Email
Print
New league takes tailgating to whole new level
Photo by James Nix
Craig Tolliver, of West Virginia, tosses a bag during a game of cornhole at the National Tailgaiting League's cornhole tournament outside of Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: May 23, 2009
Updated: 05/23/2009 10:34 pm
CONCORD - Tailgating is a tradition at any sporting event. You cook a pig for barbecue or grill up hot dogs and hamburgers.
Don't forget about the games -- like ladder golf and cornhole. Tailgaters are getting more and more sophisticated with their set-ups.
That's what inspired Todd Hirschfeld to get organized and take tailgating to the next level.
About two months ago, Hirschfeld created the National Tailgating League, an organization that takes the tailgating experience to a new level.
"We were down at Daytona this year and saw how these fans really get into tailgating and the games," Hirschfeld, a public relations rep from Cornelius, said. "Now we are giving them the opportunity to be the event before the big event, which is the race."
This is the inaugural run of the NTL, and the cornhole tournament. Already, the league has some powerhouse sponsors -- Budweiser for one.
In a campground near the intersection of Morehead Road and U.S. 29, a makeshift cornhole arena sat. Right next to it was a mobile bar set up and open for race fans watching cornhole.
Cornhole is a bean-bag toss game, where teams of two square off against each other. The object of the game: Get the bag in the hole cut into a piece of plyboard.
It started in Ohio and has spread in popularity that there is an official cornhole association and a championship tournament.
The three-time defending cornhole champion, Matt Gui from Alexandra, Ky, came down to Concord to see the race, but more importantly, to play cornhole.
"I basically play every weekend," Gui said. "I'm a casual NASCAR fan and I've never been in a race atmosphere, so I wanted to come down and check that out and check out the cornhole tournament."
He brought his buddy Charlie Fletcher with him to play cornhole.
"I pitched horseshoes a lot and then I started playing cornhole," Fletcher said.
The duo played in a tournament early Saturday morning, and they started off shaky.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself by missing a big shot at the beginning of the game, but we came through in the end," Fletcher said.
Gui and Fletcher came back to win the tournament, though, after winning two games while in the losers bracket.
The winners of the tournaments get some sweet prizes -- $500 cash this weekend.
And Hirschfeld doesn't plan to sit on his laurels. He plans to take the NTL to all kinds of events -- concerts, professional and college football games, any place where people tailgate.
For him and the fans, it's all about the fun before the big race.
"It's the people, you get to meet a lot of good people," Fletcher said.
Contact Web reporter Ben McNeely: 704-789-9131
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
