On day two of covering NASCAR I learned a very important lesson: never apply chapstick right before the start of a race.
While awaiting the first laps of the Xfinity Series race from a photo window outside Turn 1, I made the fateful decision to apply a coat of Burt's Bees lip balm. After the cars made their first pass, kicking up clag and track dirt and sending it swirling over the outer wall, a coat of grime lodged itself onto my sticky lips. I spent the rest of the day with a gritty taste in my mouth and feeling generally grossed out. Lesson learned.
That mess aside, here are some of my favorite images from MENCS Practice and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 on Saturday.
