DanL

iTrader: (2)

My wife got me 10 laps at Dover International Speedway driving an actual NASCAR race car for my birthday. It was a blast! If you live anywhere near a speedway and they have a similar program -- DO IT! The company that does it at Dover is called Monster Racing and they run a first class operation.

ttribe

^^^^Very Cool! Looks like a lot of fun!

I totally want to do one of those "Exotic Supercar Drives" where they bring in Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, etc. for people to drive. Sounds like heaven for me.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

The pics are cool, BUTT tell us about the experience!

DanL

iTrader: (2)

The three things the surprised me the most were: (1) how freakin' hot it is in the car (nearly 140 degrees) compounded by the fact that you're wearing two layers of clothing, gloves and a helmet; (2) between the racing seat and harness you can't move an inch in any direction; and, (3) how much different it is to drive on a steeply banked track than a normal flat surface, especially once you hit higher speeds. The key is to drive as smoothly as possible and to maintain a constant speed throughout each portion of the course. According to the instructors, the hardest part beginners have is trusting in the car. The cars are set up specifically for the track and as long as you stay in the upper third quadrant of the track on the straightaways and the bottom quadrant on the curves you never have to let off on the throttle nor touch the brakes.

My biggest fear was screwing up the start or stalling the car. I think they must replace the racing clutches more forgiving ones since it was very easy to start off and go through the gears. After about 45 seconds you're in fourth gear and never have to touch the clutch again until entering pit row at the end. That's a good thing since you really need to concentrate on maintaining a good, clean line throughout the course and keeping 8 car lengths from the instructor's car. If you don't maintain the correct distance (no less than 8 car lengths or more than 10) or deviate from the proper line he'll slow down and that's the last thing you want to happen.

Cruz_msl

That sounds sooooo fun to do! I saw a race there and it's a small course. The nice thing about the track is that from the spectator standpoint you can basically see the whole track. They say that once you feel the power of a race car, your daily driver feels like a kid's go cart.

Sounds like you had lots of fun! Very cool.

madcaps

iTrader: (1)

I live close to California Speedway and I've always wanted to do this, looks like a great time!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, as this was exactly what I was looking for!
Great experience!

06cmv6

sounds awesome...what was your top speed? I tell myself I wouldn't be nervous if I do this and wouldn't even care if i wrecked but I'm sure it's a totally different experience inside the car

ttribe

+1 Totally want to know what speed you hit!

Shalooby

I'd love to do this! What a rush...

DanL

iTrader: (2)

Sorry, no idea (at least not yet). As you can see in one of the pics, the cars don't have speedometers (the large gauge is the tach) nor do they time the laps. My guess is 115 or so since instructors who take riders along go 125. The single lap record at the speedway is 161. But I'll be able to find out in a few weeks when my in-car DVD arrives. I'll be able to time each lap based on that and calculate my speed.

ttribe

Cool! I'll be interested hear.

Oh, and you owe me a new monitor for my laptop...I was trying to crush that bug that ended up being your avatar.

Kidding, of course.

DanL

iTrader: (2)

So do it! Dover is only a few hours away and most of the drive is great -- well, at least the part after you cross the bay bridge and reach the 50/301 split is. Nice open roads through farmlands and small towns.

knight rider

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This picture needs music



While I would LOVE to do the exotics driving experience this appears to be lots more fun actually.

trojanman10984

iTrader: (1)

sounds awesome! i bought a package like this for my dad for fathers day for me and him to do on july 29th! im stoked and cant wait esp after hearing how great a time you had.
we are doing it at Atlanta Motor Speedway. also for any interested keep checking "groupon" they have amazing deals on there. I got 50% off on two passes

DanL

iTrader: (2)

That's an awesome gift idea! I would have loved to have done something like that with my dad (even my mom who was pretty adventurous herself) but now that he's in his mid-70's and my mom's care giver (she has advanced PSP) that's no longer possible. Take advantage of those types of opportunities with your parents while you can. You'll be shocked just how fast time flies and the next thing you know, you're old like me. Of course, that's better than the alternative.

06cmv6

115 top speed.....blah...still cool though

DanL

iTrader: (2)

Trust me, 115 on a rather small oval, banked track in a race car isn't the same as 115 on a highway in your typical passenger car. I've driven flat out on the autobahn and I may have taken my 535i a wee bit over the speed limit on a few occasions here -- it's definitely not the same experience. It's more like taking an exit ramp in your car at 70+ MPH over and over again. You're praying you don't do something stupid to break the rear free. But the truth is, the capabilities of the car far exceed the skills of the rookies driving them so unless you touch the apron or go way high on one of the short straightaways it's pretty hard to get into real trouble.

d-townhakuzo

Me and my brother got the same thing for my dad for father's day. He did 15 laps around Texas Motor Speedway. He had a blast

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Seriously?

Average speeds at Dover are typically in the 150-155mph range. So if he's driving 115-120, he's only about 30mph off of what the Sprint Cup cars circle the track at. On a tight track like Dover, and being a "civilian", 115-120mph is pretty damn fast...

F23A4

Dan, is that a pic of you? If so, is your stage name 'Chris Noth'?

Scottman111

This look awesome, glad you had fun!


I wonder what it would be like to do it at Bristol