Digital Feature Writer Abigail Holloway (left) stands with her uncle, Josh Holloway (right) , at the Circuit of Americas, a racing circuit and concert venue, located in Del Valle, Texas, following the Formula One race on Oct. 19. For Abigail, attending the race fulfilled a lifelong objective of seeing her favorite sport in person. “The smell of burnt rubber and the roaring of the fans as their favorite drivers came around the corner was less about the thrill of the event and more about realizing a dream,” Holloway wrote. Photo courtesy of Abigail Holloway.
Digital Feature Writer Abigail Holloway shares her experience going to her first Formula One race and how her passion for motorsport came about.
Growing up in Athens, people are almost predisposed to become football fans. Little kids are sat in front of the TV as soon as they can hold their own heads up, watching the University of Georgia Bulldogs and dressed in red and black.
I was raised a bit differently. Trade the football helmets for race helmets and sidelines for pitlanes, and there I was, a 1-year-old NASCAR fan. My paternal grandpa, Steve Holloway, has been a lifelong fan of the sport. He made sure that if there was a race happening, then it was on the TV, and if I was home, I was watching it.
This admiration expanded past the stock cars of Joey Logano and Chase Elliott and I formed a lifelong love for all types of cars and motorsports, most importantly, Formula One.
I’ve always wanted to be around cars, whether it was sitting next to my grandpa as he changed the oil in his car or attending car shows or Miata races or simply watching the “Cars” movies. But nothing has interested me more than F1.
For years, I’d sit down on my couch each Sunday, counting down until the lights went out and the race started, imagining what it would be like to be there in person. Dreaming of the roaring engines and how loud they might actually be.
My maternal grandma, Donna Boggs, has a tradition of taking all of her grandkids on a senior trip. For mine, I asked if we could attend a F1 race. When she said “Yes” I was overjoyed, something I had dreamed about for years was actually going to happen.
On Thursday, Oct. 16 at approximately 11:40 a.m., me, my maternal grandma and grandpa, Ronnie Boggs, boarded a plane to Austin, Texas to attend my first-ever F1 race at the Circuit of the Americas. My dream to see these fabled cars in person was finally coming to fruition.
We landed at around 2 p.m. and within 24 hours we were at the track for practice. As I sat on the side of the hill watching the 20 cars zoom past me on the track, I was the happiest I’d ever been.
Digital Feature Writer Abigail Holloway attends the Formula One race in Austin, Texas in October. When Holloway watched F1 races, she couldn’t help but hope that one day she could attend. “For years I’d sit down on my couch on Sunday, counting down till the lights go out and the race starts, imagining what it would be like to be there in person,” Holloway wrote. Photos courtesy of Abigail Holloway
The experience was incredibly fun, but it was about so much more than that. For me, the smell of burnt rubber and the roaring of the fans as their favorite drivers came around the corner was less about the thrill of the event and more about living a dream.
Cars have been one of my favorite things for as long as I can remember. And whether I attend many more races as a fan or work as a motorsport journalist, chasing my dreams and the things that give me the most joy will always be important.
