If you’re a NASCAR fan then you know that the season is winding down with only three events remaining in the “Chase for the Cup”. One of those races went down this weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway at the AAA Texas 500. The festivities kicked off Sunday morning at 10:00am in the Nationwide garage area and the highlight was a wakeboard rail jam Texas Style! It was all part of the “No Limits Garage Party” that the Speedway created for season ticket holders.

Invitations went out to over 20,000 season ticket holders and a ton of them rsvp’d. By noon the garage area was packed and all eyes were on wakeboarding. The boys from Step Up Productions provided the set-up and a small crew of top Texas guys – Gabe Lucas, Bret Little, Clay Stewart – joined Phil Soven and Kyle Alberts to show the NASCAR Nation what it’s all about. At the peak of the party, spectators were stacked twenty deep the entire length of the set-up. Dano “Noise of the North” Mano called the action and kept the crowd entertained the way only Dano can.

They do it up big in NASCAR and this event was no different. After the garage party demo’s, the wake crew all headed to the bus parked in turn #1 and settled in for three hours of left turns and cold beverages. Willy Nelson was on-hand to sing a few tunes for the crowd before the flag dropped and we also had a chance encounter with Christopher “Big Black” Boykin whose murdered out Charger was parked right behind the bus.

On the track, Driver Denny Hamlin’s victory wasn’t a knockout blow to Jimmie Johnson’s title hopes, but it did deliver a stinging message to the four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. Hamlin’s win, his series-best eighth of the season, his second straight at Texas Motor Speedway and the 16th of his career, was perhaps more effective than the haymaker Jeff Gordon—yes, Jeff Gordon—tried to lay on Jeff Burton after Burton wrecked the No. 24 Chevrolet under caution on Lap 190.

It’s always a party when the crew gets together in Texas and this past weekend was no exception. Thanks to the folks at TMS for having us out and to all of the riders, friends family and crew who made it happen.