NASCAR racer Joey Logano visited The Greenbrier on Wednesday, October 4. Logano, Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell, and members of Logano’s team were able to tour the underground bunker and spend some time with birds of prey in the falconry.
“[This is] a little bit of time off, which is nice, to come visit the beautiful Greenbrier up here in West Virginia,” said Logano. “I really didn’t know anything about it before; I got the bunker tour … and some falconry. I had never really heard of any of that either, so for a city-slicker to come up here, it was really neat to see. … That’s why you don’t say no to things; you never know what you’re going to walk into.”
Logano came to promote the First Data 500, a NASCAR race located at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
“That’s what makes Martinsville cool; [it’s] the grassroots,” Logano said. “It’s all of us going back to the way we grew up, and the way the sport began also, which makes it pretty fun to go up there. … Our schedule is that we’re always going from place to place cause we’ve got a job to do. We’ve got to keep working and make sure our cars are fast and make sure we’re prepared when we get to the racetrack to try to win. … I’ve had my fair share of drama going there like everyone else … but I can’t wait to win there. It’s one place where every driver wants to win. … It would be one of the biggest wins of my career if we can win there.”
During the visit to the resort, Logano descended into the bunker under The Greenbrier, which was constructed in secret to hold the Legislative branch of the United States government in case of attack. The location and purpose of the bunker was leaked to the press and exposed in 1992 by the Washington Post; it has been retired as a safe house, being used for private corporate data storage and tours. Asking questions the entire way through, Logano said he enjoyed the tour led by Deanna Hylton, bunker tour coordinator.
“[Hylton is] a great tour guide. … Once I got here, got the tour of what its all about, and the history of this place, it’s really neat to be here. And [I’d like] to come back up and spend a little more time instead of just an afternoon; that would be really nice.”
In addition to the bunker tour, Logano spent time in The Greenbrier’s falconry with Cody Morgan, the head falconer, watching the birds of prey. The precision of Nate, the Harris hawk who accompanied the group during the falconry beginners lesson, left an impression on Logano, who admitted to being a little more intimidated by the birds at first than during any NASCAR race.
“I was [intimidated]. I’m in complete control when I’m driving a car, and I had full trust in this bird that I met five minutes ago. That’s something that I’m not used to; I’m a control freak. I don’t like anyone driving me much more than five minutes down the road before I’m like ‘OK let me drive.’ So to let go and trust this bird that could kill me was a little nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun. … Once, I was with my wife and a hawk came and got this bunny right in front of us. My wife is an animal lover, and she goes, ‘Do something!’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, right!’ … The quickness, the precision, were some of the most amazing parts of the falconry. They had us standing next to each other about a foot and a half between us, and this bird comes at us; it feels like 100 [mph] but [is] probably only about 20 [mph], and it thread that needle right through there. That’s what NASCAR racing is. That’s what it’s all about. It’s finding that little gap and taking advantage of it, and when you’re at Martinsville, those gaps don’t present themselves a lot; so you have to take advantage of it when it’s there. That’s what makes it a lot of fun [to] race there.”
For more read the Thursday, October 5, edition of The West Virginia Daily News.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.