NASCAR Experience Ride

-
1969383S

1969383S

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2012
Messages
7,098
Reaction score
4,247
Who has done the experience? If so When and where?

I did it about 10 years ago or longer at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Forget what Car we drove in the Petty deal but damn it was pure fun! Could you imagine the cars they run today? I had a very hard time just seeing out back then, at 150MPH and concentrating on staying on the lead drivers bumper. Always had wonder why there are so many wrecks until that day! I can only imagine they are even harder now!
 
1969383S said:
Who has done the experience? If so When and where?

I did it about 10 years ago or longer at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Forget what Car we drove in the Petty deal but damn it was pure fun! Could you imagine the cars they run today? I had a very hard time just seeing out back then, at 150MPH and concentrating on staying on the lead drivers bumper. Always had wonder why there are so many wrecks until that day! I can only imagine they are even harder now!
Click to expand...

I did, but was 12 years ago. 7-21-07 at Richmond International Raceway. Naturally since it's 3/4 mile, speeds weren't high like Atlanta. I did the 3 lap ride along with an instructor who gave me some tips before I did my 8 laps. I think it helped as I was trying my best to stay on the lead driver's bumper too. As I built up confidence and speed, I decided I was going to come out of turn 4 as fast as I could and try to gain momentum to get right on his bumper. Turn 1 told me I needed more practice as she started climbing up the track, so I lifted. Helluva good time all day long.
When people ask me how I liked it, I tell them it was the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on, lol.
 
IMFURYS said:
I did, but was 12 years ago. 7-21-07 at Richmond International Raceway. Naturally since it's 3/4 mile, speeds weren't high like Atlanta. I did the 3 lap ride along with an instructor who gave me some tips before I did my 8 laps. I think it helped as I was trying my best to stay on the lead driver's bumper too. As I built up confidence and speed, I decided I was going to come out of turn 4 as fast as I could and try to gain momentum to get right on his bumper. Turn 1 told me I needed more practice as she started climbing up the track, so I lifted. Helluva good time all day long.
When people ask me how I liked it, I tell them it was the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on, lol.
Click to expand...


At Atlanta the tri at the start finish almost seemed straight as they taught us. The rest the track after diving into turn 1 was on the wall it seemed. I miss that! But like said there was no time in a lap to see what was behind and or beside you as you concentrated on staying on that bumper ahead for the speed!
 
1969383S said:
At Atlanta the tri at the start finish almost seemed straight as they taught us. The rest the track after diving into turn 1 was on the wall it seemed. I miss that! But like said there was no time in a lap to see what was behind and or beside you as you concentrated on staying on that bumper ahead for the speed!
Click to expand...

Yes, it's addicting to have that much power and you can use it to the best of your ability without worrying about a radar, lol. I see Rusty's and Richard's experiences on Groupon from time to time and think about doing it again. Just hadn't gotten around to it. The "no burnouts or you will be told to get out of the car and leave the track" rule was kind of a bummer too.
If I do it again, I might hit Dover.
 
IMFURYS said:
I did, but was 12 years ago. 7-21-07 at Richmond International Raceway. Naturally since it's 3/4 mile, speeds weren't high like Atlanta. I did the 3 lap ride along with an instructor who gave me some tips before I did my 8 laps. I think it helped as I was trying my best to stay on the lead driver's bumper too. As I built up confidence and speed, I decided I was going to come out of turn 4 as fast as I could and try to gain momentum to get right on his bumper. Turn 1 told me I needed more practice as she started climbing up the track, so I lifted. Helluva good time all day long.
When people ask me how I liked it, I tell them it was the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on, lol.
Click to expand...

if they taught you the same, then 2 wave off’s are ok but the third brought you in off the track. They wanted you to keep an inch of asphalt through the windshield to their bumper and they picked it up if you were there!
 
This is been on my radar for some time now. I haven't got into doing any research but just a curious question, but I'm sure this was 10 years ago so the prices of change but that's pretty match my question? Just going to cost me a couple fingers or an arm and a leg?...
 
j par said:
This is been on my radar for some time now. I haven't got into doing any research but just a curious question, but I'm sure this was 10 years ago so the prices of change but that's pretty match my question? Just going to cost me a couple fingers or an arm and a leg?...
Click to expand...

just do it, preferably on a 1.5 track or larger, it is worth it for sure. A whole new perspective! Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
Best drive I have ever had by far. Surprising they would let us go 150 with so little Training input, short of a few drive around laps in a chase car. Course the cars they put us in were dialed in tight. I think I am ready for some more as it has been long while!
 
