Has anybody our there done the Richard Petty Driving Experience? Looking for detailed information.

Thanks in advance

Vettmike

 

Hey Mike! What's up?

I ran at Lowes and Tony ran Vegas in 05.

Jeff

 

Ran at lowes 3 times. Good experience. Go to their Web site for info.

 

Have done the one in Florida. Now I need to get to Charlotte. Enjoyed every minute.

Gene

 

Hey Mike,
I've done it too. It is fun & a really quick way to get rid of some cash.
Call me 313-6626

 

I have a friend who did the Jeff Gordon version and he loved it. He said their customer service was incredible. I think head to head the value is better at JG than RP but I've never done either. Have fun!

 

I've done the Petty Experience at Homestead......it was a great experience...just wish they let you pass...

Guess what.....DJ has a school also...prices are comparable and they let you pass. Trying this one next.

http://www.racingadventure.com/home/...om/default.asp

 

I did the Richard Petty experience in Charlotte with my wife.

The day was fantastic.
It started it out with a tour of the Museum while hearing the roar of stock cars in the background.
One question led to another and WAHLAA, my wife looked into my eyes.
If I awanted to take a ride, so did she.

We looked like a pair of 10 year old kids.
Without a doubt, we both signed up for 3 laps around the track as a rider.

Going onto the track was tremendous. Watching a race in great, being at the track much less on pit road waiting for a chance to ride is without words to describe it.

2 memories stand out more than any others.
The first was being strapped into a replica of the #3 car. Dale Earnhardt was my favorite driver by the way. As we took off for the start, we left pit road in a hurry. Going 100 miles an hour was not new to this Hot rod drag racing owner. Turn 1 looming in the quickly approaching horizoin was. No way we were going to make that turn. No way would survive....with the flick of his wrist, the driver make a 2 inch turn to the left as pit road ended. We slammed into the banking as my head felt like it was thrown outside the car. In reality, my helmet was pinned to the netting in the passenger window.

As we easied around turn 1 and 2, the driver shifted gears......
turn 3 loomed LARGE less than 1/2 mile away....

I said a prayer, "Lord, I'll be coming home soon. Thanks for the good life"
Turn 3 got larger and larger. We were racing at 145 miles an hour toward a 30 foot concrete wall......With the ease of a toddler racing a hot wheels car around the drive way, the driver turned the steering wheel less that 2 inches to the left again......

In the blink of an eye, we left out of turn 4 as fast as we entered turn 3... "thank you Lord" I said. At this moment I was totally immersed in the moment. This was a speed junkies joyride.

As I was finding peace and then joy in the moment, My wife was riding in the car now hugging the turns beside us. On lap 2 we started doing a stock car tango. We literally swapped car positions high and low on the track. One would lead and then relinquish the lead to show drafting at 165 miles an hour.....
My screams and whoops and hollers were enough to make the driver crack a smile....

Lap three was more of the same with one exception. Turn 4 led to pit road and the joy ride ending.

We coasted to a stop in the assigned pit stalls to a waiting crowd of mechanics and well wishers.

The second memory was one my wife still laughs about even today.I glanced over the car that my wife had ridden in....She was smiling bigger than I was....."I told him to beat you A## in that black #3 or else....He did that" she said

All in all, the ride was worth the money. Take the time. Go for it...

 

<---------------I get my kicks in that!

I've never done it.


A friend of mine did it this past summer at Charlotte. He is still grinning and this dude had never been in any kind of high performance vehicle ever!

 

Did it at Disney- Tri Oval in front of the Magic Kingdom

 

Jeff,

She that shall be obeyed was ask by one of her co-workers if she could get some info on the subject.
Mike

 

Drove the Disney 1-mile tri-oval also.

Major grin on the face when done!!!

GF did the ride-a-long.

 

Mike,

Basically you can do ridealongs like described above usually cost about $100, or you can drive the car for 8, 19, or 30 laps, price for that is about $600 to $3500 depending on the track and number of laps.

You follow a pace car, the better you can lock on his bumper at 3 lengths back the faster he takes you.

First 8 laps are about like practice laps at Rockingham NCCC, next 11 about like we run on the oval at the Rock, last 11 are pretty cool with car just starting to drift out to the wall nicely.

They have acceleration and deceleration cones so you know about when the pace car is going to make its move into and out of the corner, have lane markers painted on the track for you, and take the car to about 75-80% of what it will do in the 3rd session.

Charlotte is supposed to be the best track around these parts to run at.

Tony

 

Very good post above by Tony (YorkL8apex).Would like to add that the driver I followed had a quick talk with me before we went on the track. Told me no matter where he went on the track, stay 2 cars right behind him.Turned out he took a little different line around the track than what was marked. Don't know if it made any difference, but I didn't have any problem staying behind him. Be sure to make him wave you off, the first lap, for following to close. You will probably get a little faster lap the next time around.

Gene

 

Have done it twice at Disney...18 laps and the 30 lap event. Both times, my boss turned in AMEX points to get me the passes. It is AWESOME!!! Ranks real close to sex in the thrill factor!!

 

I did the Disney track a couple of years ago and I was not impressed.

Did about seven measly laps and the instructor in the car in front of me was constantly waving at me to back off his a$$. I had top speed for the day at 122 mph.

I told them I drove faster getting there than at the track...

I me it was not worth the money but to each his own.

 

I'm heading to Disney this weekend to run the petty experience. Got it for my reward as Employee of the Year. I'm hoping for at least 140mph...would like to hit 160, but I dont' even know if the track can handle that. I'll let you know how it goes when I return.

 

The trick is to be the 3rd car in line. After about 4 laps of being good, you let tthe instructor and front car get away from you just past the flag stand, entering into turn one, then you go like hell down the back stretch and through turn 3-4 to catch up. Of coarse you will get yelled at trust me But if you do it for only the last 3 laps its too late to in too much trouble

 

When I was there, they were only allowing 2 instructors and 2 drivers (4 cars) on the track spaced a half track apart. Appeared to work okay, but we cut the distance down to the other group rather quickly.

Gene

 

I have not done the Richard Petty DE but I understand that you just follow the instructor around the track.

I did Team Texas at Texas Motor Speedway http://www.teamtexas.com. You have an instructor in the car but you drive. The instructor basically tells you faster or slower and how to drive the line. But you are in control to drive as fast as you want. The instructor doesn't have any controls and there is no pace car. You even get to pass other cars.

The cars do have rev limiters to keep you under 150. I was on the limiter most of the time.

10 laps for $450. It was so much fun and goes by fast. I think my best time was 45 secondes for 1.5 mile track.