This is the first installation of Postcards From Charlotte. Each day umterps.com will have daily updates on the team's journey in Charlotte ahead of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against NC State at noon on Friday, Dec. 30.
Maryland football is officially off to the races in Charlotte!
The Terps opened their five-day stay in the Queen City with a player's welcome tailgate at Queen Park Social and followed that up the next morning with a visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a live racing experience.
"We're having a lot of fun so far," junior safety
Beau Brade said. "We always have a good time when we're all together like this."
After landing in Charlotte in the late afternoon on Dec. 26, the players had some down time before departing for the welcome tailgate. At the tailgate, the guys were able to let loose for a lively night of bowling, dance-offs and arcade games.
"We definitely had a good time there," sophomore safety
Dante Trader Jr. said of the tailgate. "You see that whenever the Maryland guys are somewhere, we take pride in having fun. Like Locks always says, it's good to have that community. Guys are always dancing with all types of people; we're always an energized group."
Of course, it wouldn't be a football event without some good-natured competition among the team.
"I whupped some people's butts in bowling and I got some good shots off on the little basketball hoop," senior offensive lineman
Johari Branch said. "It was a lot of fun overall."
The next morning, the guys hit the road for one of the trip's highlights: racing on the Charlotte Motor Speedway track.
"It was my first time being at something like this and it was really fun," junior linebacker
Ruben Hyppolite II said. "Being in the car was cool, we kept going faster and faster, which is what I like, so I had a lot of fun."
Every person who wanted to participate got to sit in the front seat of a real race car with a professional driver behind the wheel, taking a few laps around the stadium at near 160 mile per hour speeds as the sounds of the track roared around them.
"At first, I can't lie, I was a little scared, but then once I got in the car, the driver made me feel at home," Branch said. "I appreciate him for that. It was a lot of fun."
"When we were going around that curb, I kept saying, 'man, we're gonna flip' in my head." Trader added. "It was a lot of fun though. I'm an adrenaline junkie so I loved it. The first lap he kinda eases into it, and then he just takes off. You definitely get a little nervous going around the corners that fast, your adrenaline starts rushing even more, but these drivers are so skilled, it's crazy."
The guys got to add their own flavor to it at some parts, with senior wideout
Jeshaun Jones opting to ride in the No. 6 car because of his No. 6 jersey number—and then coming back again at the end to ride for a second time.
And though many of the guys didn't have many previous NASCAR interactions, they all enjoyed seeing the historic speedway in person and getting a firsthand taste of what racing is like. As each guy emerged from the car after their few laps, giant smiles painted their faces—even those who were also a little wobbly at first due to the high speeds.
"It was pretty cool to be here and to see (Charlotte Motor Speedway) up close," Brade said. "I've really never seen anything like it. You don't realize how big the stadium is and how fast the cars actually go."
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It was an awesome experience," Brade added. "It's definitely one of the cooler things to be able to do during Bowl Week."
The Terps now head to a full-length practice at Charlotte Christian School. They will have their next Duke's Mayo Bowl event tomorrow morning with a community service opportunity at Second Harvest Food Bank.
Follow along at umterps.com for more daily updates as the team progresses through the week!
