At least some of the snacks are lower in calories...

Each week, depending on if we all behave, we are rewarded with snacks. Last week, we were all VERY well behaved (see picture to the left).

Fat and happy,

Tyler Herrin

This marked the first time I had ever traveled to Michigan and, unfortunately, I know just about as much about the state now as I did before I went there.  Although we were able to stay in a nice college town (Ann Arbor), the track location combined with our work schedule did not allow for many opportunities to experience much else of what the state has to offer.  My idea of spending a night in Detroit and checking out the city’s attractions was quickly squashed when I realized how far away the track was from anything and what time the NSCS garage opened each day (anyone who has been to a race in Michigan knows exactly what I’m talking about when I say that the track is absolutely out in the middle of nowhere).  That being said, we definitely enjoyed our time in Ann Arbor and I can say that I would love to come back to experience this town on a University of Michigan game day.  The devotion that the entire community has towards the university reminds me a lot of any SEC school located in a small town and I can only that their game day experience rivals that of any other major football program. 

Looking back on the weekend, I would have to say that the lasting memory that I can take with me of our trip would be that of the absolutely crazy tunnel in the Detroit airport.  It’s essentially a section of about 100 yards between the terminal and the baggage claim that is lined with all types of glowing, neon lights with some sort of odd, rhythmic music playing in the background (if you haven’t seen it before, picture the tunnel scene in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and you are not far off).  I’m not sure exactly what the architect behind this idea had in mind when he first decided to put it in an airport (of all places) but I will give them credit that it is something that I’m sure any traveler coming through Detroit will not soon forget.  If they were looking for something to distinguish it from the never ending cycle of cookie-cutter airports, then I say job well done.  (Note: I understand that you’re probably thinking, ‘why didn’t he just take a picture of the tunnel as opposed to write an entire paragraph trying to describe it?’ Well, my camera battery died and I didn’t have the opportunity to but I’ve made it a point to take more pictures throughout the rest of my travels so hopefully, my future blogs will be a little more “lively”)

I would have to say that our time at the track was fairly uneventful but, given our line of work, that is definitely not a bad thing.  It was one of the few weekends in recent memory in which we had a substantial amount of volume sent in but never felt overly stressed or worn out; much appreciation goes out to the local district. 

As for the race… Carl Edwards took home his fifth victory of the season in impressive fashion and is slowly starting to creep up behind Kyle Busch in the points standing (Busch held a 222 point advantage heading into the weekend at Bristol).  Speaking of Edwards and Busch, I think that this year could be the beginning of a really strong rivalry between the two of them.  The similarities between the two young drivers are pretty noticeable – they both have had a dominate year following average ’07 seasons, each of them drives for one of the “powerhouse” teams and they both seem to be shedding an “immature” image that has followed them since they first entered into the Sprint Cup Series.  I’m sure old-school NASCAR fans are not warm to the idea that these two drivers could soon become the face of the sport but even they can’t argue with the success that the two of them are having this year or with the fact that they’re likely to only get better in the future.  There were always be hoards of Junior fans for as long as he’s still racing (and probably after) but I get the feeling that true race fans who appreciate good driving will start to acknowledge that this growing rivalry is definitely good for the sport, it just might take some time…(Note: I know that this little tangent I went off on doesn’t really have anything to do with Michigan but like I said, it was a pretty uneventful weekend so I had to make do; this could become a reoccurring theme…)

Next week, Chris and I travel to Bristol, TN for the Sharpie 500 at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, Bristol Motor Speedway.  Should be interesting as always…

Tyler Hargrove

This is why Tyler Hargrove is UPS Trackside Services Manager.

This week’s travels brought Chris Argano and myself to lovely Watkins Glen, New York, for the Centurion Boats at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.  For anyone who has not had the opportunity to visit “The Glen,” the best way to describe it is Talladega by Canada.  A couple of the district workers told me stories about the infield campgrounds that would put some of the more extreme ‘Dega’ fans to shame (and yes, rowdiness is a competition amongst NASCAR fans and something that many take great pride in).  Although the trip definitely provided for some interesting encounters, upstate New York is not exactly “the Big Apple.”  It seems that much of our trip consisted of driving for several hours at a time, while passing by towns with names such as Bath and Horseshead (which, after hearing the story behind the name, is definitely as gruesome as it sounds).  That being said, the rural surroundings and nearby lakes did provide for a laid-back and relaxing weekend.

The weekend went fairly smooth and the district workers were definitely an interesting bunch (which I guess can be expected given that they’re New Yorkers J).  As for the race activities, the best thing about Watkins Glen is the fact that the drivers actually make left and right turns.  It seems like something interesting always happens at one of the road courses (Sonoma, CA being the other) and this one was no exception as there was a crazy 11-car wreck that led to a 45-minute delay.  Needless to say, it was one of the wildest wrecks we have seen all year and the fans absolutely loved it.  In the end, Kyle Busch once again was able to come away with the checkered flag, leading to an onslaught of boos and cuss words from the rowdy fans.  I’ve come to realize that there are now three certainties in life: death, taxes and NASCAR fans will boo Kyle Busch whenever he wins, regardless of which race location it may be.  That being said, even if you don’t like the guy, you have got to be impressed with his eight Sprint Cup victories so far this year.  The man is a machine…

All in all, the trip was exactly what I expected, which you can’t ever complain about.  Next week’s adventures take us back up North once again to the great state of Michigan.  Stay tuned…

Tyler Hargrove

I’m sitting here at Gate B45 at Newark Liberty Airport after an exciting weekend at Pocono Raceway.  As you might know, I was at the race this past weekend overseeing the UPS Trackside Services account.  The weekend was a complete success as the local UPS workers were efficient and the activation was completed without a hitch.

I was expecting a fairly quiet weekend for shipping when I got to the track on Thursday but I was mistaken.  I’m just glad we had such great local workers, or else it could’ve gotten ugly.  The inbound volume was pretty significant for such a small race market.  I was surprised by the number of hospitality teams that activate in Pocono.  I realize that it’s so close to major metropolitan cities like New York and Philly, but I never expected to have so much volume.  I mean the track only seats 65,000 fans…who would have thought that so many companies would want to activate at such a market? Definitely not this guy!  I will say this though, I’ve never seen so many campers/Winnebago’s and men in jorts in my life!  I mean was there a jorts convention or something because atleast one out of every three men was wearing them.  Quite a site if you’ve never seen it before.

Besides work, Pocono is a pretty quiet area, very easy to catch up rest from the past few weekends in Indy and Chicago.  However I do have to make one suggestion to anyone who travels this way soon, go to the Japanese hibachi steakhouse “Mirakuya” in Wilkes Barre, I promise you will not be disappointed.  It’s definitely the most fun I’ve had a restaurant in the past few years. The only drawback to the whole weekend was my drive from the track to my hotel in Newark last night.  I left the track around 8:00 pm and didn’t get in until 10:30 pm due to the massive traffic on I-80.  To make matters worse, I got lost in downtown Newark and by the time I got to my hotel no restaurant was still delivering…so no dinner!  Oh well, if that’s the only problem all weekend, I’ll chalk this up as a successful five days in Pocono. 

Next race for me is in two weeks at Michigan, so I’ll post some more fun tidbits as soon as I get a chance.  Peace out!

Brandon Schnizter