An Inside Look at the Austin Tailgating Scene at Circuit of the Americas
We are now on the third stop of our NASCAR Tailgating Tour with Garage Guys Chase Holden and Dale Tanhardt and the American Cornhole League. They witnessed the inaugural NASCAR race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin and got a first-hand experience with tailgating COTA. A unique experience that may have been dubbed #failgate this time around, but nonetheless, the rain will not dampen the Garage Guys’ spirit or their tireless investigation of NASCAR tailgating and the Austin tailgating scene.
Check out the videos for an inside look at NASCAR tailgating and the Austin tailgating scene and keep reading as we break it all down for you!
NASCAR Tailgating COTA
First Time for Everything
With the first NASCAR race on the track, the tailgating scene in Austin, Texas, is unknown territory. While no stranger to car races with Formula 1 Races and Lamborghinis, NASCAR tailgating is a different animal altogether. As an inaugural NASCAR race, it was COTA’s first time to experience passionate NASCAR tailgaters. Although some F1 races camp, NASCAR tailgating is quite different.
Although the first campground was a bust with the owners asking the Garage Guys to transfer, they ended up in a parking lot at COTA. With some people and race enthusiasts, tailgating commenced.
The Weather Huh?
But the weather had something to say. It was raining all weekend. Although NASCAR races are wild and crazy at times, the “wet” added a whole new level of craziness, and of course, a danger for the racers. The race started under a yellow flag. Racers battled under difficult visibility to avoid standing water on the track and other hazards. A collision occurred between Cole Custer and Martin Truex, Jr., with Custer’s car catching fire. Both racers were unharmed.
On the 54th lap, the red flag was raised, and the race went to Chase Elliot, who was currently leading the pack.
Bargating? Citygating?
The weather won’t stop the guys. Unlike in other cities where NASCAR races were held, Austin residents were mostly oblivious that a NASCAR race was happening in their city! Where you used to throw a cap and hit a NASCAR fan, they were nowhere to be found in Austin. The tailgating scene was in its infancy and NASCAR fans stood out in the city.
Instead of the usual NASCAR tailgating scene, the Garage Guys invaded downtown and checked out the bars, people, and community. There was much fun to be had, and the Garage Guys were bringing it, with or without tailgating.
Give it more or less two years, and Austin, Texas, can be a bustling tailgating scene for NASCAR and other racing fans.
TAILGATING TIP
Suppose the weather or some other circumstance is not permitting a tailgate. You can improvise. Bargating or citygating can be a fun alternative. Barhopping and seeing the nightlife of a bustling city is an excellent way to spend the day. Homegating is also a nice alternative. Set up your barbecue and drinks in your home from the comfort and safety of your home.
Next Stop: INDY 500
With the weather looking fine and races looking slick, next weekend will be a big package to unwrap! Check it out.
Tales from Austin: NASCAR Tailgating COTA
Chase Holden:
Welcome to the third edition of Tales of The Tailgate, presented by Inside Tailgating with Chase the Garage Guy. I’m joined here today with Kenzie Baby.
Makenzie:
Hello.
Chase Holden:
Hey, so we’re in Austin, Texas. There’s been a good bit of content that we’ve put out this week over on Instagram, @GarageGuyChase, and of course @insidetailgating on Instagram. Twitter, @TailgateWithUs, is where you can find the Inside Tailgating content. But we got ourselves into a bit of a predicament, I would say, this weekend, because it basically was a rain fest in Austin, a lot of drizzling, a lot of downpouring. It just never really let up. So is this normal? You’re an Austin local. Is this normal here?
Makenzie:
Absolutely. Any time between April, May, torrential downpour at anytime.
Chase Holden:
Bipolar weather.
Makenzie:
You’re in Texas. What else do you expect?
Chase Holden:
Okay. Okay. See, it’s not too far from Louisiana. So Louisiana has got the same thing. You can never figure out what it wants to be or what it wants to do.
Makenzie:
You’ll get all four seasons in one week if you really want it.
Chase Holden:
It’s a beautiful thing sometimes, but except for when it’s summer. It’s just like summer, late spring, summer, late spring, that’s when it gets really, really bad.
Makenzie:
Or when you want to go to a NASCAR race, and you want beautiful weather.
Chase Holden:
Yes.
Makenzie:
Of course, it’s going to throw a curve ball and screw you up.
Chase Holden:
Exactly, kind of like this weekend. So just to start off, Kenzie, we didn’t get to tell you, McKenzie, Kenzie, Kenzie Baby, three names.
Makenzie:
Call me whatever you want.
Chase Holden:
Just three names, okay. So this was your first time coming to a NASCAR race?
Makenzie:
Yeah, it was. It was everything I ever hoped and dreamed for.
Chase Holden:
It was a lot constant electricity. Okay. So we were sitting with McKenzie and the moment after the first lap, I think, that we had sat down, it was on a restart. When they came back by going like full throttle, her eyes just got so big, just lit up. I was like, “You feel the electricity.”
Chase Holden:
And then, her man’s Robert. Robert’s not on camera. Shout out to Robert. He’s around. He’s around here. Shout out to him. He was there with us. The electricity was strong. Dale and I were having a time, up until the race decided to get a lot of puddles, Peppa Pig puddles.
