Track Food

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

damn, i came here to say "Brats and grilled corn at RA"

Reading what some of you guys take to the track to eat, does needing to sprint to the bathroom help you drive faster?

In all seriousness, I don't eat at all on days I'm "racing", and towards the end of the day I do feel it, but IBS and out of the way venues dictate autocross/rally x diets. Usually almost nothing the day before and nothing until I'm on my way home the day of. Well, nothing aside from Gatorade and water, which I always have a cooler full of should you need a drink and I'm in attendance.

From my days in construction though, a roll of aluminum foil guarantees a hot meal on busy days with the car. Brats with peppers n onions, pizza pockets, anything that needs cooked really heats up well with a foil barrier between the food and exhaust manifold. 

Best track side or road trip cookies:  FIG NEWTONS

Road trip exhaust manifold recipe:  MEATnTATERS HOBO BEEF STEW

1/4-1/2 pound hamburger patty (lean ground chuck is best)

Diced frozen hash  browns from frozen food section(sometimes you can find frozen hash browns that already have onions and green red peppers already in them)

Diced frozen onions, celery, carrots frozen food section.

Seasoned salt, pepper, worchestire

Pat of butter

Freeze thin hamburger  patty.  Place on 3 layers of aluminum foil.  Place frozen vegetables on top of patty.  Season. Place butter patty on top.  Wrap tightly.place meat side closest to heat on exhaust manifold.  Drive 1 to 1 1/2 hour.  Remove (tongs are helpful).  Cut open on top...use  foil  as "bowl".  Enjoy.  For about 12$ in ingredients you can make up 6 or 8 individual meals)

Alternatively can be placed in charcoal grill coals or campfire coals.

NOTE...you can make these up night before, freeze,  pack in cooler and pull out to cook later.

RevRico said:

Reading what some of you guys take to the track to eat, does needing to sprint to the bathroom help you drive faster?

It usually strikes me the next day...granola bars, fruit and Powerade seem to work well until then though. Also those old-people nutrition shakes like Enterex are great for quickly staving off hunger pangs when you don't have time to eat. I only need to bring my own food for offroad rallies (for eating/drinking while driving) and sometimes autocross, both tracks by me have canteens that sell great food.

I like to buy the generic equivalent of the Budding meats (usually about 50 cents a package), a package of cheap buns ($1.50 for 8), a package of cheese slices and a bottle of spicy mustard. I take that to nats and other multi-day events for lunches. All in, I can have 3-4 days worth of food for about $5. If I'm feeling froggy I'll bring a back of cheapo chips or nuts/trailmix. Refill cooler at the hotels before leaving and you're good to go. 

for track day food I usually just get whatever is available at the venue.

But as for the best track day food experience, it would have to be what they did at the 13 hours race at VIR. they had teams of people from different areas working the corner stations at the event and there isn't much chance to go off track to get food. so they allow the corner stations to cook their own food out on course. well, from there people started grilling out and doing really nice food. so the event began to encourage it and made a competition out of it. they allowed each corner station to make food to be judged. at the "intermission" the judges would ride around the track and sample each dish to be judged and then announce the results after the event was over. fun and really good food.

RevRico said:

Reading what some of you guys take to the track to eat, does needing to sprint to the bathroom help you drive faster?

 

I was sick at both ends at nationals this year, still managed to pull off a win. Must have been that extra weight loss ;)

Spoolpigeon said:

RevRico said:

Reading what some of you guys take to the track to eat, does needing to sprint to the bathroom help you drive faster?

 

I was sick at both ends at nationals this year, still managed to pull off a win. Must have been that extra weight loss ;)

ive pretty much sworn off eating pastries for the Continental breakfast at the hotel for our racing road trips as everytime I’ve had them I’ve had to take a massive dump at a gas station etc down the road lol.

In reply to Spoolpigeon :

Both ends?  You mean north and south course?

I’ll say this, when I attended COTA F1, I really expected better quality food. After all, most in attendance come from a 6 figure (or more) income. Wife got a burrito, I got a philly with fries, and, of course, Heineken. It was state fair food at its best. 

Spoolpigeon said:

RevRico said:

Reading what some of you guys take to the track to eat, does needing to sprint to the bathroom help you drive faster?

 

I was sick at both ends at nationals this year, still managed to pull off a win. Must have been that extra weight loss ;)

I've noticed that I have faster times if I have to pee. I'm guessing its the "Hurry up! I gotta go!" syndrome. I'll call it the HUGG's Syndrome.

