The morning after the decommissioning, we departed the lovely campground and headed northwest toward Charlotte, North Carolina. We overnighted at the Walmart in Walterboro, South Carolina, along with a few other RVs. We were really going to Huntersville, NC, just north of Charlotte, to visit our grandson, who graduated from Auburn last year this time (see Florida Trip, Report #1). He is employed by Joe Gibbs NASCAR Racing team, so we got a tour of their facility. We were not allowed to take pictures inside except in the lobby. The cars are built from the ground up. Chassis and frames are mostly welded aluminum tubing. Everything is done to exact NASCAR standards. Including sheet metal to form the car. The paint and sponsor logos, etc., are put on in one preprinted piece of vinyl or something. I think it's called a 'wrap'. Anyway, looking down from the lobby we see the 'staging area' There must have been around 40 cars in various stages of readiness. (everything in all the shops etc., was spotlessly clean). Joe Gibbs cars' are #11, 18, 19, &20. They send out at least two cars of each for each race. There are aroung 500 people working here, and the latest high tech equipment including 3D printers. Scheduling of all aspects of several cars under construction is precisely coordinated. Obviously, there are big buck$ in NASCAR racing. Part of the lobby. (The headlights and grill detail are fake. Part of the 'wrap') And one of the trophy cases. I hope all you NASCAR fans enjoyed this brief description of what goes on behind the glitz of the races.
There were no Walmarts or campgrounds convenient so that evening we went north to the Mooresville, NC, Walmart. The next day we planned to be in a campground east of Norfolk, Va, to be ready to cross the 26 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. Adventures coming. Stay tuned.
2 Comments
|
Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
All
|