Blog – Sparky Super Fan

Follow along as we travel the NASCAR Cup Series Circuit, stopping at local short tracks along the way, showing you the journey from the eyes of a racing Superfan!

Miles Traveled

19,599

Hours on the Road

299.5

Cup Series Races Attended

Local Short Tracks Visited

This week we travel from Pocono to Atlanta

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Saturday June 28, 7pm Est

EchoPark Speedway – Hampton, GA

Week 21 - Atlanta to Chicago

Made possible by:

Total Miles Traveled This Week:635

Total Hours on the Road this Week:13.5

Day 138: Sunday, June 29

Start : Hampton, GA

End : Acworth, GA

Miles Traveled : 68

Total Driving Hours : 2

Day 139: Monday, June 30

Start : Acworth, GA

End : Nashville, TN

Miles Traveled : 211

Total Driving Hours : 4

Day 140: Tuesday, July 1

Start : Nashville, TN

End : Louisville, KY

Miles Traveled : 215

Total Driving Hours : 4.5

Day 141: Wednesday, July 2

Start : Louisville, KY

End : Whitestown, IN

Miles Traveled : 141

Total Driving Hours : 3

Week 20 - Pocono to Atlanta

Made possible by:

Total Miles Traveled This Week:872

Total Hours on the Road this Week:16.5

Day 132: Monday, June 23

Start : Long Pond, PA

End : Martinsburg, WV

Miles Traveled : 206

Total Driving Hours : 4

We hung out with Kyle for a bit this morning before he had to get on the road to Virginia Beach. Got all packed up and bid farewell to Pocono Raceway around 2pm. We were some of the last to leave. Put about 4 hours in on the road and stopped at Cracker Barrel for the night in Martinsburg, WV. Going to get a good night's rest. Long travel day tomorrow.

Until next year, Pocono!

Cracker Barrel - Martinsburg, WV

Day 133: Tuesday, June 24

Start : Martinsburg, WV

End : Blacksburg, SC

Miles Traveled : 418

Total Driving Hours : 7.5

We pulled out of Cracker Barrel early this morning - around 8:30am. The price of diesel dropped by 60 cents once we crossed into Virginia so we fueled up and headed towards Kings Mountain State Park. We got into the camp site just before 4pm. It's our second time here after stopping for a couple days between Darlington and Bristol. The state park is connected adjacent to Kings Mountain National Military Park and sits right along South Carolina/North Carolina state line. It's a beautiful park with lots of trails to bike and hike. Only $30 a night for full hookup (50 amp and water).

Diesel dropped 60 cents a gallon when we crossed the Mason-Dixon!

Trading Post just a couple hundred feet from our campsite at Kings Mountain State Park

Day 134: Wednesday, June 25

We spent the day at Kings Mountain. Stella and I took an early morning hike for about 6 miles across the state line into North Carolina and back. Kings Mountain State Park has some cool history. During the Great Depression, low-income South Carolinians suffered greatly. To provide paying jobs and affordable recreation, President Roosevelt established various programs, some of which built new parks. At Kings Mountain, work was done by the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) alonf with dozen of local workers hired under the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act. Between 1936 and 1942, these local men built a bathhouse and many other structures in the park. The construction featured local stone and timber. These materials were inexpensive and easy to get, and they contributed to "parkitecture", a style that complements natural surroundings. It was really hot and humid today but a big thunderstorm came through around 7pm. It lasted for about an hour and a half and cooled things off for a nice evening walk. Headed to Atlanta tomorrow.

The bathhouse built by local workers - 1939

The view of the lake and damn behind the bathhouse

Day 135: Thursday, June 26

Start : Blacksburg, SC

End : Hampton, GA

Miles Traveled : 248

Total Driving Hours : 5

Day 136: Friday, June 27

Day 137: Saturday, June 28

Week 19 - Mexico City to Pocono

Made possible by:

Total Miles Traveled This Week:2947

Total Hours on the Road this Week:19.5

Day 125: Monday, June 16

Start : Mexico City, Mexico

End : Mexico City, Mexico

Miles Traveled : 62

Total Driving Hours : 4

Trip to Pyramids

Day 126: Tuesday, June 17

Start : Mexico City, Mexico

End : Berwyn, PA

Miles Traveled : 2617

Total Driving Hours : 8

Day 127: Wednesday, June 18

Start : Berwyn, PA

End : Tafton, PA

Miles Traveled : 147

Total Driving Hours : 4

Day 128: Thursday June 19

Start : Tafton, PA

End : Long Pond, PA

Miles Traveled : 41

Total Driving Hours : 1.5

Day 129: Friday, June 20

Start : Long Pond, PA

End : Long Pond, PA

Miles Traveled : 80

Total Driving Hours : 1.5

Trip to Dickson City - Harrison Burton and Josh Williams

Day 130: Saturday, June 21

Xfinity Race in Pocono

Day 131: Sunday, June 22

Race Day at Pocono - The Great American Getaway 400! Got up around 9am and looked outside to see some heavy cloud cover. The rain came shortly afterwards, delaying the start of the race for over two and a half hours. Once the clouds cleared, the sun was out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Unfortunately a lot of the driver appearances and pre-race festivities were cancelled. After the race got underway, Stella and I took a walk around the packed infield. We happened to come across a camper that caught fire when a nearby grill got too hot. Luckily there were several people from neighboring sites who rushed over with their fire extinguishers to put the flames out. Only minimal damage to the RV and no one was hurt, luckily. Pocono Raceway has a paddock area with a deck overlooking the frontstretch from behind the pits - unlike any other track we've been to so far. The race was sold out, the first one in 15 years at Pocono, and it was great to see such a full house as we looked across the frontstretch. We watched the 3rd stage from the deck in the paddock and saw Chase Briscoe take the checkered flag in his #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota. We had a good view of the celebration in Victory Lane from the Paddock Deck as well. After the race we headed back to the campsite and met up with our neighbors who joined us in a walk over to the Amazon Prime post-race show in the infield. Two of our neighbors' kids asked if they could wave the Sparky Superfan and Clemson flags amongst the crowd gathered behind the set. It was so cool! Almost like a College Gameday-type setting. Brad had some barbecue sandwiches cooked up for us when we got back to the campsite. Delicious. The haulers pulled out around 10pm so we crossed the track to catch them. Security wouldn't let us cross over the track afterwards so we had to take the longer walk around and through the tunnel. We hung out for a bit with Brad and Tammy after we got back. We've really had a great time with them as our neighbors this weekend. Can't wait to see them again next weekend in Atlanta!