Racing Preps

We’re off to the races, NASCAR fans! Sunday on May 29 is one of NASCAR’s biggest races, the Indy 500! 75 million people are a fan of the sport with 1 out of 3 homes tuning in to see the race. This will be the third biggest sporting event of the year. It’s so huge that it even has a dance and festival to go with it. The event is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is larger than seven known landmarks with an entire town design around it to accommodate its needs. If you’re going in person, you can turn your weekend of fun into a prepping opportunity.

Shot Glasses

Shot glasses are a popular souvenir because of their small size and low cost. These tiny glasses have a lot more potential than pounding whiskey or other liquor of choice. If you string them together, you can make a security chain that rattles when someone opens the door. You can use them to grow seedlings. Shot glasses hold 1.5 fluid ounces so you can use them to measure valuable goods like flour, spices, and sugar for bartering. Fill them with old candle wax or melted crayons (do so with caution as this can burn you) with a wick and turn them into candles. You can use them in your toolbox to organize those tiny things that often get lost, like nails, screws, and ratchet heads.

The Checkered Flag

Racing’s best friend is the checkered flag. The two go together like cookies and milk. The flag has many more uses than starting and stopping a race. Often made of fine linen material, it can be a filter when making potable water. It’s big enough to be used as a wick for a Molotov Cocktail. While cleaning up the flag makes for a good dusting cloth. While out fishing, you can fashion it into a net. The flag’s porous material has a lot of food prep potential. It can strain the whey from milk to make cheese, store fresh herbs in your pocket, and keep pests away from meat as it is drying in the sun.

Pins

These little souvenirs do more than make you look cool. They can provide quick fixes to torn clothing or broken zippers. You can use them to perform first aid tasks like securing a bandage or removing a splinter (remember to sterilize first). Pins help provide added security by ensuring the curtains are closed in a way that nobody can peek inside. They can alter clothing to help complete a task, like wading in long water. If evacuated to a public shelter, you can use them to prevent pickpocketers from stealing your wallet by pining your pockets shut.

Racing Trading Cards

These trinkets are a hit at any racetrack and have a lot of survival potential. First, and most obvious, would be tinder to start your campfire. You can protect them with clear nail polish and turn them into unique garden tags. For example, Brandon Brown can mark where the turnips are, and Christopher Bell is where carrots are located. If you are evacuating and split from the group, you can use these cards to mark your trail. They could provide hours of entertainment by getting you into a card throwing contest with your buddies or building a card tower if you have enough. Trading cards are good in home repair as a substitute for a putty knife, and for even spacing around flush cabinet doors or drawer fronts.

Apparel

This is most likely the number one souvenir at any event. Everybody will want to support their favorite racer. In a public shelter, you can tuck the bill of a hat into a mattress and bed frame to create a catch-all. You can repurpose shirts for a variety of things like face masks and rags. If rain is in the forecast, ponchos may be up for sale. Sunglasses can protect your eyes from UV damage while cleaning up and rebuilding. Use the dog tag chains as cordage if rope is unavailable.

I’d like to wish everyone taking part in it to have a happy and safe race! Who are you rooting for at this year’s Indy 500?