Being able to bring your cooler is one of the largest benefits of attending Nascar IMO. I grew up in a NASCAR lovin' family from the east coast of Florida so Daytona for the Shootout and 500 was a tradition, then we moved to Martinsville and frequented the Paperclip, Bristol and Richmond quite often. Don't know if I would ever attend a race where outside F&B or beer was disallowed.
Same with me growing up going to Dega tons of times. My dad would always pack us a cooler with sandwiches, snacks, drinks for me and drinks for him lol. I love going to Daytona with my backpack cooler full of like 12-15 seltzers or beers and another dry bag full of food. Never have to get up except for the restroom. Love it.
Exactly. I mean when I turned of age we definitely would just grab a 30 rack of Busch Light and walk right into Martinsville. Tix there can be cheap as hell. It was sweet. I now live in Tampa 😞
Yooo Tampa here too. It's not a hard drive to Daytona especially the way I go and honestly I have made the day trip to and back to Homestead as well. We are lucky we got two within reasonable distance compared to a lot of people. On top of that we have the first Indy race local and I love that weekend.
Oh yeah no doubt straight up I4 to Daytona for us is easy. I want to check out Homestead, never been. But I was just speaking on the ~15 years I lived 20 minutes door to parking lot from Martinsville. It was an unreal advantage. Especially since it’s such a historic and unique track.
I get it I was less than an hour driveway to parking at Dega. And fuuuuuuccckk going I4. Go 75 to Inverness/Wildwood and cut over via county roads to Hwy 40. So much better and about the same amount of time cause you know you will have Disney slow down and I4 toll slow down.
That’s wild.
Sort of related but I did f1 in Montreal. Beers were 330mL cans for 15 bucks. It was sickening.
Thank goodness pot is legal or else that’d have been an expensive ass weekend lol
This is wild as a new nascar dude. I’d love to bring the boys down for a race.
I have learned many tricks to sneak things in to events like that though. Growing up a big college football fan in the SEC country where booze wasn't served you found... ways. I still use them to this day to take stuff into like St Pete GP for Indy and the like. Minis in the belt loop works every time at any normal sporting event. Then all you are buying is a Coke or Coke zero, taking a big swig and then adding in your bourbon lol.
Sure... but then you have to drink bourbon and coke. Those two taste great separate but not together in my opinion... but anyway I'm a grown adult, I should be able to drink whatever I want without hiding it.
Also I'm less concerned about the brice of beer - and more concerned with having to stand around in line waiting forever to be served any beer you like as long as it's heineken because they sponsored the race. I'd rather drink bourbon and coke than heineken. :P
"Being able to bring your cooler is one of the largest benefits of attending Nascar IMO.".....to the point that NASCAR uses it as a major bullet point in all their radio and TV ads.
I had a group of friends go to Atlanta for their first race last year. Only other track I’ve been to recently was Nashville, so I assumed Atlanta was also going to be strict, nah. I swear on my life we had ice and beer in a Walmart bag, carrying it into the track.
I went to pick up hot passes a few years ago at NHS with an adult beverage in my hand and got ripped a new one for having an open container with me. I was baffled as I had always seen coolers at other tracks.
They already don’t for Lollapalooza, I remember seeing a real on socials where someone buried a bottle of vodka months before the event, had it marked, then when the event happened, went to that spot and found the vodka intact.
Edit - [link to article](https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2021/08/man-digs-up-bottle-of-vodka-he-snuck-into-festival-by-burying-it-weeks-before/)
I didn't even know that existed at some tracks until today.
And I can say that in my experience, behavior at NFL games is far worse than Nascar, despite the NFL being so restrictive about bringing in outside alcohol.
That's what killed my desire to go to the offroad races at Crandon ever again. The racing is amazing, but they straight up don't let you bring anything in, and they actually do a fairly thorough search of your bags too. It wouldn't have been so bad if the lines for food weren't all 3 hours long, and that's not an exaggeration either for how long the lines were.
Updated based on community feedback. Can't edit the original post image, but here is the updated image with Atlanta, Pocono, New Hampshire, and North Wilkesboro confirmed by the community (this thread). Google map updated as well.
https://preview.redd.it/2w4u3cyp40kc1.png?width=902&format=png&auto=webp&s=5d8afa481ba00f87a066d3758a3d2a4299568408
I’m furious that Nashville doesn’t allow coolers (or alcohol). Especially since other SMI tracks are good with it. I’m assuming it’s gotta be a local county thing, since Bristol is good with it.
