Jake Meadows takes on Nashville Superspeedway with his son and shares their first experience at the track! (Photo provided by Jake Meadows)

It’s been a while since we last had a first-time fan experience! We love sharing the fan point of view when we can. Luckily for us, a Facebook follower reached out saying he would be attending the Nashville Superspeedway Cup race with his son.

This is actually a double fan experience! Jake Meadows attended his first race at Nashville, and his son, Oliver, attended his first-ever race! Take a few minutes to learn more about their day at the racetrack. There is nothing like the first time at a racetrack!

Tiffany Faw: Thank you so much for sharing your Nashville experience with us. Can you introduce yourself to our Pit Pass Network followers?
Jake Meadows: I’m Jake Meadows, and my son is Oliver. We are from Fairborn, OH.

(Photo provided by Jake Meadows)

Faw: How long have you been a NASCAR fan, Jake?
Meadows: I’ve been a NASCAR fan for 29 years, really getting into it around 2005. Oliver, who’s 5, has been watching racing his whole life but is just starting to get into it. Thank you in part to the movie “Cars.”

(I just had the Lightning McQueen voice pop into my head. Thanks, Oliver!)

Faw: Do you have a favorite driver or NASCAR team?
Meadows: Ryan Blaney is our favorite driver.

(Did they bring Blaney good luck? I think so!)

(Photo provided by Jake Meadows)

Faw: How many races have you attended? Do you have a home track you attend each year?
Meadows: I’ve attended about a dozen races. They have all been the night races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Nashville was my first race at a different track. Sunday was actually Oliver’s first-ever race!
 
Faw: Why did you choose to come to Nashville? 
Meadows: We chose Nashville because of the timing and its location on our route to visit family. We couldn’t attend earlier in the year due to the birth of our second child in February, and later dates conflicted with work. Early summer was perfect, and we made this the starting point for a family visit.

(I am a huge proponent of planning a trip in conjunction with a race! My family has done vacations based on us going to a race. That’s how we knocked Watkins Glen, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Dover off our list of racetracks.)
 
Faw: What activities did you do away from the track, if any?
Meadows: We spent Saturday driving and had dinner near our hotel. On Sunday, we visited Mill Ridge Park, a fantastic playground where Oliver and I had a great time. We then grabbed some burgers before heading to the track.
 
Faw: How would you rate the Nashville facility as a whole?
Meadows: The facility was excellent. The bleachers where we sat could use some improvement, but they still exceeded my expectations.
 
Faw: What were your thoughts on the food options and prices? How was the fan zone?
Meadows: We brought our own snacks, so we didn’t eat much at the track. Oliver and I enjoyed a frozen lemonade, which was reasonably priced considering stadium prices nowadays. The fan zone was a great experience for both of us.
 
Faw: Did you meet any drivers, and how was that experience?
Meadows: We didn’t meet any drivers, but we saw Kyle Busch doing an interview at the Zone booth in the fan zone, which was pretty cool.
 
Faw: In your opinion, how was the on-track product?
Meadows: The racing was very exciting. There were moments when the cars were single-file, which bored Oliver a bit, but there were also thrilling instances of side-by-side and three-wide racing near the front. There was no dominant line until late in the race when it shifted late to the bottom.
 
Faw: What were the best and worst aspects of the race weekend?
Meadows: It’s hard to pick just one “best moment.” Seeing the track while parking, exploring the fan zone, and hearing the engines fire up were all memorable. The worst part was the length of the race, combined with having a 5-year-old. Oliver’s attention span waned during long green flag runs, and he got tired before the race ended.

(Photo provided by Jake Meadows)

Faw: Did the race weekend live up to your expectations, if you had any beforehand?
Meadows: The weekend exceeded my expectations! The traffic getting into the parking lot was smoother than I anticipated. Seeing the track as we arrived was thrilling, and the walk from the general parking to the track wasn’t too long.

The fan zone was a blast, especially for Oliver, who loved the tanks, show cars, and familiar companies’ booths. It was quite hot, so we headed to our seats early. The view from our seats was fantastic, especially considering they were free tickets earned through the NASCAR Fan Rewards program.

(Fans, if you haven’t yet, join the NASCAR Fan Rewards Program. It is a great way to save money on race tickets!)

(Photo provided by Jake Meadows)

Faw: What would you tell other first-timers thinking about going? Anything you wish you had known ahead of time?
Meadows: Get there early to explore. Read the track policies beforehand, as they vary, especially post-COVID. If you’re bringing kids, plan for rest breaks and stay hydrated because it can get hot. Make sure they are comfortable with scanner headsets or ear protection. Access to radios, scanners, or apps is essential because it’s hard to hear the speakers over the cars.

Faw: Is there anything you would do differently now that it’s over?
Meadows: I would have backup radio frequencies ready. I had the MRN/PRN frequency, but they used a backup, so I had to reprogram it at the start of the race. I’d also get Oliver more accustomed to the loudness of the engines and the scanner headset.

Faw: Obviously, I have to wrap this up by asking what Oliver thought of his first race. Did he have a blast?
Meadows: Oliver had a fantastic time! His favorite part was seeing Blaney’s car and watching him win stage 2 and the race.

(Photo provided by Jake Meadows)

Sounds like Jake and Oliver had a wonderful day at the racetrack. How many of us can say our favorite driver won the very first race we attended? I know I can’t! I hope you all enjoyed hearing a little bit about their raceday and seeing their photos. They definitely had good seats for the race.

If you will be attending a racetrack for the first time this year, please reach out to me. Fans can benefit from other fans’ experiences! It helps everyone to share the good and bad parts. We might all cheer for different drivers, but we are all a part of the NASCAR Fan family.