A Day at the Races

In early May, we had an opportunity to attend the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway. I have never been to a car race in my life, but after just one experience, I’m sort of hooked. The track at Laguna Seca is carved into the hills between Monterey and Salinas. It’s about an hour-and-fifteen-minute drive from Summit and Highway 17.

We arrived in mid-morning and were immediately met with the sound of powerful turbocharged engines roaring in the distance. Fans drifted along the hillside with folding chairs, coolers, and camera gear, staking out vantage points that would be impossible at most race venues. There are no towering grandstands dominating the view. Hiking and biking trails allow you to access almost any point of the track to watch the action The sunglass company my husband works for, M Experiment, is the eyewear sponsor of the Whelen Racing team. We were there as their guests, so we had a unique behind-the- scenes experience. We met the team’s drivers, toured the huge trailers they haul from race-to-race across the country, and visited the garage while the crew worked on the car between races. We sat in the pit, watching a huge screen displaying statistics, car status, and mapping the race while listening to the support crew communicating with the drivers. From just a few feet away, we watched the pit crew change tires, adjust and tweak the car, top it up with fuel, all while the drivers swapped out. This all happened in a matter of a few seconds. The pit crew are amazing athletes.

The best view, however, was with the general-admission attendees along the track. I was prepared for a day of mostly sitting, but we ended up walking over 20,000 steps as we observed the races from different locations. You can watch a race from the fast turn 2, then walk ten minutes and see a completely different perspective at turn 11, where cars bunch up under heavy braking. Each corner tells a different story: precision versus aggression, patience versus risk.

Our favorite vantage point was at the infamous “Corkscrew.” At this point in the 2.238-mile track, the road falls away so sharply it almost disappears. The cars arrive, brake hard, snap left, then right, and plunge downhill.

You hear the engines

strain and the tires protest as the skid plate is pressed into the pavement. For a moment, each driver seems to flirt with chaos but you suddenly realize that the corner was delivered Between races, many of the racecars parked along a few closed lanes of the track. We looked at the cars up close and met some other drivers. Many excited children proudly collected signatures on their baseball caps The soundscape at Laguna Seca is constant but never monotonous. Sportscars don’t just roar; they layer the air with deep, thunderous horsepower, higher-pitched turbocharged whines, high-powered electric motors, and the occasional shriek of a downshift or brakes echoing across the hills. You hear cars approaching long before they appear.

What makes Laguna Seca compelling is how accessible everything feels. Watching racing at Laguna Seca gives you proximity to the cars, the landscape, and the thrill of racing. You leave with dust on your shoes, sun on your skin, and the lingering echo of engines in your ears. (I highly recommend ear protection for all, especially children, because it is definitely a loud experience!) Upcoming Events. If you like Ferraris, you might be interested in the Ferrari Challenge coming up June 19 through 21. If superbike racing is your jam, you could attend the Superbike Speedfest, July 10 through 12.

Probably the biggest event of the season is the Indy Car Grand Prix, September 4 through 6. This is the conclusion to the 17-race Indy Car racing season, one of the most popular racing series in North America. Find out more at weathertechraceway.com.

Linq Project and Kevin McKinney