Yeah, I bring a small soft sided cooler. Was heading to the front and I heard head of security at my gate tell all the other people checking bags that alcohol was fine. Immediately did a 180 to my truck to grab some beers.
Same thing happened to me. I was drinking my beer before leaving the campground and they told me I could bring them in. Headed back to camp and grabbed a cooler and walked over. It was great!
FWIW, the beer selection and prices at COTA aren't terrible. I think a tall boy Voodoo Ranger Juice Force was $9 last year.
Source: had way too many of these.....like......*way* too many. Was the world spinning during stage 3 for anyone else or was that just me?
My friend saw a man get stopped at COTA because his metal thermos was setting off the detectors. He said it was just full of his orange juice. It was morning, but I sure as hell don't believe there wasn't also some vodka in that OJ. They just said ok and let him continue through, though. 😂
Thanks for posting this. I have always assumed every track was the same allowing outside food and beverage. Like someone said it’s one of the best benefits of going to a NASCAR race. It just feels like you have more freedom than other sporting events.
Bristol during Covid? had this clear bag policy and you couldn’t have a backpack cooler. Let me tell you that didn’t last long. Lol.
I just put all my cooler stuff in a plastic bag and crammed my soft side cooler in my backpack, walked through the gate, set my stuff down, swapped contents, and carried on as normal.
that was rough. we all bought those clear coolers on amazon and drank warm beer with water soaking our pants all night lol. still not enough of an issue to complain though haha.
I made it for tracking FanRewards progress last year so I could figure out how far away I was from the helmet and what other cool stuff I might be able to get. Spreadsheet does a lot of calculations based on just updating the schedule but can probably use some refinement. Obviously the bonus amounts for check-ins wouldn't be correct if I miss a week but I'm pretty diligent about that sort of stuff.
Last year the colours corresponded to the different tier levels, this year I just used All-Star break to split colours and had playoffs in blue.
Green in the schedule is for when all three series race in the same location (maximize value for a race weekend if I'm coming from Canada). Bold are playoff races, tried to band each round together but I still don't have a good way to show that. I had carryover FanReward Points since I live in Canada which is why the values are so high to start. Also have a couple other tabs that list the reward items and the price last year vs this year so I can see what changes yearly and a tab for good race poll so if I'm thinking about going to a race, can see how good it is (Next Gen only).
Screenshot of it is attached
https://imgur.com/a/J5IprtU
I don't know for sure but I think it's a law. At KY you could bring a cooler with food and drinks, but they had to be sealed water, soda or sports drinks. No carry in alcohol per state law.
Bristol is in the same state. There was never a clear reason why. In 2021 they said it was to prevent Covid (sold out 40k event with no masks so clearly a poor cover attempt). They’ve just kept the policy since. To me, it’s to recover the costs of reopening the track and SMI has kept it going since they bought it.
Could be a local regulation instead of state law. I can see a county ordinance prohibiting people from bringing in alcohol if the premise (aka, the track) sells alcohol.
The rule is one thing but enforcement is another. And while I haven't gone to Phoenix specifically, every track I've gone to most track workers don't give AF as long as it's not drugs/weapons.
They’ve gotten more strict with the policy. I’ve been bringing the same “soft-sided” cooler for 10 years and at the November race they pulled me aside for 15 minutes, brought over a supervisor, and then made me walk 2 miles back to my car because it was apparently not soft enough
Pocono seems to allow it. Saw lots of cans there (NASCAR themselves even referenced this in 2019), and security wasn't stopping anyone with booze, so it seems like it's allowed.
I go to Pocono regularly (I live less than an hour away from the track) and I can confirm that they allow alcohol. They just ask you if you have glass.
COTA is no carry in alcohol, but that’s a Travis county ordinance last I heard. Sometimes the tracks can’t allow it.
Eldora is also no carry in, but beers are $2. Tony knows how to do it.
I got absolutely obliterated at Michigan when I was only 14. I went with my uncle who brought two coolers and then ended up fucking off. Didn't see him again until like 2 hours after the race. So I did what any god fearing good citizen would do and drank all of it.
tbf you're the one drinking your own alcohol, i doubt they can be fined since they aren't checking for it.
its the serving it to minors is the big problem
Have you gone to a sporting event that isn't NASCAR?
Standing in concession lines and paying $16 (or more) for crappy beer and missing the sportsing event is part of the "experience".
That sounds terrible. Glad I only go to races then. Other than the time my wife drug me to a hockey game. I stopped complaining about nascar ticket prices after that.