Chase Holden:
And now, Chase Elliott won the race, so we were a little sad about our bets. But hey, that’s okay, because you had a good time, and that’s what matters. As far as tailgating goes though, unfortunately, we didn’t get to set up like normal. So I do hate that everyone here in the great city of Austin, Texas did not get to see the Mobile Garage in action this weekend.
Chase Holden:
We’ve had a very fun journey going from a private campground, being asked to leave that because the vibe was just too strong, too much of wonder of what parties could come, even though we weren’t going to have huge parties. We weren’t trying to leave ruts in yards or anything. But hey, some people, they don’t like to have fun. And I think we figured that out. But we like to have fun.
Makenzie:
Of course.
Chase Holden:
And that’s what matters most.
Makenzie:
That’s what we’re here for.
Chase Holden:
So we didn’t get to do the normal tailgate.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
But what we did get to do, which was Saturday night, complete and utter just magnificent time on the town, as the way we could put it. We tailgated the Dirty Sixth.
Makenzie:
The Dirty Sixth.
Chase Holden:
The Dirty Sixth. Now for everybody watching this that might not know about the Dirty Sixth, could you care to explain what the Dirty Sixth is, the Downtown Austin scene, and just why it’s so popping?
Makenzie:
It is where you want to be if you want to have a good time. There’s something really special about Austin nightlife, because we’ve got a couple different areas, probably four major areas, well, five, really. If you want to go out and drink and hang out with friends, get good food, especially food trucks, that’s a big part of Austin culture, you go to Dirty Sixth, West Sixth, Rainey, Domain, East Side, stuff like that. Everyone is out. And the number one goal for the night is just to get totally drunk and have a blast. And everyone’s there for it.
Chase Holden:
It’s a party.
Makenzie:
Oh, absolutely.
Chase Holden:
I got to see this party firsthand, and as me being a sober boy, it was electric for myself as well. I felt the energy. It was strong. Everybody had good vibes, and I think that’s why they say, “Keep Austin Weird.” So there’s this weird vibe. The race tried to do it with “Keep Austin Wheeled” and I thought that was pretty dumb. They tried hard though.
Chase Holden:
But the main thing was is that it’s just a great scene, and it’s something that’s unique. It’s something I’ve never seen before. So while we didn’t get to really tailgate COTA, there really wasn’t much tailgating going on. We went out. Dale and I went out and looked around. We tried to see what was going on. Everybody was like closed up. They were all in their campers because of the weather.
Chase Holden:
And not every NASCAR race is going to be sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you’re going to have a lot of rain and then possibly a rainbow once the race is called and Chase Elliott wins it and you don’t win any money off of it. So there’s that. But that’s not your concern.
Chase Holden:
What matters most is that you had a good time. You got to see what NASCAR is. You got to see a little bit of the culture as well. So like last night, Dale and I, obviously Dale. He likes his jackets. He doesn’t like to wear shirts, very anti-shirt guy, very big jacket guy. I like shirts. Shirts are cool.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
I got the cool shirt on right now, shirt.
Makenzie:
And we’re talking about cool shirts, can everybody just check out my shirt for a second event?
Chase Holden:
This is an event tee. And what’s important about this is that probably by the time that you have grandchildren, this will probably be worth $80 because the vintage scene will be back, cycled around.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
So this will be a very expensive shirt one day. I got myself one as well, and it’s a very, very nice shirt. They got the all over print thing going on here.
Makenzie:
And the back of it.
Chase Holden:
Let’s check the back.
Makenzie:
Just to give a little peek.
Chase Holden:
Check the back.
Makenzie:
There you go.
Chase Holden:
Check the back. It’s a great shirt. And it was a great time at COTA. I will say this. So when we did get booted from the campground, we ended up in a parking lot. Luckily that parking lot was close to the track. So we didn’t have to walk too far. So shout out to the great people that let us park in the parking lot.
Chase Holden:
I’m not sure if it’s public, if it is, we’ll just pretend like we’re cool and we had VIP parking all weekend. But on a real note though, COTA was… I really don’t. I feel like I got robbed of the whole tailgating scene a little bit. And I feel like you did too, because you got the feel of the race in today.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
But you was still kind of like normal Austin, but we kind of tried to sprinkle in some of that NASCAR downtown. So I’m hoping to see you come to more races. Will you go to more races?
Makenzie:
Oh, absolutely. No, that’s a goal of mine. I had never been to anything like this before. And whenever I met my boyfriend, Robert, and he had told me all of his crazy stories about Talladega and just what a freaking blast it was.
Chase Holden:
Dega.
Makenzie:
One of the first things I told him was like, “If we stay together, whatever time it takes for us to get to the next Talladega race, date me until then because I have to go. I have to go.”
Chase Holden:
It was all for Dega?
Makenzie:
Absolutely. I have to go to Talladega.
Chase Holden:
Incredible.
Makenzie:
So when this opportunity came up and I got to see it firsthand, and I imagine this is nothing like what it would be on like a very bright and shiny day…
Chase Holden:
Oh no.
