My first live NASCAR event

Part of our recent vacation included a trip to watch NASCAR at California Speedway, Fontana. I've been following NASCAR for a couple of years now, but only on TV. Up until last week, I'd never witnessed the sight and sound of these cars up close. It's loud and quite breathtaking.

I've been supporting Jimmie Johnson for the last couple of years, so I was really excited to see him win at Fontana. I was on my feet for the last few laps as he was being caught by Carl Edwards, but he finished well. It was brilliant to see him collect the checkered flag and then do a couple of doughnuts for good measure.

If you get a chance to see once of these races, don't pass it up just because everyone says it's full of beer swilling rednecks. That wasn't my experience at all, and the NASCAR organisation put on an awesome event!