By Alex Iwashyna, blogger at Late Enough 
In the fall, my family and I shed our Yankee ways and went to NASCAR. We had a blast but it turned out to be the last race of the year. So when I heard Arena Racing USA was over at the Richmond Coliseum, I was intrigued.
When we arrived, we went right into the pits where we got to see the track, meet the racers and SIT IN THE RACE CARS.
Arena racing also has a youth league, and we met racers as young as 9 years old to which my son declared: I will be a race car driver by 9 and a half. (I guess he needs 6 months to train before hitting the circuit.)
But my favorite part is that half of the youth drivers are girls. I think it’s important for both my children to see girls racing, competing and achieving.
My kids would’ve be happy just attending those pre-race festivities but we still had a race to attend. The adult races are 50 laps, which meant my son could see 2 races finished before we had to leave whereas we've never seen the end of a NASCAR race. (My daughter fell asleep during the first race — only to southern child are race car engines soothing.)
Here’s a video so you can get a real feel for the experience (if you can't see the video, click here):
Tips for attending Arena Racing USA:
- We did bring our kids' ear muff to dampen the sound, and I would’ve liked to have ear plugs myself. It wasn’t as loud as NASCAR, but I feel sensitive about my hearing after all the concerts I attended as teenager. Also, that makes me sound so old. {sigh}
- I wish we had gotten there when the doors open (always an hour before the races) because walking around the pits, meeting the drivers, getting the poster signed and sitting in the race cars was so much fun.
- We plan to go back but this time I might just attend with my 5-year-old or bring 2 separate cars. My 2-year-old just isn’t into racing although the experience was kid friendly enough for her so we ended up leaving before the youth race series which was disappointing for my son. I think older kids would love the experience as well. It's definitely all-ages fun.
- I would’ve also loved if the Saturday races began an hour earlier or if the youth race went first because my kids are early to bed, early to rise and staying out until 8:30 p.m. was late even for my son. In other words, I think the experience should revolve around me. Wait, what?
There are still 9 races left. General admission tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for kids 3-12 years old, and the races are held on Friday and Saturday nights at the Richmond Coliseum.
But you can win a Family 4-pack to Arena Racing on Friday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, February 4 at 7 p.m. right now.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Mandatory Entry
- Leave a comment about why you want to attend an Arena Racing event.
Extra Entries (Leave a separate comment for each. If you already do any of these, it counts, but leave a comment letting me know.)
- Visit the Arena Racing USA website and tell me who you're going to root for.
- Like Arena Racing USA on Facebook
- Follow @Richmondmom on Twitter
- Tweet about this giveaway (1/day) by clicking the twitter button on the bottom or by cutting and pasting the following message: I entered to win a Family 4-Pack to #arenaracing #rva #giveaway from @Richmondmom http://richmondmom.com/?p=17637
- Facebook about this giveaway (1/day) by clicking the Facebook button at the bottom of this post or by cutting and pasting the following message: I entered to win a Family 4-Pack Arena Racing giveaway from Richmondmom http://richmondmom.com/?p=17637
This giveaway ends on Thursday, January 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The 2 winners will be emailed the following day and has 48 hours to reply before I choose a new winner. 1 comment enters a person into the giveaway for either set of tickets. However, each commenter can can only win 1 set.
Disclaimer: I was given tickets to attend Arena Racing USA as press. I was also provided the tickets from Arena Racing USA to be used as giveaways. No one told me what to write because I’m very intimidating.
