What Should You Bring to a Short Track?
By David Thompson, Short Track Coffee
For your first trip to a short track, bring hearing protection, comfortable clothes, a jacket or sweatshirt, cash, sunscreen, bug spray, a seat cushion or stadium chair if the track allows it, and shoes you do not mind getting dirty. A small cooler may also be useful, but check the track’s current policy before packing one. Short-track racing is casual. The trick is preparing for noise, weather and several hours outside.
You do not need racing gear.
You do not need to dress like you are going into the pits.
And you definitely do not need to know enough about racing to justify being there.
You mostly need to be comfortable enough that you can enjoy the night.
Bring Hearing Protection
This is the one item I would not treat as optional.
Short-track race cars are loud, and depending on the class, they can be extremely loud. Sprint cars, late models, modifieds and other high-powered divisions can produce sustained noise that is uncomfortable at best and damaging at worst.
Foam earplugs are cheap and easy to carry. Over-ear hearing protection works even better for children and for anyone who is especially sensitive to noise.
If you are bringing kids, do not assume they will simply get used to it.
The sound is part of the experience.
Hearing damage does not need to be.
Dress for the Weather You Might Get, Not the Weather You Have
Short-track races usually happen outdoors, often over several hours, and the weather at 4:30 in the afternoon may not resemble the weather when the feature ends at 10:30.
Summer races can start hot and end surprisingly cool. Spring and fall nights can become cold quickly once the sun goes down. Dirt tracks can also become dusty, and asphalt grandstands can hold heat long after sunset.
Layers are usually the safest choice.
A T-shirt, sweatshirt or light jacket gives you options. If rain is even remotely possible, bring a compact poncho rather than assuming the forecast will behave.
It occasionally does.
Racetracks have not historically relied on that.
Wear Shoes You Do Not Care About
This matters more at dirt tracks, but it is good advice almost anywhere.
You may walk across gravel, dirt, mud, grass, dust or a parking lot that looks like it was last surveyed during the Eisenhower administration.
Closed-toe shoes are usually the best choice.
If you plan to visit the pits before or after the race, they matter even more. Pit areas can have fuel, oil, sharp debris, uneven surfaces and moving equipment.
This is not the night for your best white sneakers.
Unless you are looking for an experiment.
Bring Something Comfortable to Sit On
Short-track grandstands are often metal or wooden bleachers.
They are functional.
They are rarely luxurious.
A seat cushion can make a four-hour race night much more comfortable. Some tracks allow stadium chairs with backs, while others restrict them because they can block the view of spectators behind you.
Check the track’s rules before bringing a larger chair.
If the grandstands are general admission, arriving early also gives you more freedom to choose where you sit.
The best seat is often not the one closest to the track.
More on that in Where should you sit at a short track?
Bring Cash
A surprising number of short tracks now accept cards or digital payments, but cash is still useful.
Admission gates, concession stands, merchandise tables, 50/50 raffles and pit-area vendors may not all use the same payment system. Cell service can also be inconsistent at rural tracks.
There is something especially annoying about standing beside a concession stand with a credit card while the person behind the counter points toward an ATM that may or may not work.
Bring some cash.
You may not need it.
That is considerably better than needing it and not having it.
Can You Bring a Cooler?
Sometimes.
This is one of the rules you should check before leaving home.
Some tracks allow small coolers with food and non-alcoholic drinks. Others restrict cooler size. Some prohibit outside food and beverages entirely because concession sales are an important part of the track’s revenue.
Alcohol policies vary even more.
Do not assume that because you carried a cooler into one short track last weekend, another speedway 30 miles away will allow the same thing.
Check the track’s current website or social media page.
And if they sell food, consider buying something anyway.
Local tracks survive on more than ticket revenue.
Also, there is a respectable chance you will eventually need to know whether their fries are any good.
Bring Water
Even if outside beverages are restricted, figure out how you are going to stay hydrated.
A summer race can mean several hours in direct sun before the temperature begins to fall.
Heat, noise and walking around the grounds can wear you down faster than expected.
If the track allows refillable bottles, bring one. If not, plan to purchase drinks at the concession stand.
This sounds obvious until you are sitting in aluminum grandstands in July wondering why you feel terrible.
Water is less interesting than racing.
It is considerably more useful.
Bring Sunscreen
Night racing does not necessarily mean you will avoid the sun.
Many tracks open their gates hours before sunset. If you arrive early to watch practice, visit the pits or find a good seat, you may spend a long time exposed to direct sunlight.
Grandstands are not known for abundant shade.
Apply sunscreen before you arrive and bring more if you expect to be there through the afternoon.
A hat helps too.
If you sit facing west, you may spend the first hour discovering exactly where the sun goes down.
Bring Bug Spray
Especially at rural dirt tracks.
Mosquitoes do not care that the feature has gone green.
Some speedways sit near woods, fields, standing water or drainage areas, all of which can make bugs part of the evening.
Bug spray takes almost no room and can prevent you from spending half the race slapping your ankles.
This is one of those items you will feel silly bringing right up until you desperately need it.
Bring Eye Protection to a Dirt Track
You probably do not need goggles in the grandstands, but glasses can help if the track becomes dusty.
Dirt racing moves a lot of material.
How much reaches the spectators depends on the track, wind direction, track preparation and where you sit.
Some nights are clean.
Some nights you will discover dirt in places that seem geographically impossible.
Regular glasses or inexpensive clear safety glasses can help, especially for children or people who wear contact lenses.
