In 2010 My Great Aunt gave me tickets to go to the 2010 Aarons 499 and Aarons 312! My first chance to go to a Superspeedway. I had toured Talladega before and at that time I was facinated by the stature and how large this track really was. As me and my dad left for Talladega Superspeedway, we had a hotel in Birmingham. That was the weekend a wild storm ravaged the area around Talladega and It cancelled the Aarons 312 and moved it to Sunday after the Aarons 499. The 2010 Aarons 499 still holds many records for things like lead changes and all that stuff but being at Talladega is just something extremely amazing and is the reason I try to go to at least one Talladega Race a year. During that race weekend I saw the closest finish I had ever seen between Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurry. I also saw Brad Keselowski win a caution shortened race after Dennis Setzer went into the Catch fence in Turn 4. A really good weekend and even cooler in who I went to the race with 5 years later after I went to my first 
Sadly I wouldn't go to another Talladega Race until 2013. I won pit passes again at The Chattanooga Lookouts game but through the bad things that happened with my name not being in NASCAR's book of having pit passes this was when I met Michael McDowell and really when I think we became friends. Michael helped me and my Mom get into the track with Cold Passes. While inside I met some very influential people in NASCAR including Leonard Wood, Bobby Allison and Kurt Busch. Sadly I had to leave the garage one hour before the race and we had to find somewhere to watch the Race. We sat on the hill next to the Scoring Pylon in the infield where you can really see everything. This was the race when Austin Dillon was filling in for Tony Stewart and he got sent airbourne on the Last Lap and Thats when he saw Jesus on the Hood of my buddy Michael McDowell (Jesus was painted on the hood of the #98 Phil Parsons Racing Ford). Jamie McMurry won that race while my friend Michael finished 15th.
The Next Talladega Race would come the Following year where we would go do the Talladega Sweep. May and October. In May I went with my mom, my best friend Kyle and my good friend Jack. We lost Jack on Saturday and my mom went around the 1.66 mile track looking for him while me and Kyle watched Qualifying. My buddy Michael would qualify 14th for the Aarons 499. Denny Hamlin would win that race and move on to the final round in the Championship in 14'.My Mom, Kyle and Me would go to Talladega in October. We made a bet before we headed into the track that whoever's driver did better would get to ride in the front seat on the way home. If McDowell finished ahead of Dale Jr. Tall Kyle would be sitting in the uncomfortable backseat. Well both of our drivers wrecked but Kyle's finished ahead of mine and I'd get the backseat and Kyle would get the front. Brad Keselowski would go on to win the race would make me happy and Kyle dissapointed because Jr would be eliminated.
This weekend will be me and Kyle's last time in the Grandstands as I plan to move to the other side next year and report for a living. We are good friends and I hope he can find him a Job with NASCAR so we can continue on for many years as friends.As the 10 years come to an 11 many things will hopefully change. On Sunday it will be my last race as a spectator. It may be very emotional but I know it will be a changing to a new beginning. 10 years has been great but I hope the next ten are even better. Bristol was an amazing experience and I hope to do that more next year. I'll have more details come the Year in Review Article coming in November! (Koelle, 2015)
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