Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Wanna try to get over to the Grove for one of the Outlaw shows this year... Which is the best to attend??? Where is the best place to sit to see all the racing action??? Please keep in mind I will have my 72 year old grandfather with me... Thanks!!

National Open. As far as seating, anywhere middle-up to see over everything in the infield. It's a pretty flat track. Try not to sit too close to the bridge on the backstretch. GET IN AS SOON AS THE GATES OPEN if you're buying GA tickets to put a blanket down.

buy a reserved seat...........We made the trip from south dakota last july, and general admission behind the flag stand was ONLY the bottom 5 rows...........it was horrible

as much as I love the events, i'm with them in that buying a reserved seat is probably the way to go. none of the GA seats are very good, so save yourself the hassle and spend a few extra bucks. Plus your 72 year old grandfather probably wouldn't care to stand in line for an hour or so to get those good GA seats

I love the National Open. Of all the Outlaw shows it is my favorite but that being said, if you have your grandfather with you and you're not crazy about dealing with the huge National Open crowd, the mid May swing might be a good idea. You still get a 2 day show, the crowds aren't as crazy and all the big names are still there. Plus depending on when you're coming in, you can catch the Outlaw show at Lincoln on Wednesday. Another plus for that time of year is the weather usually mild too. The weather during the Summer Nationals is usually miserably hot and at the National Open, it can sometimes get really cold. It all comes down to personal preference of course and I'm sure which ever weekend you pick, you'll have a blast and I'm sure you'll meet many great fans who will put the stereotypes to rest that unfortunately come as a result of the few idiots among us who give Pa fans a bad name.

Went to the National Open the year before last. We got there around 5:00 - 5:30 and parked about 100 ft from the pit shack by turn 1. We got in line and got our pit pass as soon as they opened it up. We then went as far down from turn 1 towards the flag stand as we could get and still got decent general admission seats high enough up about 2/3'rds of the way down the front streatch by taping a blanket down. We then made the short walk back to the car and finished our tailgating. After that we took a couple of folding chairs and cooler for a short walk into the infield thru the tunnel for a spot in turn one. We used a little soft side coller to takes drinks back up to the grandstand seats when we wanted to see the whole track. Not much walking required for your grandpa if you do it this way. 

  I agree with all opinions expressed  , I would say May race would be easier  as far as  crowd  goes ,but  definitely National open would be better as far car count and quality . Get seats   early , get there early  for close up parking ,sit in middle of grandstand ,take a walk into infield to watch warmups , visit the Nace 's  apparel stand ,   walk over to the bridge watch warmups from there a little ,and after races visit the pits and see your favorite driver . This is the Williams Grove experience that we experience as regular visitors . If I can be of further help contact me [email protected] , enjoy whatever you decide.

The Grove's reserved seat sales methods are appalling. You can't buy them online. They don't sell them day of race or if they do, they close it down really early. It's why, in a place where you have SRO crowds in the infield and turn 3, some of the very best places to watch the race, the top 2-3 rows of  backstretch and turn 4 grandstand are half empty.

I would echo what was said above. If you're going to come, I'd recommend adding another race to your schedule, whether in May (Lincoln) or July (Lernerville?) because the weather can be iffy. 10% chance of rain can turn into a rain out while 70% chance can turn into clear skies.

Just a reminder, the Natty Open is now a 3-day show.

Id go with the sat night show in may...better chance of nice weather, summer nationals can be miserably hot and the national open can be bitter cold...it will be crowded but not nearly as bad as the national open...as recommended i would call for reserved seats or try your luck posting on the williams grove forum ahead of time and ask if any season ticket holders have any extra seats theyd be willing to sell to help out you and your grandfather on your first trip to the grove

Little word of advice, im a season reserved seat holder, and we sit in the section to the left of the flagstand and our whole row is open.  You are more than welcome to come up and sit in our seats, or to the seats beside us.  We are always there and we own 6 of the seats on that row and the rest are open.  The Wilt family will ocassionaly come up and sit in their seats, but that is very rarely due to adam not making the main.  If you want to know what row and section it is, PM or something and I will be glad to tell you where you can sit whenever you come.

Depends on what you are looking for. The May show is like others said pretty good, but it isn't the National Open. It's a two day show though. If you decide on the May show I would also recommend going to Lincoln on the Wednesday prior to catch their Outlaw show. Some of the best racing in the country happens at that little track.  

I will also echo what others have said.  Reserved tickets!!!!!!  They are only a few bucks more than GA tickets and the only hastle will be parking/walking. I've taken my young daughter with me to every Outlaw show and this is the only way to go.  

Additionally if you go to Lincoln get reserved tickets there too, and you will bring to bring/purchase some type of stadium seat particularly for your granddad. Lincoln doesn't have traditional seats, just concrete courses where seats could have been installed. You can sit right on the concrete if your younger and it won't bother you a bit, but the lack of a seat back and the angle which your knees sit if you are right on the concrete would more than likely be uncomfortable for an older fellow, particularly if they have knee issues. 

Make sure you put a trip to EMMR on your calendar.

Eastern Museum of Motorsport Racing...www.EMMR.org

DITTO.