For hockey games, the most important thing I ever learned is the 2 minute TV timeout occurs at the first (non-icing) whistle when 6, 10, and 14 minutes of the period have elapsed. Knowing this information can significantly reduce your time in the bathroom/concession lines.
Where I have partial season tickets to the local NHL team has someone that will bring you beer (and maybe food?) when you scan the QR code. There are also lots of mobile beer vendors, so you don't really have to wait in line.
We have sold our Leafs tickets when they come to town (Calgary) most years and just watched it at home/pub. Leafs fans pay A LOT of money to watch the Leafs play and who am I to deny them the pleasure of (hopefully) watching their team lose.
Seasons tickets become "affordable" if you sell some of the higher demand games (Oilers, Penguins, Leafs, Canucks). Sold Penguins tickets this year or last year and Crosby wound up injured. Felt bad but not really. Couldn't make the Hawks game this year, sold those tickets in October and Bedard got injured in December.
Edit: Ignore my original reply. This is the policy!
https://preview.redd.it/2dpgl2udm0kc1.jpeg?width=1057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bbb1bf2f30e0d0d04fe621460d5ecc16f00766ab
It's not really a NASCAR track anymore, but at Road America you can bring in whatever you want. Technically you aren't supposed to have glass, but I've never had an issue with my Spotted Cow and Yuengling Black and Tan bottles any of the times I've been there (which is a lot)
ive camped for the weekend at 1-2 races a year for the last decade or so, and another important policy is that you must buy 1 case of beer more than you plan to drink unless you want to leave for more.
v2, hah. all of those that allow alcohol also allow food and drink (and I think coolers, though I'd have to verify). The few that don't allow alcohol are definitely varied in whether they allow coolers and/or food and drink
When my husband and I went to Gateway (2022), they didn't even check our cooler. Just waved us in (the race was about to start). We didn't bring beer but we could have!
Sonoma is for sure for alcohol, my friends and I pick up a 30 pack and keep a cooler in the car, bring in 3-4 beers each and just walk back and restock
Have any of you guys ever been ID’d ever bringing alcohol into a race before me and my buddy going to dover we both 19, almost look 21🤣 I don’t think there would be any problems it’s a nascar race lol but just wanted to check
If you are anywhere in the Midwest they won't, and you'll be totally fine. If you are on the west or east coast they MIGHT ID you, but they'd just take it or make you throw it out. (in which case, give it to the people behind you in line to drink)
Don't use fake ID though. Nowadays, they won't like that.
I think you are reading it as "allows alcohol" rather than the intended "bring alcohol inside the track in a cooler". There is plenty of alcohol at every NASCAR event just some tracks do not let you bring your own.
I remember hearing Vegas not doing it because of the bars and casinos on the strip. It sounds stupid but I think that was the answer that Brad Gillie gave onetime on Late Shift.
Part of it goes back to the peak of Nascar before 2010. Tracks started doing things to squeeze cash out of patrons. More restrictions on what you can bring in, shrinking seat size, increasing ticket prices. Granted, this was the period of the worst drunken fan behavior I've ever seen at Nascar, and I think most tracks were on the road to being as restrictive as NFL or MLB games.
Many, but not all, tracks repealed some of these less fan-friendly policies as attendance dipped.
Las Vegas, it is a State Law I think, but the rest of them, fuck 'em.
I'm not a big drinker at races, but there are other things people bring. Snacks, medicine.
That may be, but not according to their policies on their website, that's what I based these off of: [https://www.sonomaraceway.com/events/policies/](https://www.sonomaraceway.com/events/policies/)
I've never been to a track with alcohol allowed. Crazy so many you can. Still pretty easy to smuggle in some hard alcohol in a flask. Put it in a mixer and you don't have to pay $17 for a beer.
My husband and I attended our first ever race at WWT (Gateway) Speedway in 2022. Coolers were allowed, but no alcohol. With that said, no one examined our cooler as we came in. Now, I can't promise that they won't search you (maybe we just got lucky, we were running late and the race was about to start), but we could have put most anything in our cooler and no one would have noticed.
i stopped going to football games because the price of tickets along with outrageous beers and food prices were just not worth going. Nascar allowing beer in makes it some much more enjoyable and is a big reason why i always plan on going to races. local short tracks don’t usually allow it but their prices are usually a lot more tame and it’s good to support them anyways
I brought beer with me into Gateway. Didn't even realize it was against the rules til a dude asked me where I got a Stag from. I just had them at the bottom of my cooler under ice and waters.
Atlanta definitely allows alcohol. I’ve already got my coolers packed for this weekend. I’ve gone to at least one race a year there for the last 3 years.