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

My favorite food is served at Elkhart Lake by the church ladies.  No cooking,  walk up and ask!  Moments later it’s handed to you! 

Their brats can’t be beat! Pancakes your mom would be proud of.  Arrrgggghhh! I can’t go on!   I’m Jonesing that won’t be satisfied until the spring race!!!  

Simple tweak on the PBJ and nutella tortillas is to roll a banana into the mix. Apply peanut butter to bread and roll a banana into it (I'd leave out the jelly), or apply nutella to a tortilla and roll a banana into it. Mix and match bread for tortilla. Crunchy or smooth or hippie peanut butter, your choice. Banana's don't travel well in the peel but in the sandwich they are great. They also have great sugars for energy and electrolytes for re-hydration when consumed with water.

You can eat carrots by themselves at any temperature.

If you want to do a little prep, our household tailgating/ race-track favorites are called 'curveballs'. Take hawaiian rolls, cut in half, add small chunk of butter, velveeta, ham, and poppy seeds to center, re-assemble halves. Wrap in tin foil (like a ball). Put 24-36-48-whatever into the oven for like 15 minutes at 200 degrees, then drop into a cooler. They will be warm all day, and will stay yummy even when cold. They are called curveballs because they can be easily thrown a fair distance to anyone who wants a small snack.

Bobcougarzillameister said:

Spoolpigeon said:

RevRico said:

Reading what some of you guys take to the track to eat, does needing to sprint to the bathroom help you drive faster?

 

I was sick at both ends at nationals this year, still managed to pull off a win. Must have been that extra weight loss ;)

I've noticed that I have faster times if I have to pee. I'm guessing its the "Hurry up! I gotta go!" syndrome. I'll call it the HUGG's Syndrome.

You should try it on the verge of E36 M3ting your pants in someone else’s corvette. 

Robbie said:

Simple tweak on the PBJ and nutella tortillas is to roll a banana into the mix. Apply peanut butter to bread and roll a banana into it (I'd leave out the jelly), or apply nutella to a tortilla and roll a banana into it. Mix and match bread for tortilla. Crunchy or smooth or hippie peanut butter, your choice. Banana's don't travel well in the peel but in the sandwich they are great. They also have great sugars for energy and electrolytes for re-hydration when consumed with water.

You can eat carrots by themselves at any temperature.

If you want to do a little prep, our household tailgating/ race-track favorites are called 'curveballs'. Take hawaiian rolls, cut in half, add small chunk of butter, velveeta, ham, and poppy seeds to center, re-assemble halves. Wrap in tin foil (like a ball). Put 24-36-48-whatever into the oven for like 15 minutes at 200 degrees, then drop into a cooler. They will be warm all day, and will stay yummy even when cold. They are called curveballs because they can be easily thrown a fair distance to anyone who wants a small snack.

Temperature danger zone all day!

I'm also a fan of PB&J when heading to an event. At Solo Nats, those tofu Korean tacos were pretty tasty, too. 

Tacos, Mexican style.

The meat is premade and it's critical.  Grill a steak, grill chicken breasts.  Best of all is a grill roasted brisket.  Whatever you use, season it before grilling and then cut it up into smallish chunks.  Wrap in foil.

Chop together fresh cilantro and white onion.  Also buy that "salsa" they sell in the produce department, made with fresh tomatoes.  Add chopped chili peppers until it's hot enough for you.

Take a pack of small flour tortillas and divide them into 3s.  Wrap each set of 3 in foil.

Carry all this stuff in a cooler.  Around 11a.m. get the foil-wrapped meat and the tortillas out in the direct sunlight and it will be warm enough to be good by 12:30 or so.  Or if it's cloudy find something with a large, flat, aluminum intake manifold to heat with.

Assemble (meat first, then onions/cilantro, then salsa) and chow down.

Pitburgers.

Get a package of those Martin's Potato Rolls that are sized for sliders.  And a couple pounds ground beef, and some sliced cheese.

Season up the beef and divide it into smallish burgers, then grill them all.  Take the meat off the grill and put it DIRECTLY onto the buns, bottom and top, so they get juiced a bit.

Let them sit five minutes, then put on the sliced cheese and wrap each one up individually in foil.  Chill them in the fridge.  Load them in a big Ziploc and take them to the track in a cooler.

Around 11 am put the foil-wrapped packages out in direct sunlight until about 12:30.  Better yet, put them on the dash of a parked car in the sun with all the windows rolled up for about a half hour.