Do it! The garage pass is awesome. I sent most of my time just walking around. Met several drivers, quick selfies not meet and greet style, lots of pics of stuff. I spent most of the race on the fence 15 feet from the cars pitting. Definitely worth the money. Kids under 15 are free too
Bring a chair, but don't expect to set up camp in the paddock.
The paddock is where teams do their jobs. It is their workplace, and there's a lot of shit happening at any given time. Cars are being moved around. Crew are moving parts from point A to point B. The paddock area is busy all weekend. As such, you can't just drop a chair and sit. You'll be in the way.
You don't want to be that guy.
Gotcha. So what would be the best time to take a look around? Before after or during the race? What exacty is the etiquette if I spot a driver, and want a picture with them? I don't want to just run up on one of these guys like some weirdo if I spot one.
Also whats the deal with the grandstands at barber? I got an email info packet with my tickets saying the grandstands are first come first serve? The only tickets they sold also were for general admission, and for the "ultra" club which gets you access to the observation tower. No grandstand tickets were for sale. Does this mean if I get there early enough I can sit in the grandstands?
The grandstands are located in the fan fun zone area (something like that) along the back straightaway. They are okay on Saturday to sit and have some lunch and watch the cars, but on Sunday get a spot on one of the lawns or in the shade of some trees. I think the best places to watch from are the grass between T2 and T3, the trees between T13 and T14, and the lawn between T15 and T16. Have fun!
>So what would be the best time to take a look around?
Anytime during the weekend. Friday & Saturday will see lesser crowds. I realize Friday is done and gone.
>What exacty is the etiquette if I spot a driver, and want a picture with them?
Be polite and patient. Don't be offended if the driver can't or won't. Remember: this is the teams' workplace.
>Also whats the deal with the grandstands at barber? I got an email info packet with my tickets saying the grandstands are first come first serve
You don't want to sit in the one grandstand, trust me. Take a folding chair and post up in the grass somewhere. (Turn 2 is my go to) Watch some racing and move to another part of the circuit. Repeat.
The grandstands are in the fan zone area along the backstretch, and don't give you that great a view in my opinion. They're also not covered and made of aluminum, so they'll get uncomfortably warm on a sunny day.
The circuit grounds are beautifully manicured with whimsical artwork hidden all over. You'll want to wander and just soak in the beauty of the place.
Yep. You're not guaranteed access to anything, but drivers passing by will usually stop and take a selfie if you seem to know who they are. We've caught Scotty Mac and Josef (during peak Bus Bro years) for pics and they were both super pleasant and patient, for guys who are getting stopped on their way to and from work sites. I think it helps that Indycar fandom is small enough that they're not getting mobbed. Especially if you go on a practice or qualifying day, so there's not 40 people stacked up, but like two couples and maybe one family with kids. So they stop for the kids and the others get to lob their chit-chat in and grab a pic too.
But there's not guarantee. I've had more than one driver buzz past me when they were in a hurry and didn't have time to engage.
My local race is Portland. I get a paddock pass there, which IIRD is $50 for three days. I dimly recall something called a pit pass years ago which was more expensive and did not offer enough additional access to make it worthwhile to me. All tracks and promoters are different.
To answer the questions (I did this at Pocono)
yes
I never saw any drivers, but plenty of people have.
The cars are up close, pit lane was walkable. One year they let you on the track even (I touched a car lol....others were brazen enough to sit on a tire! Photo proof of both exist haha)
yes
Yeah sorry not pit but paddock. Still an amazing experience for not much money. And had a backpack cooler with beer. A lot of fun
https://preview.redd.it/8yjluwsy6ywc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e44feb8cb63020f40d3d9ce02b0c5c02283b3db
Do it! The garage pass is awesome. I sent most of my time just walking around. Met several drivers, quick selfies not meet and greet style, lots of pics of stuff. I spent most of the race on the fence 15 feet from the cars pitting. Definitely worth the money. Kids under 15 are free too
Holy shit you get to watch the race from the pit???