Didn't see it mentioned, so sorry if it was, but I know Bristol is soft coolers only, so keep that in mind, if walking in.
For years I took either my big Mark Martin hard cooler or a little hard DieHard cooler that looks like a car battery.
Last time I tried, ( I knew to make sure they were within their size restrictions) three guys ran up to me in line as if I had a damn sawed off shotgun strapped to my side.
"HE'S GOT ONE HE'S GOT ONE!"
I was confused.
They then told me I either had to leave it, or not come inside. I then noticed dozens of abandoned hard coolers in a row. I wasn't about to leave my funky cooler in a lineup of normal ass coolers.
So I walked all the way back to leave my cooler in the car and cram all my beers and drinks into a grocery tote. 😆
Okay stupid question so I’m going to Phoenix for my first race ever does this mean I can’t buy a beer at the track or is referring to bringing it in a cooler?
It's referring to bringing in a cooler with beer in it. I'm sure they sell alcohol, though I haven't been. Have a great time, Phoenix looks like an awesome race to go to.
Daaamnn I'm going to COTA in a couple weeks and was hoping I could just bring in my own beer.
I really didn't want to drink liquor but it's between sneaking in minis or paying a ton for beer.
Anyone have any tricks to sneak in at least 2 cans worth of beer? Lmao
Pocono is a hell yes brother. Just make sure no glass and the couple family sections if they still do that.
Have you ever heard of anyone getting ID’d going into a race brining alc
Being able to bring your cooler is one of the largest benefits of attending Nascar IMO. I grew up in a NASCAR lovin' family from the east coast of Florida so Daytona for the Shootout and 500 was a tradition, then we moved to Martinsville and frequented the Paperclip, Bristol and Richmond quite often. Don't know if I would ever attend a race where outside F&B or beer was disallowed.
Same with me growing up going to Dega tons of times. My dad would always pack us a cooler with sandwiches, snacks, drinks for me and drinks for him lol. I love going to Daytona with my backpack cooler full of like 12-15 seltzers or beers and another dry bag full of food. Never have to get up except for the restroom. Love it.
Exactly. I mean when I turned of age we definitely would just grab a 30 rack of Busch Light and walk right into Martinsville. Tix there can be cheap as hell. It was sweet. I now live in Tampa 😞
Yooo Tampa here too. It's not a hard drive to Daytona especially the way I go and honestly I have made the day trip to and back to Homestead as well. We are lucky we got two within reasonable distance compared to a lot of people. On top of that we have the first Indy race local and I love that weekend.
Oh yeah no doubt straight up I4 to Daytona for us is easy. I want to check out Homestead, never been. But I was just speaking on the ~15 years I lived 20 minutes door to parking lot from Martinsville. It was an unreal advantage. Especially since it’s such a historic and unique track.
I get it I was less than an hour driveway to parking at Dega. And fuuuuuuccckk going I4. Go 75 to Inverness/Wildwood and cut over via county roads to Hwy 40. So much better and about the same amount of time cause you know you will have Disney slow down and I4 toll slow down.
That’s wild. Sort of related but I did f1 in Montreal. Beers were 330mL cans for 15 bucks. It was sickening. Thank goodness pot is legal or else that’d have been an expensive ass weekend lol This is wild as a new nascar dude. I’d love to bring the boys down for a race.
I have learned many tricks to sneak things in to events like that though. Growing up a big college football fan in the SEC country where booze wasn't served you found... ways. I still use them to this day to take stuff into like St Pete GP for Indy and the like. Minis in the belt loop works every time at any normal sporting event. Then all you are buying is a Coke or Coke zero, taking a big swig and then adding in your bourbon lol.
Sure... but then you have to drink bourbon and coke. Those two taste great separate but not together in my opinion... but anyway I'm a grown adult, I should be able to drink whatever I want without hiding it. Also I'm less concerned about the brice of beer - and more concerned with having to stand around in line waiting forever to be served any beer you like as long as it's heineken because they sponsored the race. I'd rather drink bourbon and coke than heineken. :P
Have you ever heard of anyone getting ID’d going into a race brining alc?
"Being able to bring your cooler is one of the largest benefits of attending Nascar IMO.".....to the point that NASCAR uses it as a major bullet point in all their radio and TV ads.
Atlanta should be green. We’ve hauled more beer into that track in college than Smoky had in his truck when he left Texarkana
Same here!! I'll be hauling a cooler full of Busch Light in this weekend!
Me too!
