F1 Parade for McLaren Behind the Scenes at Circuit of the Americas (COTA Formula 1 in Austin 2023)

I have a fun story that I’m excited to share. About six months ago a buddy tagged me in a social media post that Circuit of the Americas was looking for very specific years and models of old convertible American muscle cars to chauffeur Formula drivers in their parade just before the F1 race. In fact, the very first line said 1969 Chevy Camaro. So I put together an album of my favorite photos that I’ve taken over the past 9 years that I’ve had in my old car and sent it over. And, as these things go, I didn’t really hear back for a few months. But then an email popped up that I was in the top 30 applicants. I think this is a good spot to mention that I’ve been prepping the sell the car and my buddy Thayne and I have been upgrading a bunch of parts, replacing all the gaskets and working on so much more that the car was currently half way back together and the F1 race was just a few weeks away. There’s nothing like a deadline to potentially drive your car in front of over 400,000 people to finish up a project.
Sure enough, my car was selected and on Sunday, October 22nd we will be parading around a team of F1 drivers. About a week before the car was still not quite running correctly so Thayne enlisted some of mechanic buddies and about 2 days beforehand, thankfully, the car was running better than ever.
Christine and I actually didn’t know which drivers we would be paired with as Formula 1 selects them the morning of the race. We drove the Camaro out to the track and right as we pulled in our contact goes “Orange Camaro, McLaren”. Being paired with the McLaren F1 team was an unexpected amazing honor and it made sense. The orange shades of my Camaro and the signature McLaren look went together perfectly.
I have to admit that it was pretty cool to pull to the starting line and the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were on one side and the grandstands on the other. I was trying to play it cool but I couldn’t help but give a large smile. Then Lando Norris and his teammate Oscar settled onto the back of the car and it was go time.
The chorus of "Lando, Lando, Lando" from hundreds of thousands of fans was just an amazing amount of love for the racers; but for me and the other lucky ones with our old cars driving around the track it felt like an ode to every vintage car lover. Every nod and cheer felt like a salute to the tales that these old cars could tell.
I couldn’t help but reminisce as this was a perfect send off for a car I’ve had for almost a decade. It was there for my first ‘real’ date with the woman who would become my wife. Dinner at Clark's, her hesitance and excitement at the offer to drive, and the endless drives we took during the quiet moments of the pandemic. Those drives, with the Texas landscape stretching before us and George Strait's voice filling the air via the old worn out cassette tape, are forever etched in my memory. Fast forward, and the Camaro has been there as we built our family. From being single, living in a downtown condo, to the euphoria of our wedding send-off, with my bride and me in the back of the Camaro, and finally, to the blessing of two beautiful boys. This car wasn’t just a vehicle; it was a silent witness to our story. As I think about parting with the Camaro, it's moments like these that'll stick with me. I also think of the new adventures ahead. But that Sunday, with the roar of the crowd and the purr of the engine, was a strong reminder of the roads traveled, and of a chapter that, while closing, will never truly end.

[@mattiasalegro]

Yeah dude got to hang with Oscar and Lando love it!!

[@ScratchinwithGarfolink]

very nice video and interesting story.

[@reymosely9138]

"promo sm"