If you're new to the NASCAR camping scene or moved sites from the year before, "Meeting Your Camping Neighbors" for the first time can be an awesome, awkward or horrible moment.
"Are they quiet?", "Do they party and play loud music?", "Will they get mad if YOU party and play loud music?". RV spaces in the infield are quite cozy so if this is your first time meeting them, then these and many other questions get answered quickly.
"Are they quiet?", "Do they party and play loud music?", "Will they get mad if YOU party and play loud music?". RV spaces in the infield are quite cozy so if this is your first time meeting them, then these and many other questions get answered quickly.
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| View from the top of our RV looking towards backstretch/Turn 3 at Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA. © Photo by Paul Wilkinson |
Depending on who around you arrives first can
set the tone for the weekend by how they place their camp site. I prefer to park with the RV door facing towards a neighbor's door to maximize & share the "common area" between sites.
Others may want their privacy and have their doors facing away from you, which places their rigs on the site line nearest you, minimizing your usable space.
Others may want their privacy and have their doors facing away from you, which places their rigs on the site line nearest you, minimizing your usable space.
When I arrived at my site, my neighbors to the left ( as you look at the site from the road) had just arrived
and were backed in setting up. They were a foot over my site line
with their slide outs extended. My neighbors on the right were already in
place at the far right with their door facing my site.
What made sense for me, was to pull in
forward. Since my slide outs are on the driver's side, this allowed me to park as close as possible to my neighbors on the left. This opened the common area between myself and neighbors to the right, while allowing the maximum space for my neighbors on the left - a total WIN, WIN, WIN!
Everyone was happy with that set-up and it worked out great.
Everyone was happy with that set-up and it worked out great.
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| Worked out well with us and neighbors with this set-up.
© Photo by Paul Wilkinson
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1. I could have been an "A'Hole" and
told the neighbor over my line to get back on his
side.
2. I could have been a "HUGE A'Hole" and backed in and screwed both myself and my neighbors to my right.
I got pretty lucky this year when I elected to change sites at Auto Club Speedway I got some GREAT NASCAR camping neighbors!
What I actually did was what any civilized "non-A'Hole" NASCAR camping fan SHOULD do . . .
. . . get out of the rig, make introductions to BOTH neighbors and communicate with them to maximize the space. They could have easily been "A'Holes", in which option 1 and/or 2 could have easily come back into play, but that was NOT THE CASE!
I got pretty lucky this year when I elected to change sites at Auto Club Speedway I got some GREAT NASCAR camping neighbors!
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| This year we had GREAT neighbors & also met their cool friends. © Photo by Paul Wilkinson |
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Even after talking to our neighbors (RV pictured on right) when they arrived the year before, they decided it was best for them to back in leaving only a few feet between us. His generator & exhaust only a couple feet from my door. They would only talk to us when they came out to start their generator for the rest of the weekend. Maybe he thought WE were A'holes. but in reality they were "HUGE A'holes!" © Photo by Paul Wilkinson
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So don't be a NASCAR camping scrooge! Get out, meet the neighbors, share a drink, a meal, laugh together and have some fun! Remember EVERYONE is there to have a good time.
Before you know it, instead of just being NASCAR camping neighbors, you will all become a piece of a larger NASCAR camping family and maybe even friends for life!
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| Visiting my friends & neighbors that were TWO sites over from me the year before. © Photo by Paul Wilkinson |
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You're fortunate that you have the option to pull in or back in! Anyone with a towable is limited sometimes. Looks like there is wall along the back of your site which would only allow us to back in with our 5th wheel. Dover has an escort to take you to your site and he checks the campers on either side of your site to be sure they are not on the line. Makes it nice that you don't have to start off your weekend nagging at your neighbor! Once we are all settled in EVERYONE is our friend!!
ReplyDeleteYes we were fortunate. I understand that every situation is different, but it doesn't hurt to get out and talk with the neighbors around you or go talk to them as they pull up so either way there's an understanding about it. My neighbors next to me last year didn't talk to us, except for him to tell me he was coming on my site to start his generator which was right outside my door. Yes, he used a genturi system, but it was an older rig and the generator was very loud. While our neighbors 2 or 3 sites down from him, let us borrow their grill when my regulator went out, visited and made friends. I believe that some people that go to the races (even long timers) just don't really get what it's all about.
DeleteI like your article, I even turned my motorhome around at Charlotte once because of a group of A holes that arrived after me. Did you have enough room between you and the motorhome to extend your slide? Looks like the 2 are almost touching.
ReplyDeleteWe had about 4 inches (maybe less) from our slide outs from hitting. It was close but it worked out well. As small as the site are to start with it surprises me when those around try to take advantage even if its to take a foot or two of neighboring sites. Some people just don't get it, which is why I moved sites from the year before to get away from an A'hole myself.
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