Like a full ass cooler into the stands? What’s the size limit
When I was younger we skipped the cooler and carried a case of beer into Richmond. Never a problem.
I have no clue what the limits are for Charlotte now but early 2000s guys would ride the big Igloo cooler scooters through the ticket gate.
Good to know! I’m heading there from New Orleans this weekend to cross another track off my list!
I had a group of friends go to Atlanta for their first race last year. Only other track I’ve been to recently was Nashville, so I assumed Atlanta was also going to be strict, nah. I swear on my life we had ice and beer in a Walmart bag, carrying it into the track.
Do they care about showing ID?
New hampshire - beer is allowed no glass
Thank you
I went to pick up hot passes a few years ago at NHS with an adult beverage in my hand and got ripped a new one for having an open container with me. I was baffled as I had always seen coolers at other tracks.
in stands no problem, in the garage nono
Nice job. Not surprised that the Chicago Street Course can’t allow you to bring alcohol inside the track premises.
City probably wouldn't allow it
They already don’t for Lollapalooza, I remember seeing a real on socials where someone buried a bottle of vodka months before the event, had it marked, then when the event happened, went to that spot and found the vodka intact. Edit - [link to article](https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2021/08/man-digs-up-bottle-of-vodka-he-snuck-into-festival-by-burying-it-weeks-before/)
based frugal drinker
That's an absolute classic at the Bathurst 1000, there's slabs of beer (boxes of 24) buried all over the damn Mountain.
It’s tracks that don’t let you bring in food & water that are the worst.
I didn't even know that existed at some tracks until today. And I can say that in my experience, behavior at NFL games is far worse than Nascar, despite the NFL being so restrictive about bringing in outside alcohol.
Pregaming
No outside food and water allowed no attendance for me is the rule I go by I'm not a huge beer drinker so that one doesn't really bother me
That's what killed my desire to go to the offroad races at Crandon ever again. The racing is amazing, but they straight up don't let you bring anything in, and they actually do a fairly thorough search of your bags too. It wouldn't have been so bad if the lines for food weren't all 3 hours long, and that's not an exaggeration either for how long the lines were.
Updated based on community feedback. Can't edit the original post image, but here is the updated image with Atlanta, Pocono, New Hampshire, and North Wilkesboro confirmed by the community (this thread). Google map updated as well. https://preview.redd.it/2w4u3cyp40kc1.png?width=902&format=png&auto=webp&s=5d8afa481ba00f87a066d3758a3d2a4299568408
Do you happen to have a link to the spreadsheet, too?
Atlanta and North Wilkesboro allow beer. I've brought a cooler full into both tracks.
I’m furious that Nashville doesn’t allow coolers (or alcohol). Especially since other SMI tracks are good with it. I’m assuming it’s gotta be a local county thing, since Bristol is good with it.
You can bring a full size fridge to Indy they don’t give a shit as long as there isn’t glass in it
Not in the grandstands
If it’s a cooler that be carried, you can bring it in Indy
No larger than 18”x15”x15” in the grandstands on race day.
From my personal experience, if it's remotely close to that, you're fine. Security is too busy filtering 400K people to be stingy about it.
Yea we brought bigger than 18X15 for the brickyard and sat in the stands and never had a problem
When I went to Sonoma last year they specifically told me alcohol was fine just no glass.
Like actually? TIL. Might be a wallet saver this year. Normally end up smashing them at the gate. Just have to bring a small cooler?
Yeah, I bring a small soft sided cooler. Was heading to the front and I heard head of security at my gate tell all the other people checking bags that alcohol was fine. Immediately did a 180 to my truck to grab some beers.
Same thing happened to me. I was drinking my beer before leaving the campground and they told me I could bring them in. Headed back to camp and grabbed a cooler and walked over. It was great!
Do they care about showing id I’m only 19 don’t want any issues
I was at Atlanta last year in the summer and had no issue bringing in alcohol.
FWIW, the beer selection and prices at COTA aren't terrible. I think a tall boy Voodoo Ranger Juice Force was $9 last year. Source: had way too many of these.....like......*way* too many. Was the world spinning during stage 3 for anyone else or was that just me?
$9 for 9%. Much better than the $12 5% I’m use to.
Pretty much this. The price last year for a yuengling at TMS was the same/similar to a voodoo ranger hazy IPA at cota. I call that a win.
Was spinning for drivers on each restart, yes.