If you wear contacts, bringing lubricating drops is not a terrible idea either.
Should You Bring a Blanket?
For cooler weather, yes.
A small blanket can work as extra warmth and can also make an uncomfortable bleacher slightly more forgiving.
At early spring and late fall races, do not underestimate how cold it can become after dark.
The temperature may only drop 10 or 15 degrees, but sitting still on metal grandstands with a breeze coming across the track feels very different from standing in the parking lot at 5:00.
Veteran race fans often look mildly overprepared when they arrive.
Three hours later, they look experienced.
Bring a Portable Phone Charger
Your phone may be doing a lot during the evening.
You might use it for tickets, photos, video, the track schedule, live timing, weather radar or figuring out which class is currently lining up in the pits.
Add weak cell service to the equation and your battery can disappear quickly.
A small portable charger is worth bringing, particularly if your ticket is digital.
You do not want your battery percentage becoming the evening’s closest race.
Download or Screenshot Your Ticket Before You Arrive
If the track uses digital tickets, save them before reaching the gate.
Short tracks are frequently located outside major population centers, and cellular coverage can range from excellent to theoretical.
Take a screenshot of the QR code or save the ticket to your phone wallet if the ticket provider allows it.
The same goes for parking information, schedules or anything else you know you will need.
Do this at home.
The entrance line is not where you want to discover that your phone has one bar and strong opinions about loading a webpage.
Bring a Track Schedule If You Can Find One
Most tracks publish a schedule or order of events online.
Save it.
Knowing which class is practicing, qualifying or racing makes the evening much easier to understand, particularly if you are new.
You do not need to memorize it.
Just having the schedule available answers one of the most common first-time questions:
“What are these cars racing right now?”
Once you know the class and whether you are watching a heat or feature, the night becomes much easier to follow.
If you are still learning the basic format, read How does a short-track race work?
Should You Bring Binoculars?
Usually not necessary, but they can be useful at larger tracks.
Most short tracks are small enough that you can see the action well without them. On a half-mile oval or from seats farther back, binoculars can help you look into the pits, inspect a damaged car or follow something happening on the opposite end of the track.
They are more of a bonus than an essential.
Do not pack your first race like an expedition.
You are going to a speedway, not crossing the Andes.
What About a Camera?
Bring one if you enjoy photography, but check the track’s current camera policy.
Phones are rarely an issue. Larger cameras with detachable lenses may be restricted at some venues or special events, especially if professional media credentials are involved.
If photography is important to you, verify the rules beforehand.
Also remember that watching the race through your phone is a very efficient way to attend an event without actually seeing much of it.
Take some photos.
Then put the phone down occasionally.
Should You Bring a Scanner or Race Radio?
For your first race, probably not.
Some tracks and series use radio systems that allow fans to listen to race control, teams or announcers. At other events, scanners are much less useful.
They can be interesting once you know what you are listening for, but they are not necessary to understand the basics.
Your first night is better spent watching how the race develops.
There is already plenty happening without adding six more voices to your headphones.
What Should You Bring for Kids?
Hearing protection comes first.
After that, think about comfort.
Bring snacks if permitted, water, a sweatshirt, sunscreen, bug spray and something to occupy younger children during downtime between races.
A race night can be long.
There may be delays for crashes, track preparation, weather or cleanup. Adults who love racing can tolerate 20 minutes of nothing happening because they understand what is happening behind the scenes.
A six-year-old may have a different opinion.
If you are bringing children to their first race, read Is short-track racing good for kids? before you go.
What Should You Leave at Home?
Anything prohibited by the track.
That sounds obvious, but policies vary widely.
Coolers, alcohol, glass containers, pets, large stadium chairs, umbrellas, weapons and professional camera equipment may be restricted depending on the venue.
Do not rely on what another track allowed.
Check the current rules for the speedway you are visiting.
Umbrellas deserve special mention. Even where they are allowed, opening one in crowded grandstands during the race is a reliable way to become extremely unpopular with everyone sitting behind you.
A poncho usually works better.
A Simple First-Race Packing List
You do not need to carry half your house into the grandstands.
For most race nights, this is enough:
- Hearing protection
- Comfortable closed-toe shoes
- Sweatshirt or light jacket
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Water, if permitted
- Cash
- Seat cushion
- Phone and portable charger
- Digital ticket saved offline
- Small cooler, only if the track permits it
- Poncho if rain is possible
- Clear glasses for a dusty dirt track
Everything beyond that depends on the weather, the track and how much you enjoy carrying things.
The Simple Version
Bring enough to stay comfortable, but not enough that getting from the parking lot to the grandstands feels like moving day.
Protect your hearing.
Dress for changing weather.
Bring cash.
Wear shoes that can survive dirt, gravel and whatever happened near the concession stand.
Check the track’s cooler and bag policies before you leave.
And bring a little patience.
Short-track racing does not always operate on the schedule printed at the top of the page. Crashes happen. Weather happens. Dirt tracks need maintenance. Sometimes somebody drops oil across half the racing surface and everyone gets to spend 20 minutes watching people with brooms.
That is part of going to a race.
The grandstands are not especially comfortable, the weather may refuse to cooperate, and there is a reasonable chance you will leave with dirt on your clothes.
You will also be close enough to hear the engines fire, watch people race cars they worked on all week and understand why several hundred other people decided this was a perfectly good way to spend Saturday night.
That is worth packing for.