After a 20 year gap, I finally went back to the Seekonk Speedway last night. I have to wonder why I waited 20 years to go back, because I had just as much fun last night as I did back in 1989! Coincidentally, last time was also Labor Day weekend that I went. I suppose it's one of those "outta sight, outta mind" things and the years do have a way of flying by.

Here's how my day and the Thrillshow went:

We left around 2pm and went out to eat first. This turned out to be a good idea because the Speedway was packed and the concession lines were constantly long the entire night.

Got to the speedway around 3:30 for a 5pm show start. Already the place was 3/4 full, but we were able to get good seats between the first and second turn. We also rented seatbacks for $3 which really is a must. Seatbacks are portable cushioned seats with a back support, that hook under the bleacher seat. Six hours of sitting on bleacher-type seats can get a bit uncomfortable without them. I noticed people who didn't rent them standing between events to give their sore bottoms a break.

The show started promptly at 5pm with the spectator drags. These are single lap elimination races where people can sign up and race their own street cars. Some of the people competing in this race have to be crazy because they are risking damaging some very nice--and expensive cars. Mustangs, Camaros, Trans-Ams, Cadillacs, Crown Victorias, Mitsubishies, etc. If the driver is inexperienced in driving on a race track, they not only risk hitting the other car, but spinning out or even hitting the wall. There were also a few cars that were clearly hopped up for drag racing; a couple of Novas and Camaros were barely street-legal. There was even a Volkswagen Rabbit in the competition that surpisingly made it to the second round!

Next came the stock car race. This was the only "real" race of the night. While eveything else happening after this were all technically considered races, they were really more organized mayhem than racing. You'll see what I mean. Anyways, the stock car race ran for 25 laps and was pretty exciting to watch. They drive so fast and are so close to each other it really is amazing thay all don't crash.

Now came the "Enduro" drags; first cars, then pick-up trucks. There were about 50 cars involved in this "race". 8 cars would race at a time, top 4 make it to the next round. I guess it's called Enduro because the cars have to endure quite a lot of abuse and alot don't make it. Cars hit each other trying to make the other spin out of control, bumpers being ripped off, cars hitting the walls. One car's hood popped open and he still raced. I have no idea how he could still see where he was going.

What came next I have never seen before and next to the Demolition Derby, was the wildest thing I have ever seen: The Trailer Race.
The trailer race consisted of about 8 "teams". Each team was made up of a pick-up truck that was pulling a trailer of some sort. It could be a camping trailer, a boat trailer (with boat), a U-Haul type trailer, a lawn mower landscaper trailer--all these types. Each team also had what I call a "demolition" car that tried to cause the competitor's trailer to smash. The winner being the one who crosses the finish line with trailer still attached. Total mayhem!

After this came the fireworks (which gave them time to clean up the track). For me, the fireworks were rather ho-hum--not because they weren't any good (it actually was a very impressive display), but because this was my fourth fireworks show this year (the last being just Friday night at McCoy). I've seen more fireworks this year than the past 10 combined. I guess having McCoy Stadium so close has kind of spoiled me.

After the fireworks came the Figure 8 races. This has the same mayhem of the Enduro races, but with the added crazyness and danger of collision in the middle of the 8! Not only that, but the middle portion of the figure 8 isn't flat; there are two humps that cause the cars to go airborne if they go fast enough. One car managed to flip over and another collided with an abandoned car on the inside of the track causing a fire.

And finally: The Demolition Derby.
This is what everyone waited for and it certainly didn't disappoint. If you've never seen the DD at Seekonk, this is how they set up: all the cars that survived the Enduro stuff which was about 40 or so cars, line up all around the track facing the wall. They do this because they want to protect the engine as much as possible. The object is to disable all other cars and most do this by smashing the back end of their car into the engine of the opponents. The last car moving wins. Fun stuff.

After the show ended as most people filed out, we instead went down to the track to see (and smell) all the destruction close up. Oil, gasoline and antifreeze stained the track. Car parts as well as a few tires were all over the place. It was kind of weird or ironic or fitting (depending on how you feel) that they were playing Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" over the loudspeaker as we were looking over all this mindless destruction. I'd have to wonder what a foreigner totally unfamiliar with this type of entertainment would think of all this.

Got home around 11:30 pm. Quite a long day--almost 10 hrs out and about. It was alot of fun and hopefully it won't take me yet another 20 years to go back.

This sounds like a blast! I'll have to check it out in the future, thanks for the review Beastball.