Yes, I Got In The Racecar

I know, I know, it was the big question after posting last night's blog. Would I get in the car or not?

Well, for the record, I did it. I know now that knowing what I know now, I would have been pretty upset if I hadn’t done it.

I’m not going to throw the wild “experience of a lifetime” superlatives out there, but I’ll say this, it was amazingly exhilarating riding around the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Thursday.

Here’s my thumbnail review of my three laps.

One of my biggest fears was allayed when I got in my Wrangler sponsored No. 8 and Michael Waltrip wasn’t behind the wheel. You never know. Instead I had Rick. Never did get a last name from him, it was kind of loud.

Rick offered me a thumbs up and off we went. The first surprise was just how fast we were going so soon. It felt like we went 0-60 in about a second and the next thing I know we were dangling off the high banks in turn 1. When we hit the backstretch there was this total calm. I mean, we’re motoring down the stretch but there’s no pressure on the body. And then turn 3 came.

Now for some reason, as we were going down the backstretch I started thinking about two things. First thing was that in all of the NASCAR simulators I’ve ever played I’ve never been able to figure out how to get through turn 3 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Like 1 in 20 times I’ll get through it clean. And the other thought going through my mind was all the times I’ve heard real honest to goodness drivers say they can’t figure out turn 3 in a real race. All that hit me as we barreled into turn 3 and I convinced myself, if we’re going to lose it, we’re going to lose it here.

Rick seemed to have a good baseline on getting through turn 3 on lap 1 alright though. The tri-oval frontstretch was exactly how I felt it to be playing a game. Cut the track into the flag stand then carry a ton of speed into turn 1. Good times, I’m thinking right then I could be behind the wheel no problem. Then we started drifting up the track in turn 1 toward the wall. OK, maybe I’m not ready to drive.

Back to the peacefulness of the backstretch before Rick took me into turn 3 making me feel like I was playing a video game. He seemed to get into the corner a lot harder than on lap 1 and I swear I felt the back end going out. Not a good feeling, but for some reason the thought going through my mind was, that would make a great story. Where that came from is beyond me.

The final lap was a blur as I had gotten the feeling that I was suddenly used to the speed. Halfway down the backstretch though Rick put his right hand out to shake mine. I shook and then thought, ‘What is he doing? Put your hand back on the wheel man.’ It was then that I felt him get out of the gas as we eased into turn 3 slowly and then coasted through turn 4 and back onto pit road.

I know this, I pray nobody has any video of my exit. Let’s just say I’m sure the Russian judge wasn’t too kind to me on my dismount. Lesson learned, don’t get out of a racecar head first looking down toward the pavement.

All in all it was a great experience and definitely gave me a respect for the forces placed on guys in those cars for hours on end. It was pretty intense.

Next time though I want to wheel it through turn 3.

Shawn Courchesne, 9:02 p.m.

Comments

[Eddie Doyle]

I've taken two racing classes, an open wheel Formula Dodge at Lime Rock two years ago and a late model last year at Thompson. I also took a few laps with a driver at Thompson to see if he drove with one foot or two. He drove with two. I drive with one in late model. Old habit, but what a thrill! I found that the faster I went, the safer I felt. The cars are built for speed, safety and cornering. Wrecking was the last thing on my mind, so I didn't. I talked with another driver at Thompson who used to race on the weekends and he said the only time he wasn't afraid of life was when he was on the track. I'm going to take a Mod class this year. If I were a younger man with an extraordinarily large pile of disposable income, I'd look into this sport as a serious driver. I grant that a controlled class, even at top speed, is a lot different from racing Smoke in a Legends car, but hey, if he told me to get out of his way, I would've said "Make me." You know what they say at Lime Rock, "Don't close your eyes when you wreck. You'll miss the best part."

[Mike Ray and Ms.Hotrod]

Dear Shawn,I'm glad you had fun!I knew you would!Hope you have a healthy,happy and prosperous 2008;peace,out.p.s. thanks for all your hard work man.