Meet the NASCAR fan who travels to every Cup race — and found himself along the

Attending all 36 NASCAR Cup Series points races in a single season was something Chris Kalnins figured he’d do eventually — just not now. Maybe someday, after he had a family and retired, Kalnins could buy an RV and follow NASCAR around the country for a season.

But when his marriage fell apart late last year and Kalnins realized he’d lost the passion for his job as a financial advisor, the 29-year-old suddenly realized the time was now: He would travel the country by himself for one season and hit the entire NASCAR schedule in the process.

“I had the opportunity to reset my life,” Kalnins said.

So with just weeks to spare before the start of the 2022 NASCAR season, Kalnins bought a black 2019 Chevy Silverado with a six-and-a-half-foot bed, watched YouTube videos on how to maximize the space inside and got to work on building his new home.

Literally.

When Kalnins and his ex-wife sold their house in the process of the divorce, it did two things: First, the windfall from the housing boom left Kalnins with enough funding to quit his job and hit the road for an entire NASCAR season; second, it required him to downsize his life from a 1,800-square-foot house to a 30-square-foot truck bed.

Kalnins figured building his living space inside the truck would be a day-long project; instead, it took a month. Eventually, he ended up with a three-inch foam mattress that sits atop a piece of plywood propped up by two-by-fours with enough room for some storage underneath. There’s even enough headroom where he can sit up in bed and work on his laptop when needed (the logistics of traveling for a season require advance ticket purchases, research on the best places to park at night and touristy stops to make in between races).

There are blackout curtains to block both the sun and anyone who might want to peek inside.