As you undoubtedly know by now, we’re headed for “America’s National Park of Speed” – virtually anyway – for today’s 90-minute WeatherTech Presents IMSA iRacing at Road America.
We’ve got a fantastic field of 50 world-class drivers – including a few special guests – ready for battle on the four-mile circuit that is a favorite to many an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver.
Race day festivities will kick off with the first round of the new IMSA iRacing Challenge Series at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. Road America time), followed by The Torque Show’s hour-long prerace show on Facebook at 5 p.m. ET.
On-track action gets under way with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. ET which will be covered as part of IMSA Radio’s “Michelin Countdown to Green” on iRacing’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Those same channels – featuring the voices of John Hindhaugh, Nick Daman and Ben Constanduros from the Hagerty Global Broadcast Center – will offer live, flag-to-flag coverage of the race starting shortly after 6 p.m. ET.
Of course, anybody who has been to Road America knows that watching the race is only part of the experience. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a few tips to try and help you maximize your viewing experience.
- Pitch a Tent and Start a Campfire
If you really want to make the experience realistic, it actually starts tonight. Head out into your yard with a tent or fire up the camper for a full night of pre-race preparation. Get a nice fire going in the firepit or chiminea, grab some hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting and your beverage of choice (bonus points if you have access to the beloved New Glarus Brewing Co. Spotted Cow beer) and settle in for the night. Also, don’t forget to get your racing buddies on FaceTime or Skype for some bench racing.
- Start Your Day Off Right, with an Egger
It’s simple, oh-so-delicious and indigenous to Road America. It’s called an Egger, and here’s how you do it: Take one fried egg, a slice of American cheese and your favorite breakfast meat (or a bratwurst), stack ‘em up, and put it between two halves of the softest bakery roll you can find. At Road America, that’s a Sheboygan Hard Roll, and if you have access to one of those, we envy you. But if not, any quality bakery roll will do.
- Double Brat for Lunch
Raise your hand if you’ve gone to Road America and kept a running tally of how many brats you’ve consumed during the weekend. Keep ‘em up if you’ve reached double figures during an IMSA weekend. Of course, this is a one-day show, so unless you’re Chris Farley reincarnated, you’re not hitting those numbers today. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give it the old college try, which is why a Double Brat, perfectly grilled and placed on another one of those soft bakery rolls, is the natural choice for lunch.
- Build Your Own Ice Cream Sandwiches
The St. John the Baptist concession stand in the middle of the Road America paddock does them the best. They take a dollop of soft-serve ice cream, jam it between two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and stick it back into the freezer until it’s frozen solid. So good. Definitely worth giving a try on your own at home.
- Fried Cheese Curds for Mid-Race Snacking
Another Wisconsin delicacy. It’s cheddar cheese curds, breaded and deep fried. You can dip ‘em in a marinara sauce, maybe a ranch dressing or eat ‘em dry. Your tummy will love you for it, even if your cardiologist will not.
So, there you go. Five tips to replicate the Road America experience from the comfort of your own home. If you choose to participate, take plenty of photos and post them in social media – and don’t forget to tag the IMSA account.
Of course, we can’t wait for the real Road America experience later this summer. But consider this a chance to do a little spring training and remember what it’s like to be out there at the track with all your IMSA friends.