Both last summer and this summer, our family has made a habit of attending the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, home of the All American 400, to watch the races.

For a very affordable price (usually tickets are $10 but children 5 and under are free), your family can attend several races featuring many types and sizes of racecars, lasting a couple of hours. (Parking is $5.)

There is no doubt it is entertaining. I think of it as “NASCAR on a budget.”

You can tell that many of the drivers are apparently self-funded, with spray painted race cars and taped on numbers on the sides of the trucks.

I always like to root for those underdogs! (Meanwhile, my young son is smart enough to cheer for the cars at the front of the line-up; since they were the fastest during the time-qualifying pre-race.)

When we’re in the mood for an all-American, blue collar kind of family fun event, this is where we go.

I will say that much of the fan base smokes cigarettes… and this is an open-air event.

In fact, the demographics for the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville are so predictably smokers, that when you first walk in to the event after handing in your ticket, the first thing you see is a booth in which an e-cigarette vendor is eager to convert anyone they think are smokers.

However, your family can avoid most of the cigarette smoke by sitting in the C section, which is specifically set aside for families: Smoking and drinking are not allowed in that section.

There are some who try to sneak doing it, but typically the hired security guards catch them.

Our family is always entertained when we visit the Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. Again, it’s inexpensive and entertaining; not to mention, it’s full of Southern flare.

If you end up checking it out, you may see our family there in the C section. Thanks for reading Family  Friendly Daddy Blog today!