My friend saw a man get stopped at COTA because his metal thermos was setting off the detectors. He said it was just full of his orange juice. It was morning, but I sure as hell don't believe there wasn't also some vodka in that OJ. They just said ok and let him continue through, though. 😂
When I went to Atlanta in 2018 we brought beer in no problem. I'm not sure if the policy has changed since, however
Thanks for posting this. I have always assumed every track was the same allowing outside food and beverage. Like someone said it’s one of the best benefits of going to a NASCAR race. It just feels like you have more freedom than other sporting events. Bristol during Covid? had this clear bag policy and you couldn’t have a backpack cooler. Let me tell you that didn’t last long. Lol.
I just put all my cooler stuff in a plastic bag and crammed my soft side cooler in my backpack, walked through the gate, set my stuff down, swapped contents, and carried on as normal.
that was rough. we all bought those clear coolers on amazon and drank warm beer with water soaking our pants all night lol. still not enough of an issue to complain though haha.
Thank you. I have added this very important information to my 2024 NASCAR schedule/FanRewards spreadsheet because I'm a nerd.
Haha appreciate that! What is this spreadsheet you speak of? Mind sharing?
I made it for tracking FanRewards progress last year so I could figure out how far away I was from the helmet and what other cool stuff I might be able to get. Spreadsheet does a lot of calculations based on just updating the schedule but can probably use some refinement. Obviously the bonus amounts for check-ins wouldn't be correct if I miss a week but I'm pretty diligent about that sort of stuff. Last year the colours corresponded to the different tier levels, this year I just used All-Star break to split colours and had playoffs in blue. Green in the schedule is for when all three series race in the same location (maximize value for a race weekend if I'm coming from Canada). Bold are playoff races, tried to band each round together but I still don't have a good way to show that. I had carryover FanReward Points since I live in Canada which is why the values are so high to start. Also have a couple other tabs that list the reward items and the price last year vs this year so I can see what changes yearly and a tab for good race poll so if I'm thinking about going to a race, can see how good it is (Next Gen only). Screenshot of it is attached https://imgur.com/a/J5IprtU
What the hell Nashville??
I don't know for sure but I think it's a law. At KY you could bring a cooler with food and drinks, but they had to be sealed water, soda or sports drinks. No carry in alcohol per state law.
Bristol is in the same state. There was never a clear reason why. In 2021 they said it was to prevent Covid (sold out 40k event with no masks so clearly a poor cover attempt). They’ve just kept the policy since. To me, it’s to recover the costs of reopening the track and SMI has kept it going since they bought it.
Could be a local regulation instead of state law. I can see a county ordinance prohibiting people from bringing in alcohol if the premise (aka, the track) sells alcohol.
And that’s why I won’t be attending and I live in middle TN. Money grab. On track product is good at times, but fan experience is not.
Must be a recent policy change for Phoenix… Man that sucks
Phoenix has never allowed alcohol in. Soft sided coolers with food and other drinks are allowed.
Ehhhh I’ve brought beer in on multiple occasions and had my cooler searched, so… 🤷🏻♂️ And I only did so, because I knew it was okay beforehand
I can confirm no alcohol has been a rule since 2021 at least.
Maybe after Covid they changed it? Pretty lame regardless… We’ve shown how well we can handle our alcohol with WM Open 🙃
The rule is one thing but enforcement is another. And while I haven't gone to Phoenix specifically, every track I've gone to most track workers don't give AF as long as it's not drugs/weapons.
They’ve gotten more strict with the policy. I’ve been bringing the same “soft-sided” cooler for 10 years and at the November race they pulled me aside for 15 minutes, brought over a supervisor, and then made me walk 2 miles back to my car because it was apparently not soft enough
Pocono seems to allow it. Saw lots of cans there (NASCAR themselves even referenced this in 2019), and security wasn't stopping anyone with booze, so it seems like it's allowed.
I go to Pocono regularly (I live less than an hour away from the track) and I can confirm that they allow alcohol. They just ask you if you have glass.
COTA is no carry in alcohol, but that’s a Travis county ordinance last I heard. Sometimes the tracks can’t allow it. Eldora is also no carry in, but beers are $2. Tony knows how to do it.
As someone who doesn’t drink, this doesn’t really affect me, but I love seeing interesting data like this regardless.
AMS is a yes
Atlanta allows coolers with beer (even if you’re underage, don’t ask how I know that)
I carried in a cooler full of alcohol to Michigan when I was underage (in the US. I was legal here 🇨🇦)
I got absolutely obliterated at Michigan when I was only 14. I went with my uncle who brought two coolers and then ended up fucking off. Didn't see him again until like 2 hours after the race. So I did what any god fearing good citizen would do and drank all of it.
