Richard Petty Driving Experience

November 1st we drove back down to Charlotte to Lowe's Motor Speedway to cash in on the Richard Petty Driving Experience that Mandy got me last year for my birthday. So, lets get some stuff straight first. I don't like crowds. Crowds don't freak me out, I'm not claustrophobic or anything, I just don't like people focusing on me. Never have, I don't know why, just how it is, if things were different, I might be a stand up comedian...or so I've been told. So now lets put me in front of a crowd performing a task of competition with about 29 other people and their family and friends. What could go wrong.

I was basically sick and would rather have been any where but there as you can see from the below picture and lets not forget the "man of many sunglasses" has none because I left one pair in a car that went back to WV an my other primary pair broke. I've basically been in a bad mood about that for a month.


Here is the "press" picture they took. Well, the staff is taking the picture but Mandy is standing over her shoulder snapping pictures too. Freebie! Again, clearly you can see how thrilled I am. So instead of just doing nothing in front of a crowd, now I'm completely by myself looking like I'm supposed to know what the hell I'm doing getting my picture taken. When will this day end.

Now they've divided us into 2 groups and my group so here my group is checking out all the safety features and how they work. Oh yea, I'm going to remember this. Lets see I'm to tall to see the tach, fire suppression on board, window net, I think I have to pee and that's a 5 point harness. Joy.

Happy again. Now I'm squeezed into an open face helmet, which I'll point out that NASCAR doesn't allow anymore. It puckers my face all up and these sunglasses don't fit. "If I lay down, will someone please run over me?!"


So after my years of knowing I was born to race and how smooth I'd be, my racing debut comes in none other than a toyota camry. Whoo Hoo stop the presses. This is Scott and his American muscle at it's best. I can just picture my "chevy parking only" sign crying on my garage wall. I can't recall this guys name but he asked me was I ready and I gave him the full run down what I thought I was supposed to do and he said I'd be fine.


So the full story they told us basically to tailgate the lead driver. He'd wave you off when you get close enough, about 2 car lengths. So I just kept following and kept pushing. Eventually he waved me off about 3 times meaning I was right on. I was never at full throttle, the car had a lot more but I'm pretty sure they frowned on bump drafting during the "rookie experience". The warm up lap was over 100 and I picked up 3-6mph each lap. I peak at 139.15mph before I rolled out of the throttle coming into turn 3. Now I didn't stick around to compare time or speed with the rest of the class but I heard several 132 and 135. So I'm going with the theory I was fastest. Who's going to challenge me you know?





So they hollered, "give us a victory cheer". So I did it before I realized what I was doing. It was pretty awesome I'll have to say. Worthy of me looking like a complete dork in front of a crowd. Notice how the driver suit pulls way up from my ankles. If I would have ate breakfast that morning, the suit wouldn't have fit.


While waiting for times and pictures etc we went back and got some pictures. Here's Mandy in her getting caught looking at the car. She just wouldn't pose. I asked.


So, all in all, I had a blast. It cost a little bit but dag gone it, it was pretty fun. It would be more interesting to get out and talk with the drivers and see how/what I did and give it another try. Until next time...