The 2021 Tailgate Tour continues at the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware for the NASCAR Drydene 400. Garage Guy Chase and Dale Tanhardt of Garage Guys Fantasy Sports share their action-packed NASCAR Dover tailgating weekend after Team Hendrick Driver Alex Bowman won the 2021 Drydene 400.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS AND KEEP READING AS WE BREAK IT ALL DOWN FOR YOU:
Dover Tailgating Wrap-up
We had a very successful weekend in Dover, we even ran out of men’s shirts! We also met some interesting people this weekend. We even came across a guy named Wiggles, and this guy was just wiggling it out. And that’s really what he did. He just wiggled and threw cornhole bags. So corn hole and NASCAR, we’re seeing where they’re starting to go hand in hand a little bit.
The drive to get to Dover took us 15 hours, and in a 37 foot RV, driving some of the back roads is a little different.
When we arrived, we realized that lot ten is where it’s at when you come to Dover, Delaware. It’s reminiscent of Talladega, which is why it’s called: “Doverdega”. Saturdays seem to be the best days for tailgating, on Sundays, everyone is worried about getting into the race.
Dover Tailgating Full Video: NASCAR Drydene 400 Weekend Wrap Up:
Dover Tailgating: Tales of the Tailgate Drydene 400
Garage Guy Chase sits Down with first-time NASCAR Tailgater Big Al for this week’s episode of Tales of The Tailgate at Dover International Speedway to discuss the Dover tailgating scene at the 2021 Drydene 400. Find out more about the NASCAR experience at Dover when camping in a tent or RV, the best places to tailgate the race are, and how the Vintage NASCAR scene is booming at racetracks across America.
DOVER TAILGATING: TALES OF THE TAILGATE DRYDENE 400 FULL VIDEO
Dover Tailgating: TALES OF THE TAILGATE Drydene 400 FULL TRANSCRIPT
Garage Guy Chase:
Welcome to Tales of the Tailgate presented by Inside Tailgating. We’re at Dover, Delaware. I’m here with Big Al aka Zander Slash aka Al and NASCAR Al Guy. That’s a really long way to put it, but it’s cool. Welcome aboard. You have a very beautiful thing going on right here with the Terry 2 Time.
Big Al:
Yeah, thank you. This is my little Terry 2 Times jacket. I got it off of eBay. It was a hot bidding war, but fortunately I put a high bid in at the end and I was able to win it. This is a 1996 vintage jacket there.
Garage Guy Chase:
It’s a ’96 and everybody that’s watching this knows I’m Garage Guy Chase by now. Hopefully after Darlington last week, Big Vintage Guy in NASCAR with garage guys in general. So anytime I find a fellow supporter of vintage NASCAR, you know we’re going to hit it off instantaneously. So main thing here before we get started, are you running low? Are you running low here on your beverage?
Big Al:
I am actually running low.
Garage Guy Chase:
Here we go. We have two great options here.
Big Al:
I’ve completely drained it.
Garage Guy Chase:
Okay. We have some options. Here we go. This will probably be race approved.
Big Al:
Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely.
Garage Guy Chase:
I’m going to go-
Big Al:
Hold on. Hold on. Pshh.
Garage Guy Chase:
Pshh.
Big Al:
Wow, that sounds-
Garage Guy Chase:
Send us money.
Big Al:
That sounds good.
Garage Guy Chase:
All right. I’m going to get me one. I’ll get me a little drink here as well.
Big Al:
That is cold.
Garage Guy Chase:
Ooh, it’s very icy here at the Inside Tailgating bar at the Duke Cannon Mobile Garage.
Big Al:
Icy temperature wise, not personality wise, though.
Garage Guy Chase:
Big time.
Big Al:
Personality’s on fire.
Garage Guy Chase:
Big time. And you got to have a good cold brew for a good tailgate. Especially a NASCAR tailgate.
Big Al:
Oh, absolutely.
Garage Guy Chase:
And that’s what we’re here for. It’s Tales of the Tailgate. It’s time for us to talk a little bit about this weekend here in Dover. The tailgating scene, when we first got here, it was a little bit more on the chiller end, but as Saturday came around, we ended up getting to meet you, Big Al, and it was an electric factory after that. How has your first experience at a NASCAR race been tailgating-wise? You guys camping and doing things like that?
Big Al:
Yeah. Honestly, all of us are surprised. This was our first time down here and we’re literally punishing ourselves. We’re like, “How have we not been here every year since we turned 20?” Well, 21. Yeah. You know.
Garage Guy Chase:
21 for sure.
Big Al:
Yeah, yeah for sure. So we’ve had a wonderful time. Like you said, our Friday night, it wasn’t as electric, as you said, as Saturday night.
Garage Guy Chase:
Right.
Big Al:
But Saturday got it going. Everybody had a good time. It’s crazy. Lot 10 over there has been an absolute wild town. You think about it, you think about coming to a NASCAR race and tailgate and having a good time and it has taken that and just next… like, so fun. Everybody’s so welcoming. I mean, we did wheelbarrow races. They were coming around in a truck with a speaker on the back, “9:00 wheelbarrow races here.” And it was a good time. An hour of just different heats of wheelbarrow races. It’s just been really welcoming and family. Like you said, this is our first time here, so…
Garage Guy Chase:
And that’s what’s incredible to me.
Big Al:
Yeah. Yeah. Just everybody letting you come into their events that they’ve been doing… campsites, drinking beers, doing shots with people…
Garage Guy Chase:
Right.
Big Al:
Just bonding over NASCAR. Like you said, you’re a fan of the vintage stuff and all of my buddies… Well, not all of them, a lot of them, 12 of us here, have a lot of Winston Cup gear. So a lot of the older crowd have been like-
Garage Guy Chase:
Yes.
