Screw The Economy, I'm Going to Bristol!

NASCAR fans suffering through the tougest recession in decades should take a clue from the millionairs who are snatching up real estate that is priced well below market value.

While the average NASCAR fan is cutting back on non-essential spending, an opportunity exists for some fans to cross off a major item from their "bucket list"—tickets to Bristol.

Last week I was drooling over the homes section in the paper wishing I could be Warren Buffett for an hour just to grab some of the great deals. Alas, I would have to sell my house first. And that's the rub. But it did get me thinking about some other things that might be affordable due to the crappy economy. Or in this case, even available.

I Googled "bristol tickets" and went to the ticket buying section at bristolmotorspeedway.com/tickets. It still suggested that I go through the process of a drawing to try for 2009 tickets. I decided just to call. And when I did, holy crap!, they had season tickets available. I quickly bought a pair guessing that it will be the approximate amount of my tax return.

Bristol Motor Speedway is the last track standing that still has a consecutive sellout streak in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Make no mistake, Bristol will sell out both Cup events in 2009, the only difference this year is that you actually have a snowball's chance in hell of getting tickets. And if you can muster up the green, season tickets to Bristol will surely outperform your 401K by the time we come out of this recession.

Bristol tickets have always been in such demand that there have been legal battles in regards to tickets left in wills. The track used to allow you to sign up for a waiting list but when it grew to 100,000 names they gave up because it was unmanageable.

Like most Americans, I've watched my 401K dive like a kamikaze pilot from Tora, Tora, Tora. And I'm not optimistic about selling my house anytime soon. But I do have a small grin on my face because, finally, I've got tickets to Bristol.