IMFURYS said:
I did, but was 12 years ago. 7-21-07 at Richmond International Raceway. Naturally since it's 3/4 mile, speeds weren't high like Atlanta. I did the 3 lap ride along with an instructor who gave me some tips before I did my 8 laps. I think it helped as I was trying my best to stay on the lead driver's bumper too. As I built up confidence and speed, I decided I was going to come out of turn 4 as fast as I could and try to gain momentum to get right on his bumper. Turn 1 told me I needed more practice as she started climbing up the track, so I lifted. Helluva good time all day long.
When people ask me how I liked it, I tell them it was the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on, lol.
Click to expand...

By the way did those 8 laps seem like 2? It goes by fast yes?
 
1969383S said:
if they taught you the same, then 2 wave off’s are ok but the third brought you in off the track. They wanted you to keep an inch of asphalt through the windshield to their bumper and they picked it up if you were there!
Click to expand...
Hmm, I don't remember anything about wave off's or keeping an inch of track between the cars. They seemed more worried about what they said was people's fear of not shifting into 4th gear and not keeping pace. So there was a flag they waved if you hadn't shifted into 4th and another flag if you needed to pick up your speed. I didn't see either one of those, lol.
 
1969383S said:
By the way did those 8 laps seem like 2? It goes by fast yes?
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, I didn't want to pull in and think I was slightly over pit road speed coming in because I wanted to keep hearing that car roar. I was driving one of Jimmy Johnson's cars and they said what races it had won, but I don't recall where now.
 
j par said:
I just looked and there's a half off sale. For me it would be Las Vegas?..
Click to expand...
LV would be cool (well that might depend on time of the year, lol). I've only got to LV one time for a week, so much to see and do, would love to go back and driving some fast cars and going out to some of the shooting ranges to shoot all types of weapons would be a blast for me.
 
Sounds like fun! 120 in my old Road Runner felt fast. I have been to 135 in a Panatera but not sustained. (like riding a crotch rocket. Get there quick and slow down fast) On my bucket list.
 
j par said:
Regular 599 now 319 for 8 minutes by yourself..
Click to expand...

Not too bad I guess since it's 1.5 miles and you can get up some decent speed. For me, the closest 3 tracks are short tracks, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville and they go by laps and not time. Like we said above, it'll go by fast and you'll enjoy yourself. As Gerald and I were saying above, it's worth paying a little extra (they tell you this when you get there) to do a ride along with an instructor in a 2 seat car. He will give you some pointers and just by riding along, you get a feel for the car and the track, so you feel more confident when it's your turn. Another cool thing (at least when I was at Richmond), is that they make it family friendly. They know lot of people want to bring their families, so they have activities for them too. One was taking a van around the track with the ones that weren't driving (I think it went about 45-60 MPH) so they could feel how much the track is banked and a little of the sensation of going fast on a track, Kis ate it up. They had games and even though they had photographers (so you'd want to buy extra stuff afterwards), they gave you a minute or two for whoever you bought with you to take pics of you by the car, putting on your helmet, getting in, etc. So I thought that was good they recognized the families needed stuff to do.
Yes, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
 
toolmanmike said:
Sounds like fun! 120 in my old Road Runner felt fast. I have been to 135 in a Panatera but not sustained. (like riding a crotch rocket. Get there quick and slow down fast) On my bucket list.
Click to expand...
Go for it Mike. If it's on your bucket list, it's a fairly easy one to cross off and if you don't leave with a big smile on your face and a fond memory, something's wrong.

As far as I know, 135 MPH is fastest I've driven on the interstate at 4 AM. You'd think I'd say it was one of my many old 60's-70's Mopars or one of those weird times in my life when I purchased a non-Mopar. It was actually a 2004 Dodge Intrepid ex-police car with the 3.5L. I had read they had a top speed of 139. I got to 135 before I had to back down for a curve where a couple of other roads merged onto the section I was driving, and it's well known, it's one spot where the man likes to sit.

*Legal disclaimer: This response it not intended as a suggestion that drivers should try to reach their vehicle's top speed or even to drive above the posted speed limit, or violate any other driving laws, lol.
 
I did one at Michigan International Speedway about a dozen years ago.
I highly recommend it.
They let multiple cars on the track and allowed drafting. Two guys that had done it before were behind me drafting each other so they were just a bit faster and catching my pretty quickly. I moved down to let them by and then stuck with them which was pretty good for a newbie.
 
Have a friend that is a AZ DPS Officer. Last I heard from him he was the driving instructor. He sent me videos of the day he was teaching the PIT maneuver. Said it was by far the most fun he has ever had.Next day they played chase. He was the "bad guy". In order to pass for the day they had to be able to use the radio and stay on course....everyone failed...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top