Daytona

During our holiday in America, Jackie and I spent 2 days at Daytona International Speedway. This D-shaped oval, with its two 31 degree banked corners is an awesome sight to look at. BUT there is a way to get even closer .............. as we were to find out!!!!!

DAYTONA USA sounds like it has everything a race fan could ever ask for, but hold on!

Really, you'll need to hold onto something when you're riding around Daytona at 150mph! That's right, we said riding around Daytona!

This year's program includes 3 high-speed laps around Daytona's famous 31-degree banked turns, as the passenger in an authentic Winston Cup style stock car! You will reach a heart pounding 150-mph as you thunder down the superstretch and experience Daytona first hand! Don't worry, all of the RPDE instructors are superbly trained at handling 600 horsepower of pure stock car. Also included in the rider's experience is a ticket to DAYTONA USA. The ticket is our free gift to you for challenging what only a handful of men and women have faced...Daytona!

But we don't call ourselves the Ultimate Motorsports Attraction for nothing, because now YOU can also drive at Daytona! That's right; drive the legendary high banks of Daytona in a real stock car! Can you imagine driving on the same track that Petty, Earnhardt, and Allison have all driven on before! Make your dream a reality, all you need to do is call the Richard Petty Driving Experience at 1-800-BE-PETTY, to see if you qualify to drive at Daytona.

Richard Petty Driving Experience Ride Along Program is available to guest's ages 16 and older (16 - 18 yr. old will be required to provide valid photo ID and have a guardian signature in order to ride).

It is not necessary to make advance reservations for the Richard Petty Ride Along Program.

Please call DAYTONA USA Guest Services at (386) 947-6530 to verify program dates before travelling long distances.

Richard Petty Driving Experience Rides are subject to weather and track conditions. In the event of a rain out, your Richard Petty Ride Along Program ticket will be honoured for the remainder of the season.

There are no clothing requirements for the Richard Petty Ride Along Program, however, we recommend that you wear comfortable clothing and shoes on your ride.

Each Richard Petty Driving Experience Ride ticket includes ONE COMPLIMENTARY admission to DAYTONAUSA / Speedway Tour.

Ticket Costs: $106.00 (includes tax)

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Then once we made the front of the queue, it our our turn. On our day, there were two cars out on the track, one the 28 car of Ricky Rudd and the other the 24 car of my hero from NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, and we managed to both get our rides in the latter.

The cars used are actually NASCARs and therefore there are no doors! So to get in you have to clamber through the window, and I managed that through the assistance of two of the Daytona Fire and Rescue guys on standby during that day - Thanks Guys.

And then once strapped in we were off! The run is a simulated qualifying run, with a warm up lap, the fast lap and a slowing down lap. But after firing up the 6 litre V8, and setting off down pit lane, the first thing to hit you is the brute acceleration, noise, and heat that builds up inside. And that's in a short run.

But what was most impressive for me was when we were on the 135 degree corners at each end of the oval. You enter the corner and are immediately thrown up the 31 degrees of banking, and as you look out of the front windscreen, you see nothing but the track in your eyesight. You can't see the horizon, and the corner seems to go on and on!

All too quickly the run comes to an end, and you are rolling back down pit road, knowing you have just done something very special indeed. We have our certificates and photos to show everyone, but there's no substitute for being there. We are planning to go back again, as one fix of this was not enough!!!!!