Big Al:
“Oh, I love that guy.” “That’s an awesome shirt.” “Where’d you get that?”
Garage Guy Chase:
We grew up with these guys.
Big Al:
It’s a bonding… Yeah. Yeah. It’s been a good bonding experience.
Garage Guy Chase:
The wheelbarrow racing, obviously, a lot of tailgating events happened for sure. Like with us being sponsored by the ACL, obviously, we have cornhole over here, our tailgate. I did some beer pong and stuff like that. But the wheelbarrow racing is definitely another element. And with you talking about how the fun really came out on Saturday, we ventured out to Lot 10 as well.
Garage Guy Chase:
And by the way, Lot 10… Shout out to Lot 10. Okay? If you’re going to Dover, Lot 10 is the place to be. It is hands down. We figured that out now. Lot 2 is great for family events, more of just laid back, chill. You still have a good time. But if you want to turn out maybe for a little more of the younger crowd… even the older crowd. You can’t really say younger crowd.
Big Al:
No, you can’t. You can’t.
Garage Guy Chase:
A what was it? Pinties Pub? Pinties Pub?
Big Al:
Piney’s Pub.
Garage Guy Chase:
Piney’s Pub, they come around. Piney’s Pub. Shout out to Piney’s Pub. And that’s only at… That’s a Dover exclusive.
Big Al:
I couldn’t tell you. Like I said, first race.
Garage Guy Chase:
First time.
Big Al:
But it was a good time. It was a good time.
Garage Guy Chase:
Absolutely.
Big Al:
Just make a little donation and they’re donating to a good charity and you get served drinks.
Garage Guy Chase:
Who doesn’t love philanthropy and party time? That’s two great things. You know what I mean?
Big Al:
I don’t know anybody who doesn’t love philanthropy and party time.
Garage Guy Chase:
Yeah. That’s like 100%. And if you don’t, I’m sorry for you.
Big Al:
Yeah, agreed.
Garage Guy Chase:
But hopefully, you do. But the tailgate scene in general in Dover, I will say I would probably give Dover… I think Dale Tanhardt, actually, said it best… Doverdega. Because last night reminded me of Talladega. I grew up going to Talladega. The tailgating scene at Talladega is there are campgrounds everywhere. And then if you’re in the infield, you’re in a camper, there’s games going on, that people are doing the wheelbarrow racing. People are doing the dizzy bat all the time. I’ve even seen people playing Twister. And I think that might be something that we add, some type of element of Twister in the future.
Garage Guy Chase:
So there’s a lot of good tailgating games, a lot of great food as well too that we’ve seen. And people are just… I think I saw a guy literally slow-roasting an entire chicken over a fire.
Big Al:
I missed that
Garage Guy Chase:
Yeah, I wish I would’ve got footage of that, but you’ll have to take my word for it. But yeah, it’s been electric. This is definitely a Talladega vibe over in Lot 10. Then Dover itself, the race weekend experience, it’s an incredible thing.
Garage Guy Chase:
So what would you rate this weekend, a 1 out of 10 scale?
Big Al:
Oh, 10 out of 10, easy. We’ve had a phenomenal time. We’ve had multiple cornhole tournaments, beer pong, flip cups, spikeball. We invented this new version of spikeball this weekend, where every time you spike the ball, you got to run and get a drink. It’s been reckless, and it’s definitely a 10 out of 10.
Garage Guy Chase:
Absolutely.
Big Al:
I’m feeling pretty slow right now, physically, because it’s just been a wild weekend.
Garage Guy Chase:
Right, 100%.
Big Al:
Not slow in a bad way.
Garage Guy Chase:
No. No. You got to be fast-paced for sure. It’s got to definitely be fast-paced.
Big Al:
Oh, it’s so fast-paced. Never a dull moment.
Garage Guy Chase:
This has been Tales of the Tailgate. Big Al NASCAR, aka Zander Slash aka Big Al NASCAR Guy Al Big Guy. We could probably add two more Big Al’s on the end of that one.
Big Al:
Yeah, Big Al Big NASCAR Guy Big Al Guy.
Garage Guy Chase:
Dot com. That’s where you can find him.
Big Al:
Yeah. Dot biz, and I got tee-shirts for sale.
Garage Guy Chase:
Right. Just let go of the dot gov. Correct?
Big Al:
Yeah. We were at dot gov, but sadly I said some things that weren’t kosher and I was let go from the dot gov.
Garage Guy Chase:
We all try.
Big Al:
will keep my .biz.org.com.edu.
Garage Guy Chase:
Beautiful. We love it.
Big Al:
It’s a long URL, but, you know.
Garage Guy Chase:
Hey, if you really want to know, sometimes you’ve got to get the fingers to work.
Big Al:
You all have typing classes in school now. Right?
Garage Guy Chase:
That’s right. 96 words a minute. We got to shoot for like 110.
Big Al:
Damn.
Garage Guy Chase:
You know what I mean? That’s what I’m saying.
Big Al:
I’m a little slow.
Garage Guy Chase:
It all gets smaller now. All right, we’re going to cheers it up. We’re out of here.
Big Al:
Thanks, man.
Garage Guy Chase:
We’ll see you in COTA next stop. Austin, Texas. We’ll see you then.
Special thanks to the American Cornhole League and Duke Cannon for their sponsorship of our 2021 NASCAR Tailgate Tour. Share your Dover tailgate experiences with us below and like, follow, tag us on your social tailgating posts for shout-outs. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and email newsletter so you stay up to speed on all the tailgating insider info!
Check out our Inside look at Darlington also.
Tailgating the NASCAR Goodyear 400: Inside Look at the Darlington Tailgate Scene