In most cases, race track food is not a delicacy to be sought after; it’s a necessity engendered by harsh track rules about what you can or cannot bring through the gates, a truly unprecedented hunger, or a few too many drinks. Now, though, NASCAR has partnered with DoorDash to provide a service called Refuel, where you can order NASCAR-inspired fast food items to be delivered right to your door. And I hate it.
Basically, NASCAR has developed one of those weird ghost kitchens that have become so popular as delivery services thrive. These are restaurants that may not have a physical location but where many chefs may share the same kitchen to make food specifically to be ordered.
That’s pretty much what NASCAR has done here. There’s no brick-and-mortar Refuel restaurant. There are just strange kitchens that will deliver you food that has been pulled from the menus of NASCAR-owned tracks around the country.
There are actually quite a few “restaurant” locations around the country, with a majority of them running along the east coast. NASCAR has assured fans that new locations will be added regularly.
I have, unfortunately, looked at the menu to tell you what you can find on it. Among other delicacies are:
- Daytona Firecracker Dog: All-beef hot dog topped with jalapeno, coleslaw, and pepper relish on a soft hot dog bun
- Refuel Burger: Quarter-pound ground-beef patty with candied bacon, melted American cheese, chili, mac and cheese, pepper relish, lettuce, mayo, and buffalo sauce on a soft bun
- Tallamento Dogwich: All-beef hot dog, split and griddled crisp, with pimento and American cheese on grilled white bread
You can also buy fried apple pie bites, which actually sound kind of good and very much not cursed.
Media members at Daytona this weekend got to try out some special items, like a fried chicken and waffle on a stick:
Or the “Phoenix crunch,” which is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich rolled in Capt’n Crunch and topped with a drizzle and bacon:
This is a hint at things to come, but those other items aren’t on the menu yet. Prices also seem to fall in line with the high-cost of track food; a plain hot dog or a sandwich filled with nothing but pimento cheese is $5.99.
If anyone takes the plunge to buy this madness, give me a review in the comments. I, for one, will be avoiding it until someone gives me a way to have a Road America brat omelet delivered to Texas.