I have told this story before but my first Run N Gun event was in 2001 and I knew no one. I even borrowed an old worn out flat bed trailer to get my car to the track. That was the best decision I ever made.
Wife was my pit crew and motivator. To put it bluntly, I was scared $hitless. The closer it got to my time to go on the track the more coffee I drank which meant I had to make numerous bathroom trips. I am sure I was in everyones way the whole week but I learned a lot. The first thing was that my little 9" brakes were not stopping me as everyone elses were. Second thing was that I realized the corners I had cut to get my car completed were going to have to be re-done. People like Dennis Oltoff, George Anderson, Wayne Turpin, Bob Self, John Gyann, Jay Nordstrom, and of course Rick Lake gave me so much good advise to make me a better driver and have a safer car. The point is that everyone was approachable regardless of our social or economic status.
I made it through that first event and I was so at awe with some of the people and equipment there. Some guys like Doug Reed and Dennis Oltoff had top of the line SPF equipment as did many others. However, the thing that impressed me most was that everyone had time for dumb questions. I came away from my first event with many new friends and a wealth of knowledge. My wife has also made some very good friends with many of the ladies that also attend. Even Kristen Breeden became a good friend of both of ours even if she is this good looking strawberry blonde that drove a cobra.
You owe it to yourself to attend at least one Run N Gun event, afterall had it not been for Carroll Shelby's desire to kick Ferrari's butt there wouldn't have been a Cobra or a Run N Gun for that matter.
Clois