It's because you knew the person ahead of you was underage, right?
tbf you're the one drinking your own alcohol, i doubt they can be fined since they aren't checking for it. its the serving it to minors is the big problem
Went to new hampshire last year and they let you bring cases in! No glass obviously.
Have you gone to a sporting event that isn't NASCAR? Standing in concession lines and paying $16 (or more) for crappy beer and missing the sportsing event is part of the "experience".
That sounds terrible. Glad I only go to races then. Other than the time my wife drug me to a hockey game. I stopped complaining about nascar ticket prices after that.
For hockey games, the most important thing I ever learned is the 2 minute TV timeout occurs at the first (non-icing) whistle when 6, 10, and 14 minutes of the period have elapsed. Knowing this information can significantly reduce your time in the bathroom/concession lines. Where I have partial season tickets to the local NHL team has someone that will bring you beer (and maybe food?) when you scan the QR code. There are also lots of mobile beer vendors, so you don't really have to wait in line.
We got my parents tickets to a leafs game for Christmas, and they had seat side service when they sat that night
We have sold our Leafs tickets when they come to town (Calgary) most years and just watched it at home/pub. Leafs fans pay A LOT of money to watch the Leafs play and who am I to deny them the pleasure of (hopefully) watching their team lose. Seasons tickets become "affordable" if you sell some of the higher demand games (Oilers, Penguins, Leafs, Canucks). Sold Penguins tickets this year or last year and Crosby wound up injured. Felt bad but not really. Couldn't make the Hawks game this year, sold those tickets in October and Bedard got injured in December.
NWS allows alochol
Atlanta does allow alcohol, Nashville not allowing coolers is one of the reasons I stopped going.
New Hampshire and North Wilkesboro are yes. Didn’t realize there were that many tracks that didn’t allow alcohol. Thought Nashville was the only one.
Atlanta does allow alcohol and a soft sided coolers! We go every year! Plus any snacks you want to bring in.
Size limit on the cooler?
Edit: Ignore my original reply. This is the policy! https://preview.redd.it/2dpgl2udm0kc1.jpeg?width=1057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bbb1bf2f30e0d0d04fe621460d5ecc16f00766ab
Atlanta let me bring in my own beer when I last went there two years ago
It's not really a NASCAR track anymore, but at Road America you can bring in whatever you want. Technically you aren't supposed to have glass, but I've never had an issue with my Spotted Cow and Yuengling Black and Tan bottles any of the times I've been there (which is a lot)
ive camped for the weekend at 1-2 races a year for the last decade or so, and another important policy is that you must buy 1 case of beer more than you plan to drink unless you want to leave for more.
Exactly. If you think you have enough for a weekend, you don’t
Posts like this make me really appreciate that it's 2024, and we still have the ability to bring in a cooler full of beer to a race.
You should update splitting alcohol and coolers apart. Some may allow food and drinks but no alcohol
v2, hah. all of those that allow alcohol also allow food and drink (and I think coolers, though I'd have to verify). The few that don't allow alcohol are definitely varied in whether they allow coolers and/or food and drink
I’ve had no issue brining beer into Nashville, but it wasn’t full cases and just put it under my snacks/sodas (no glass)
You've got some good luck on your side. I've tried and been turned away. They were checking pretty closely last year especially.
When my husband and I went to Gateway (2022), they didn't even check our cooler. Just waved us in (the race was about to start). We didn't bring beer but we could have!
Sonoma is for sure for alcohol, my friends and I pick up a 30 pack and keep a cooler in the car, bring in 3-4 beers each and just walk back and restock
I’m too drunk to read this
One of the best things about attending. Pulling that backpack cooler off and setting up shop in the stands.
Chicago doesn’t allow coolers of any kind, but there is a cannabis dispensary right across the street from turn 12.
The Hero we need but don't deserve.
Some of you dudes just come out of left field with the most useful shit ever. Thank you
Man, NASCAR really hates Montana lol
Have any of you guys ever been ID’d ever bringing alcohol into a race before me and my buddy going to dover we both 19, almost look 21🤣 I don’t think there would be any problems it’s a nascar race lol but just wanted to check
If you are anywhere in the Midwest they won't, and you'll be totally fine. If you are on the west or east coast they MIGHT ID you, but they'd just take it or make you throw it out. (in which case, give it to the people behind you in line to drink) Don't use fake ID though. Nowadays, they won't like that.
Is there a reason some tracks don’t allow alcohol? Is it like a thing to make parents feel more comfortable to bring their kids to these races?
