Wingazette® Magazine sent a special expedition to
the Daytona 24 hour race in 1992. The vital research mission was funded in part
by Luis Barrios, faithful Wingazette®
Magazine reader
and dedicated IMSA fan.
The mission included an extraordinary field experimentation with a batch of Turner’s
Burners during the trip. This indispensable research on cooking in the field
(literally) was the first in many steps toward the ultimate competition at Stone
Mountain, to be held later that year. This was the largest quantity of wings
ever prepared by the Wingazette®
Magazine staff
outside of our research facility in Woodstock.
The charter members of the Wingazette®
Racing League were on hand for the event. Luis Barrios and Dean Haffenden
traveled from the Ft. Lauderdale area, while Rodney Cox came from Youngstown,
Ohio. Hal Turner joined the group from Atlanta.
Our first assignment was to investigate the wings with the closest proximity
to the speedway. There just happened to be a Hooters restaurant across the
street from Daytona International Speedway, so we visited on the eve of the 24
hour contest.
There were no surprises during this visit, as the Hooters lived up to their
mediocre reputation for heavily breaded, lukewarm wings. The scenery was typical
of what you would expect to find at any Hooters across the country, and did help
make up for the lackluster effort on the chef’s part to tickle our taste buds.
We likened the experience to a typical race weekend where they have support
races, and those cars are much slower than the feature event. Our "feature
event" would come during the big race.
Our overall opinion of the Daytona AWI (Area of Wing Influence) was that you
must bring your own wings if you want to enjoy the trip.
The race began at three o’clock the next afternoon. From our venue in the
grandstand, we could see about 98% of the racetrack. As the field spread out,
the breeze continued to blow in off the ocean, and the sun began to get lower in
the sky, the mercury dropped rapidly. Soon, our contingent began to have
difficulty concentrating on the race, as we knew that wings were coming that
evening.
We anxiously set up camp in the darkness, and by the light of the lantern
our team worked furiously to prepare the product. We were freezing! Wings seemed
to be our only hope for surviving the cold, winter night.
It was actually quite a beautiful experience to see the sauce cooking on the
campstove. Race spectators gazed with curiosity at the operation. Our entire
team was involved with the preparation process, and the campsite was abuzz with
activity.
As the first batch of Turner’s Burners came rolling out of the container
onto the plate, the steam rose up to the heavens, and we were about as close as
you can get to the angels. The wonderous aroma and divine flavor had transformed
the weary race fans into wing-o-maniacs! The shivering campers were filled with
delight (not to mention another two huge batches of steaming chicken wings). The
chef was estatic as the entire group hurried off to find ice cream. This was the
same crowd that was "freezing to death" just a few hours before.
We returned to the grandstand to digest the results of a phenomenal research
project. As we sat watching the race in the darkness, we noticed an unusual
fact. Properly administered, spicy chicken wings can actually cause you to
radiate heat, even under the coldest circumstances. Perhaps this is why wings
are so popular in climates like Buffalo.
We didn’t feel chilled for the rest of the trip, as the Burners fueled us
to the finish. Fortunately, for all concerned, the breeze never let up off the
ocean, and we all did our best not to find ourselves downwind from one another.
History was made during the trip, as Nissan won their first 24 hour
endurance contest. The Wingazette® Racing
League was born, and continues to flourish today. Endurance racing is having a
tough year in 2000, but some traditions will carry on. Wingazette®
Racing League will be gathering at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September
for our first foray into Formula One. Join us!