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Written
by: Joe Tripp
Charlotte, NC – 12/6/2006
"On the first gear of Christmas
my Gearhead gave to me..."18 laps in
a NASCAR Nextel Cup car?
This day and age, a partridge in a pear
tree just doesn’t cut it as a gift
for the typical race fan...a partridge hunt...perhaps
a bit closer to the mark. Pipers piping?
Lords-a-leaping? Forget about it. However,
any self-respecting motorhead, whether they
like stock car racing or not, would likely
place a chance to drive an actual Nextel
Cup car at or near the top of their all-time-best-gifts-ever
list…even ahead of the talking bass
plaque and the electric socks...I know I
have. With special gift certificate offers
for rides and classes now available, I’ve
placed “An Evening at Jeff Gordon Racing
School” firmly in first gear on our
“12 Gears of Christmas” countdown.
A month ago, I was presented the opportunity
to participate in the Jeff Gordon Racing
School on a promotional gig (so yes, I’m
going to give it a favorable rating regardless…I
want to do it again, duh). Admittedly, I
was pretty excited at this once-in-a-lifetime
shot to experience driving a stock car,
though it had been one of those “things
to do in my lifetime” items, I just
hadn’t gotten around to looking into
the particulars. Needless to say, when the
deal fell in my lap I had no choice but
to say yes (hey, somebody’s got to
do this job).
After working out a few details, I loaded
up the family (my own personal cheering
section) and headed to Lowe’s Motor
Speedway. Though my anticipation was building,
the entire scene really didn’t start
to hit me until we approached the speedway,
ablaze with the Musco lighting in all their
glory in the twilight. This was a night
gig, and for whatever its worth, that only
added to the allure of the opportunity.
After a quick sign-in at the gate, we drove
through the tunnel and across the infield
to the school’s semi trailer for sign-in.
At check in I chose the driving and photo
package I wanted, then suited up in a baggy
fire suit and headed down for the all-important
“I’m a dork” pose in front
of one of the 24 DuPont cars. After a brief,
anticipatory wait while others arrived and
checked in, the group assembled for the
driver meeting (“DON’T PASS THE
INSTRUCTOR”) and requisite van ride
around the track. Speaking of which, bringing
the loaded 14 passenger van to a stop on
the 28 degree turn 3 banking was VERY illustrative
of the severity of the slope! However, pointing
out the “visual” of a 4 car length
following distance to someone sitting 4
rows back in a cramped van does not exactly
relate to the view from inside the racecar.
Let’s just say that the back of a few
middle aged balding heads and a Dale Jr.
logo place strategically on the hood of
my car would have proven helpful for alignment
later on...
After the instruction session and van ride,
we all milled around waiting for our turn.
While cars were being prepped, everyone,
families included, were encouraged to cross
the hallowed wall to get up close to the
cars for more photos and inquisitive close
inspections of the cars; as in “how
am I going to fit my fat ass inside that
narrow seat? Where’s the Tony Stewart
car?
Once things got going and the cars were
fired up to my daughter’s own rendition
of “gentlemen start your engines!”,
I was amazed at how well organized the entire
affair progressed. A sophisticated timing
system queues up each participant based
on the number of laps and whether that individual
is riding or driving. The crewman and instructors
followed a well-rehearsed and efficient
drill to keep the action moving and starry-eyed
wannabes like me out of harm’s way.
As my time came up, I was led to my car,
the number 15 NAPA Chevrolet out of the
DEI stable, and instructed how to enter
the car. I have been accused of a number
of things over my life, but grace was never
one of them. Miraculously, however, I was
able to slide in with minimal fuss. The
racing seat is very tight, so I was more
than happy to sit still while one of the
crew fastened the harness, locked in the
steering wheel and lit the ignition.
As was told to follow the black car, and
after a short wait my instructor pulled
around and away we went. The rev limiter
kept my speed down until we rolled out onto
the apron, where, as instructed, I shifted
directly into 4th. With 600 horsepower under
the hood, there was no shortage of torque
to pull the taller cog.
An instructor coaches the author before
the second run.
Dutifully, I followed my instructor and
the cues from the flagman: green flag indicated
the official “go”, green flag
rolled up meant “close up on instructor”,
yellow meant “back off from instructor”,
and finally the red flag meant “please
follow instructor off the track and prepare
to be beaten” (or something to that
effect). As far as I know, no one received
the red flag that night.
I was hooked up for the “Checkered
Flag” package, which provided for 10
initial laps, a brief pull back into the
pits for a few pointers, then a final 8
lap stint. Gradually, my instructor picked
up the pace. At around lap 5, I could feel
the g’s pulling on my neck through
turns 3 and 4, and pushing me down into
the seat. The big V-8 pulled lustfully when
I had the opportunity to accelerate to close
up on the instructor (for some reason I
kept hanging back too far...)
I made a few observations as I gained confidence
and comfort with the car and pace being
set. First off, these cars are designed
to go left. I literally had to turn right
to stay parallel with the wall on the back
straight. Second, these cars WANT to go
fast. I felt as though I was taking a pair
of sled dogs out for a walk with heads down,
constantly pulling at the leash. This baby
wanted so badly to get up to full steam.
(so did the car.)
But of course, that’s not an option.
My instructor gradually increased the speed,
and through radio communication with a spotter
and I’m sure constant monitoring of
his rearview mirror, determined that about
145 mph was about right for me, and that’s
the number that ended up on my certificate
at the end of the night.
The Jeff Gordon Racing School offers a
variety of driving packages beginning at
around $350.00. The more laps you do, the
faster you’ll get to drive. I shamefully
was passed by more than a few drivers, so
I know that 160 mph is not off the table
for those that put in the laps. If you want
to experience anything near the full potential
of a Nextel Cup car, opt for a ride-along
with a professional driver, where speeds
approaching race pace are common, depending
on the stomach of the passenger. It was
a bit unnerving to have the “ride-along”
car blow my doors off as I followed my instructor
around at a leisurely 140 or so. Now I know
how Kenny Wallace feels.
Kidding aside, the Jeff Gordon Racing School
provides a thrilling experience of a lifetime.
With several Christmas specials up for grabs,
including discounted Gift Certificates and
special “Double Drive” offers,
(laps in both a Nextel Cup car and an Indy-Style
open wheel car) I can't think of a better
item to top our gift giving list!
BULLET POINTS:
• Real Cup Cars
• 140 mph plus speeds
• Driving packages from $350.00
• Ride-along packages from $130.00
• Family & friends are encouraged
to come along to cheer you on!
• Photos and in-car video packages
are available (stay tuned, we'll have the
video up in a day or so)
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