Here’s the Lowdown on Seats at Fontana

Bill Plaschke [May 4] should have sat in the still-shiny stands at California Speedway. If he had, he would have known that the view from the stands was similar to that of the fans Plaschke interviewed around the infield.

Sitting on the start-finish line, I couldn’t see the cars cross the start-finish line when the drivers raced on the top half of the track. When drivers took their cars to the lower half of the track, they were visible if the fans in the rows in front of me remained seated. However, for about a third of the race, most fans stand up, blocking any view.

Views of the backstretch were limited to spying the flags floating atop the infield RVs. Even the giant screen directly in front of us required binoculars to see the cars on the screen.

Now, for Greg Penske’s pride in 115,000 spectators moving in and out with a minimum of delay. I just wish Greg had sat in his car for more than an hour--waiting to start his engine--to exit the parking lot after the race.

The most interesting part of the day was watching the clouds pass over the mountains. Thanks for the experience.

OWEN NEWCOMER, Whittier