05 Sep Ride of a Lifetime

Donna Hollopeter is a big Nascar fan. Her son-in-law builds cars for Jeff Burton, #31.

A couple weeks ago, she took the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Daytona speedway in Florida. It’s something she’s always wanted to do.

• You put on a fireproof suit and helmet.
• You climb through the window of a modified Nascar vehicle.
• You get strapped in real tight (including a device to support your neck).
• The driver looks over and asks, “Are you ready?”
• You give him the thumbs up…and off you go.

About halfway around the track, the driver asked, “How are you doing?” Donna gave another thumbs up.

At which point he floored it, taking the car to 170 mph. Donna says she wasn’t aware of how fast they were going, just looking straight ahead. But then she looked at the wall, “which was pretty close,” and realized–yes, they were going fast.

After three laps, it was over. Then Donna’s husband, Jason, took his turn.

“It was totally awesome!” Donna says.