Rattlesnake Hill offers NASCAR’s best vantage point

Sitting atop a hill nicknamed for the venomous reptile that inhabits it doesn’t sound like the ideal locale to watch a NASCAR race. But when you climb the 150-foot slope to the summit of Rattlesnake Hill, located in the middle of the Arizona desert, it’s quickly apparent why this spot is on the short list of the best seats to do just that.

Seeing cars flirt with close to 200 mph through the tri-oval at Talladega or Daytona is awe-inspiring. And standing on Dover’s “Monster Bridge,” which spans across the backstretch and allows fans to view cars barrel off the track’s high banking and enter Turn 3, gives the sense you’re in the middle of the action. But in terms of visual beauty, Phoenix International Raceway’s Rattlesnake Hill is the essence of picturesque.

Located on the eastern end outside of Turns 3 and 4, just on the fringe of the Estrella Mountains, Rattlesnake Hill officially is known as Monument Hill, thusly named because the site is the starting point for all land surveying within Arizona and how the federal government measures and files land deeds. A 15-foot “X” at the top signifies its prominence.

And twice a year the hillside, carved into tiers with sections flattened, transforms itself into a rustic area to watch Phoenix’s April and November NASCAR races on the one-mile track.

Without an actual hillside grandstand, fans are encouraged to bring their own seats, which they do along with an array of popup canopies and chairs. Many also tote with them mini-grills, tarps or large throw rugs to cover their makeshift camping sites and coolers, though state law prohibits the coolers from containing any alcohol. (Don’t fret, one concession stand sells beer.)

“Here you can stretch out and have a ton of room,” said Doug Wicks, a postal worker who’s been watching Phoenix races hillside since the turn of the century. “I have a tiny hiney and [grandstand] seats are small and uncomfortable. Plus there are no drunks without shirts on swearing and throwing beer cans.”

Although Rattlesnake Hill is considered general admission seating, there’s an unspoken acknowledgement among those who attend races yearly that they maintain their spots. The section Wicks and co-worker George Perez claim annually is in front of tall saguaro cactus more towards the Turn 4 side.

“You can see everything,” Perez said. “I love it. Look at this, it’s great.”

Sure, the surrounding view gives the impression it was lifted off a postcard, but what about the snakes that give the hill its popular nickname? Or the coyotes and scorpions and other desert critters? Doesn’t that concern you?

“No one up here has ever seen a snake or anything dangerous,” Wicks said. “They hear the noise and hide because they don’t want to be bothered. The only animal we’ve ever saw was a chipmunk -- we fed him peanuts.”

Popular belief is track officials send hired hands up the hill to shoo away rattlesnakes in advance of the race weekend. This, though, is pure folklore. The track does no such thing.

None of that deters some fans from protecting themselves against any unwanted vermin. One such fan kept a thick stick handy just in case -- “If I see a rattler I’m not going to think twice about beating its head in,” she said.

The overzealous preparation isn’t needed. Besides the chipmunk Wicks and Perez fed peanuts, there have been no reports of any wildlife encounters among those who regularly sit hillside. But if the myth that the area is overrun with rattlesnakes keeps a few fans away, those who prefer Monument Hill won’t dissuade anyone who prefers the safety of the grandstands.

“We own season tickets and can choose to sit anywhere, but up here this is our spot,” Wicks said. “There are some really good seats in the grandstands, but none with a view like this.”