Traffic was not too bad until the last 1.7 miles into the speedway where it was completely stopped in both directions.  How we moved so incredibly slowly is a mystery as it took 45 minutes to drive the 1.7 miles.  Several cars were beginning to overheat while others were heading to the trees on the side of the road for a restroom break.

I didn't want to risk overheating by running the AC the entire time we were in the long line.  After a while, I just started running it as the new Spal fan setup was running strong.  It was near 2 o'clock when we arrived and the engine temp never went over 180 degrees.

There were many cars parked on the infield but we seemed to get there later than most despite starting the route 30 minutes before the established time.  I suspect those who arrived before us must have drove some the night before or just drive an alternate route.  As we pulled in and parked, we rolled over 1,456 miles.

As with the day before, the first thing we did was get our credentials stamped.  We walked around to find the same vendors and items on display.  Aaron and I got something to eat at one of the vendor stations and were about ready to leave.  As we debated leaving, David Freiburger and Steve Dulcich pulled up in an older red Duster covered in GoPro cameras.  As they arrived, camera men showed up and started recording as it seemed they were recording part of a Roadkill Garage episode.  We stood around watching and then David started handing out stickers and signing autographs.  Luckily, Aaron was third in line and had his Power Tour hat signed.  It was the highlight of the day.

Once the HRPT destinations are announced, you must quickly make reservations before hotels are fully booked.  Rockingham was hard as there were no nearby hotels so we decided to stay in Monroe.  It was on the most likely route to the next venue but I was wrong.  We drove a little after the days event to Monroe and had several classics around us and at the hotel with us.  We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings that evening and had another relaxing night at the hotel.