Faster than Fear

From Chicken Soup for the Soul: NASCAR

By Roy A. Barnes

A few years ago, I was heading out of Madrid, Spain with a friend of mine to a small village. At times, he drove the small rental car we were in at about 100 miles per hour. Other than the fact that he had to mildly correct his steering while going that fast, I didn't really feel too anxious about the fact that he was exceeding the speed limit by about 40 miles per hour!

But even this didn't prepare me for what I would be doing one spring evening in 2008, in a city roughly 25 miles northeast of Charlotte known as Concord, where the NASCAR Racing Experience provides NASCAR fans the opportunity to either drive or be a passenger in a former NASCAR stock car.

I'm never going to forget my experience of riding three laps at 170 miles per hour in one of Jeff Gordon's former stock cars around one of NASCAR's legendary tracks, Lowe's Motor Speedway. The races are so popular here that crowds in the grandstands often outnumber the population of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, where the track is located.

As I waited in line, I became more anxious. I'm a bit of a ‘fraidy cat when it comes to the idea of going super fast or up and down a lot, which is why I avoid roller coasters.

Before racing, I had to sign a waiver and fill out a health questionnaire so they would know how to treat me if anything happened to me while I was in the car. I had to put on a sheet-like cover on my head under the helmet, plus a neck support apparatus before I could get into the car.

I asked the others who finished their laps if they were scared and what it felt like to go so fast. They all told me just how much fun they had and that it didn't feel that scary at all.

Still, I was unconvinced. I thought I would most likely be scared out of my wits, but I wasn't going to give in to fear, either.

Since NASCAR stock cars don't have any doors, I had to go in through the window. I was strapped in comfortably, and had plenty of leg room on the passenger's side.

Once seated, and given the signal to go, the skilled driver took off from pit road like a bat out of Hades. There was no going back. Within about five seconds, he was increasing his speed in a 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo numbered "24" so fast that I felt like I was being mildly crushed as the engine roared loudly.

In order to deal with this, I let out a mild scream and closed my eyes, just hoping I would survive. We made a quick turn around the oval and then another. Then came another burst of pressure on my body as the car's speed down the track increased again. I felt so creeped out, closing my eyes again because everything was coming so fast at me, like a colored blur.

But after the second turn was over, I started to get used to it and looked straight ahead. I thought several times that we were going to hit the wall of Lowe's Motor Speedway as we came toward it so quickly, but the driver always made the turns at exactly the right time. I was squinching up as much as I could though, and keeping my eyes open about half the time.

By the time I was more comfy with being in this car, my three laps were done. It only lasted a couple of minutes.

So this is what it's like to go 170 miles per hour with one's life in another's hands? Wow! One lady told me that when she looked at the speedometer, it read over 170 miles per hour. I was too busy being scared to look at the speedometer in the car I was in. Still, I would definitely do this again if given the chance, because it's fun, and I now know what to expect.

The talent that these NASCAR drivers have is incredible. It's one thing to race around the track when there is just one other car, as this riding experience is done with two cars that are close together, but not racing.

But to do this in a race with a whole bunch of other stock cars trying to pass each other while dealing with bumping, accidents, etc., for hundreds of laps at those kinds of speeds is a different experience altogether.

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