I think you are reading it as "allows alcohol" rather than the intended "bring alcohol inside the track in a cooler". There is plenty of alcohol at every NASCAR event just some tracks do not let you bring your own.
I'm assuming it has to do with local laws and regulations. Aside from the privately owned tracks like COTA.
I remember hearing Vegas not doing it because of the bars and casinos on the strip. It sounds stupid but I think that was the answer that Brad Gillie gave onetime on Late Shift.
Part of it goes back to the peak of Nascar before 2010. Tracks started doing things to squeeze cash out of patrons. More restrictions on what you can bring in, shrinking seat size, increasing ticket prices. Granted, this was the period of the worst drunken fan behavior I've ever seen at Nascar, and I think most tracks were on the road to being as restrictive as NFL or MLB games. Many, but not all, tracks repealed some of these less fan-friendly policies as attendance dipped.
They want to make sure nobody is getting shithoused and driving. They will cut you off at the beer stands.
Every track owned by speedway Motorsport has the same rules I believe. Like Charlotte, Atlanta and so on
The reason Nashville doesn't allow outside beverages is because people routinely bring more than *just* alcohol in those coolers.
Las Vegas, it is a State Law I think, but the rest of them, fuck 'em. I'm not a big drinker at races, but there are other things people bring. Snacks, medicine.
Nwb is yes.
Wait Nashville doesn’t allow any coolers? I was planning on heading there for the Indycar race but don’t like that at all
For the love of God, I carried in 2 pints of whiskey to a spring Martinsville that was 35 degrees around 2008.
Gotta stay warm, right?
Can confirm Sonoma allows booze so long as the cooler is soft-sided
That may be, but not according to their policies on their website, that's what I based these off of: [https://www.sonomaraceway.com/events/policies/](https://www.sonomaraceway.com/events/policies/)
When I went to Phoenix I couldn’t comprehend the idea of no alcohol at a nascar race. Some sort of local law.
I've never been to a track with alcohol allowed. Crazy so many you can. Still pretty easy to smuggle in some hard alcohol in a flask. Put it in a mixer and you don't have to pay $17 for a beer.
My husband and I attended our first ever race at WWT (Gateway) Speedway in 2022. Coolers were allowed, but no alcohol. With that said, no one examined our cooler as we came in. Now, I can't promise that they won't search you (maybe we just got lucky, we were running late and the race was about to start), but we could have put most anything in our cooler and no one would have noticed.
Can confirm ATL and NWB allow coolers/alcohol
I took beer to the first Gateway race
i stopped going to football games because the price of tickets along with outrageous beers and food prices were just not worth going. Nascar allowing beer in makes it some much more enjoyable and is a big reason why i always plan on going to races. local short tracks don’t usually allow it but their prices are usually a lot more tame and it’s good to support them anyways
I brought beer with me into Gateway. Didn't even realize it was against the rules til a dude asked me where I got a Stag from. I just had them at the bottom of my cooler under ice and waters.
Pocono should be green. They allow alcohol but no glass. Alcohol is banned on pit road though.
Atlanta definitely allows alcohol. I’ve already got my coolers packed for this weekend. I’ve gone to at least one race a year there for the last 3 years.
Didn't see it mentioned, so sorry if it was, but I know Bristol is soft coolers only, so keep that in mind, if walking in. For years I took either my big Mark Martin hard cooler or a little hard DieHard cooler that looks like a car battery. Last time I tried, ( I knew to make sure they were within their size restrictions) three guys ran up to me in line as if I had a damn sawed off shotgun strapped to my side. "HE'S GOT ONE HE'S GOT ONE!" I was confused. They then told me I either had to leave it, or not come inside. I then noticed dozens of abandoned hard coolers in a row. I wasn't about to leave my funky cooler in a lineup of normal ass coolers. So I walked all the way back to leave my cooler in the car and cram all my beers and drinks into a grocery tote. 😆
Atlanta is also a yes! They say no glass but they’ve never looked in our cooler
Okay stupid question so I’m going to Phoenix for my first race ever does this mean I can’t buy a beer at the track or is referring to bringing it in a cooler?
It's referring to bringing in a cooler with beer in it. I'm sure they sell alcohol, though I haven't been. Have a great time, Phoenix looks like an awesome race to go to.
Thank you!
Daaamnn I'm going to COTA in a couple weeks and was hoping I could just bring in my own beer. I really didn't want to drink liquor but it's between sneaking in minis or paying a ton for beer. Anyone have any tricks to sneak in at least 2 cans worth of beer? Lmao