We went to Dell's Raceway Park for the first time last night while celebrating my dad's 75th…read morebirthday, and honestly, I'm sad it took us this many years to finally go! My parents have lived in the area for years, and we've always heard the cars from a distance but never made it out to the racetrack. I'm so glad we finally did.
It was such a fun night for our whole family, including two toddlers. According to their website, kids five and under are free, which made it even better. They also offer discounted senior tickets, which was only a couple dollars off, but every bit counts and it was appreciated.
The cars are loud, so I definitely recommend bringing noise-canceling headphones for little ones or anyone sensitive to sound. We brought headphones for the kids and my parents, and earplugs for ourselves. They also had inexpensive earplugs available in the store, which was great.
The atmosphere is casual, fun, and family-friendly. It's not a fancy raceway, so I wouldn't go in expecting anything overly polished or upscale, but that's part of what made it so enjoyable. It felt like a relaxed, relatively inexpensive, easygoing night out.
There is bleacher seating and lawn seating, and there really isn't a bad seat in the raceway. I noticed the regulars brought portable/camping chairs, so I would definitely recommend bringing those, along with blankets and maybe an umbrella depending on the weather. It rained the night we went, and they did pause for a rain delay. There isn't much covered space to hang out during rain, but you can head back to your car until it slows down.
Food and drinks were reasonably priced, including beer, which was a pleasant surprise. My dad has some trouble walking, but we were able to find a good spot where he could be comfortable and still see everything.
Overall, this was such a fun experience for all ages. The kids had a blast, my dad enjoyed his birthday outing, and we cannot wait to go again. Since it is seasonal, I would definitely make it a to-do item while you can.