Makenzie:
… with like the full tailgating experience. But even though it was raining the entire time, like cold and wet and just not ideal, it was 1000% worth it. And I had the best time ever. I think I looked over at Robert a couple of times and just screamed like, “I love NASCAR.”
Chase Holden:
Yes. So see, now you’re a keeper. Robert can never leave you. So there’s many Talladegas to come.
Makenzie:
Absolutely.
Chase Holden:
Absolutely. So it’s a good thing. So shout out to Robert…
Makenzie:
You better not leave me.
Chase Holden:
… for getting his girlfriend in NASCAR. He did it. He brought her here. We did some convincing. We tried. Dale and I, were kind of just like, “Hey, you got.”
Makenzie:
Well, it took very little convincing. I was already about it and the opportunity came up and I got to meet you guys. And the potential, the possibility became real. And there was no way I was going to pass it up. We immediately went online, bought tickets. I don’t know. It was like 2:00 AM at the bar. And we’re like, “We’re going, yeah, I’m going.”
Chase Holden:
That’s what it’s all about.
Makenzie:
He came on Saturday and I was like, “So you’re taking me on Sunday, right? You’re not going to leave me behind?”
Chase Holden:
Yeah. I forgot you had plans on Saturday.
Makenzie:
Yeah.
Makenzie:
So I didn’t get to come on Saturday, but the Sunday race, like I said, everything I ever hoped and dreamed of seeing. It’s even more, I used the word electrifying earlier, it’s way more electrifying than what I was prepped for.
Chase Holden:
High voltage.
Makenzie:
The sound, the ringing in your ears. You can almost like feel the speed like flashing by and you feel it in your chest. I mean, especially like today with the water on the road and you see it splashing up and then you see on the cameras when they zoom in and you’re watching these cars that are so close to each other and taking these sharp turns.
Chase Holden:
Just wait till you go to a Superspeedway.
Makenzie:
Oh my god.
Chase Holden:
You think this was electric?
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
The Superspeedway is a whole another element. Just like, just normal track, short track racing, everything else when you get to the ovals. But the road coursing is different but it’s definitely, I will say this, I feel like it’s an interesting first race for you to actually attend because you’ve only seen something that is so rare which is an inaugural race.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
First time they’ve ever ran it. So that’s like, you’re already like a gold member NASCAR fan now, because you got to like do some bucket list type stuff.
Makenzie:
Absolutely. I’m in it for. And speaking of bucket list, I think it’s going to be on my bucket list now to go to every single racetrack and watch every single race. That would just be incredible.
Chase Holden:
Yeah. That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what we’re trying to do right now. We want to go to every race the rest of the season.
Makenzie:
Can you take me along with you? Is there enough room in there?
Chase Holden:
Maybe. Robert, is it okay?
Makenzie:
Hey, can I go?
Chase Holden:
We’re going. Robert said it was cool.
Makenzie:
Do you have a bed for me? Can I sleep up there?
Chase Holden:
There’s a lot of beds here in the over garage.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
But I wish we would’ve had some in a day. I would’ve [inaudible 00:10:27] in the street with my clothes on.
Makenzie:
You would’ve smelled a lot better.
Chase Holden:
Yeah. That’s soap smells very good by the way. I can’t wait to get more of it and just keep it in a bag and just anytime… I think they had something on Instagram, they post where they’re like, “You don’t need to go buy air freshers for your car anymore. Just put a bar of soap in this jar and then poke some holes in the top. And then you have air freshener, forever.”
Makenzie:
It does the job.
Chase Holden:
Yeah.
Makenzie:
DIY baby.
Chase Holden:
That’s it. That’s a really cool section on TikTok. I’ve seen some of those.
Makenzie:
Mm-hmm.
Chase Holden:
Seen some.
Makenzie:
Nothing like putting a thing of soap in a mason jar with holes in the top.
Chase Holden:
Yeah.
Makenzie:
I’d say it probably takes the cake for uniqueness.
Chase Holden:
You’re probably be able to order that from IKEA in like three days now.
Makenzie:
But just watch it get so popular and all of a sudden the prices spike and it’s like, “Oh, you want this air freshener? Well it’s going to cost you.”
Chase Holden:
Got you.
Makenzie:
Because it’s that good.
Chase Holden:
That’s it. Do can of soap. Okay. So, that’s that. But no, this has been Tales of The Tailgate. Like I said, the tailgate was a little bit different. It was more about the downtown scene. It was more about just the actual racing this weekend. Still had a great time and Indy 500 next week. And that’s something that I’ve never been to. So I’ll have to let you know how that turned out.
Makenzie:
Will you take me with you?
Chase Holden:
Robert, hey, Robert.
(singing)
Keep going baby.
Chase Holden:
Okay. Robert says this is good. All right. So, that’s that. McKenzie, Kenzie Baby, thank you so much for being our guest on Tales of The Tailgate and a welcome to NASCAR. Cheers.
Makenzie:
Cheers. I’ve loved every second of it. Thank you for having me.
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!
Next stop Indianapolis for the Indy 500!
Check out our other Inside looks at the other tour stops also.
