This is the car Chris & Ed drove during their Richard Petty experience.

Ed on the track, keeping pace with the professional driver.

Chris inside his car just before he left pit road.

Chris on the track, keeping pace with the professional driver.

Our brother Mike shared the fun with us!

The Richard Petty Driving Experience

This was probably one of most exciting things I've ever done.  The "Rookie Experience" consisted of  each driver doing 7 laps behind a professional driver who drove at a specific pace.  Our group's lap time limit was 43 seconds, or 145 mph.  The Cup cars we drove were dialed in for the track, so although we achieved maximum speed, the cars never felt out of control or hard to drive.  I was able to get back into the gas much sooner than the instructions called for (about midway through the turns), and because I was fast out of the turns, I was always having to slow down in the straights so I didn't get into a "bump draft" situation with the pacing vehicle.  Needless to say, I felt like I could have gone MUCH faster. 

For those of you who have driven Cup cars with Sierra's Nascar Racing 2003 Season software, the real Cup cars handle much better than you'd think. They were able to corner without feeling loose, and I could get back into the gas without worrying about rear wheel spin.  The cars gripped the track so well, I almost thought I was in a GTP or Open Wheel vehicle. 

We'll definitely do another driving experience... but next time we are looking for more speed & more laps!