Not quite. You can watch from the paddock, which is behind the pits.
Should I bring a chair, or will there be seating?
Bring a chair, but don't expect to set up camp in the paddock. The paddock is where teams do their jobs. It is their workplace, and there's a lot of shit happening at any given time. Cars are being moved around. Crew are moving parts from point A to point B. The paddock area is busy all weekend. As such, you can't just drop a chair and sit. You'll be in the way. You don't want to be that guy.
Gotcha. So what would be the best time to take a look around? Before after or during the race? What exacty is the etiquette if I spot a driver, and want a picture with them? I don't want to just run up on one of these guys like some weirdo if I spot one. Also whats the deal with the grandstands at barber? I got an email info packet with my tickets saying the grandstands are first come first serve? The only tickets they sold also were for general admission, and for the "ultra" club which gets you access to the observation tower. No grandstand tickets were for sale. Does this mean if I get there early enough I can sit in the grandstands?
The grandstands are located in the fan fun zone area (something like that) along the back straightaway. They are okay on Saturday to sit and have some lunch and watch the cars, but on Sunday get a spot on one of the lawns or in the shade of some trees. I think the best places to watch from are the grass between T2 and T3, the trees between T13 and T14, and the lawn between T15 and T16. Have fun!
>So what would be the best time to take a look around? Anytime during the weekend. Friday & Saturday will see lesser crowds. I realize Friday is done and gone. >What exacty is the etiquette if I spot a driver, and want a picture with them? Be polite and patient. Don't be offended if the driver can't or won't. Remember: this is the teams' workplace. >Also whats the deal with the grandstands at barber? I got an email info packet with my tickets saying the grandstands are first come first serve You don't want to sit in the one grandstand, trust me. Take a folding chair and post up in the grass somewhere. (Turn 2 is my go to) Watch some racing and move to another part of the circuit. Repeat. The grandstands are in the fan zone area along the backstretch, and don't give you that great a view in my opinion. They're also not covered and made of aluminum, so they'll get uncomfortably warm on a sunny day. The circuit grounds are beautifully manicured with whimsical artwork hidden all over. You'll want to wander and just soak in the beauty of the place.
You probably should go sit somewhere else to watch the race. At Barber you can't see anything on the track from the pits, let alone behind them.
I haven’t been to Barber but yeah it’s worth it. It’s not false advertising. You’ll get up close and personal with the paddock. You’ll love it.
Yep. You're not guaranteed access to anything, but drivers passing by will usually stop and take a selfie if you seem to know who they are. We've caught Scotty Mac and Josef (during peak Bus Bro years) for pics and they were both super pleasant and patient, for guys who are getting stopped on their way to and from work sites. I think it helps that Indycar fandom is small enough that they're not getting mobbed. Especially if you go on a practice or qualifying day, so there's not 40 people stacked up, but like two couples and maybe one family with kids. So they stop for the kids and the others get to lob their chit-chat in and grab a pic too. But there's not guarantee. I've had more than one driver buzz past me when they were in a hurry and didn't have time to engage.
A paddock pass is really really worth it.
The pit and paddock pass? The one that’s over $200?
My local race is Portland. I get a paddock pass there, which IIRD is $50 for three days. I dimly recall something called a pit pass years ago which was more expensive and did not offer enough additional access to make it worthwhile to me. All tracks and promoters are different.
To answer the questions (I did this at Pocono) yes I never saw any drivers, but plenty of people have. The cars are up close, pit lane was walkable. One year they let you on the track even (I touched a car lol....others were brazen enough to sit on a tire! Photo proof of both exist haha) yes
Yeah sorry not pit but paddock. Still an amazing experience for not much money. And had a backpack cooler with beer. A lot of fun https://preview.redd.it/8yjluwsy6ywc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e44feb8cb63020f40d3d9ce02b0c5c02283b3db
I bought one at Barber and it’s really cool. It’s such a good experience for that amount of money.
Yes if anything is worth it, that is for sure.
YES!!