We left the track but returned a little early so we could get some pictures in.
Here is the Full Album. I took pictures of
Driving 101 students on the track and fighters taking off from Nellis AFB which
is right next door.My father (Bob), his girlfriend (Marsha) and I set out from Dads house for the four hour drive to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We had our tickets in hand for the Ride Along Experience with the Richard Petty Driving Experience. We were VERY excited (Of Course!). When we arrived at the track at about 8:00am, we found that there had been a mix up. It seems that Driving 101 has the track until 5:00pm and that's when the Petty school starts. It turns out that that was a good thing! Although it was only March 20th, it was over 95 degrees outside in Las Vegas. Standing out in the sun was HOT so being suited up in a fire retardant racing suit and getting inside a race car on an even hotter track could have been miserable.
We left the track but returned a little early so we could get some pictures in.
Here is the Full Album. I took pictures of
Driving 101 students on the track and fighters taking off from Nellis AFB which
is right next door.
One of the other people waiting with us came up and started talking to me. I commented on his Aloha shirt. It turns out he lives on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Then I found that he knows my friend Maghan who works for Island Air! What a small world!
After what seemed like an eternity, it came time to get ready! We were given fire retardant racing suits and started suiting up. Then they had us put on a harness that goes around each leg and each shoulder. We put on our helmets and then they hooked that same harness to the helmet. It's at this point that I became aware of just how little I could turn my head in the gear. Now it became VERY apparent why the NASCAR racers have spotters and a BIG rear view mirror. They can't turn their head to look at what's around them! Imagine driving almost 200 MPH and not being able to turn your head to see where you're turning!!
They took us out three at a time, and I was third in line so I got to go out with the first set of riders. I walked out to the car and climbed in through the passenger window. The driver was already settled in. After I settled into the seat, the "pit crew" buckled me in tight. There was NO moving around now! There was a short chat with the driver as he made sure I was OK and Ready To Go! Then we exchange a Thumbs Up. Anytime he gave a thumbs up, I returned it. It was his way of making sure I was doing ok because once the car was started there was no way to hear each other.
The engines roared to life. The three cars rolled forward and stopped to await the proper timing for launch so as not to interfere with the student drivers on the track. Once the time was right, we took off! We were accelerating hard! We hit third gear about the time we hit the end of pit road! I suddenly realized that we were going very fast and still accelerating, right towards the wall in turn one! I couldn't believe the car would be able to make that turn going that fast. Thankfully, it did! Pulling almost 2 G's, the car banked into the turn! What an amazing feeling! Now, completely pressed into the seat from the G Forces, we kept accelerating and hit fourth gear. The driver never downshifted and never hit the brakes the entire time until back on pit lane!! Flying around the track at approximately 160 MPH while mere inches from the wall is an AMAZING adrenaline rush!
All too soon our time was up. We pulled to a stop back in the pits and the crew unbuckled me. I shook the drivers hand and climbed out the window. They took me off to the side to help get me out of the harness and asked "How'd you like it?". I asked "Are you hiring? I think it might be time for a career change!"
Don't forget to check out the pictures and videos!