av drives a NASCAR !!

[14000rpm]

Period: Nov 2008
Now, as part of my "discover alabama" mission, i found the existence of Talladega Speedway a little drive away from where i lived. This speedway is in use only 3-4 times a year and the rest of the time , it is used by various other organizations. one such organization is Dale Jarett Racing Adventure

I chanced into this once in a lifetime opportunity and was not going to let go of it at all. I quickly jumped onto their website and booked up a 6-lap drive (i could afford only that). now this was mighty exciting coz of all the top speeds these cars can do. I'd been watching nascar for quite a while but never got this close to one.
check out the teaser pix.

[suhaas307]

You must have had the experience of your lifetime! Absolutely fantastic! I'm turning green with envy!

Give us a more comprehensive report, Avinash! And what about the Porsche that you were supposed to drive?

[bivin]

WHOA!! they just give NASCAR race cars to drive!! damn!! AMAZING!! must have been one hulluva ride!! just curious, how much did those 6 laps cost you, if you dont mind disclosing..
Cheers!!

[beejay]

Hey Avinash. Have you left Bangalore for good? And seeing what you are up to I am sure you don't want to come back. Must have been a great feeling.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

You must have had the experience of your lifetime! Absolutely fantastic! I'm turning green with envy!

Give us a more comprehensive report, Avinash! And what about the Porsche that you were supposed to drive?

one report coming up sir.
porsche drive happens next month end.
you see my money is locked up in the car that i've bought. I'll sell this car and thats the money I'll be putting on the Porsche drive.

Originally Posted by bivin

WHOA!! they just give NASCAR race cars to drive!! damn!! AMAZING!! must have been one hulluva ride!! just curious, how much did those 6 laps cost you, if you dont mind disclosing..
Cheers!!

these 6 laps cost me $ 395. very expensive though.
these are actual NASCAR's and yes, they let you drive for a fee.

Originally Posted by beejay

Hey Avinash. Have you left Bangalore for good? And seeing what you are up to I am sure you don't want to come back. Must have been a great feeling.

I'm coming back soon. Can't leave bangalore for good. nopes. I'm just doing as much as I possibly can as long as I'm in US.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

one report coming up sir.
porsche drive happens next month end.
you see my money is locked up in the car that i've bought. I'll sell this car and thats the money I'll be putting on the Porsche drive.

Now that's what I call commitment! All the best Avinash!

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Now that's what I call commitment! All the best Avinash!

you think so? well, i think its just passion flowing.

[Nilesh5417]

Superb! The stats show how your confidence grew with each passing lap. Must have been one helluva experience!

[s3va]

congrats AV, you have progressively gotten better with the timings. How I wish I could secure a similar chance

What were the entry requirements ?

[McLaren Rulez]

Superb stuff mate! I'm waiting for a full report and more pics. You sure are having quite an amazing time

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

Superb! The stats show how your confidence grew with each passing lap. Must have been one helluva experience!

confidence definitely increased as the laps built up. in fact on asking the trainer did tell that at the same rate if I'd done 10 laps, I'd have easily done 185-190 mph.

Originally Posted by s3va

congrats AV, you have progressively gotten better with the timings. How I wish I could secure a similar chance

What were the entry requirements ?

entry requirements : $ 395 and oh yes..DL. Indian also ok. I drove on Indian DL. not even international

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Superb stuff mate! I'm waiting for a full report and more pics. You sure are having quite an amazing time

report follows through Marshall.


..After booking for the drive, I was instructed to be to at the venue at 8.30 am. Since I was a little new to the area, I left at around 6.45 am. Took the I-20 E for 30 miles to reach Talladega superspeedway at around 7.20 am and guess what, there were 30 cars already lined up!! Not all were there to drive though. Some came in as spectators too. Quickly registered my entry and drove into the driveway leading to the central parking/camping area in my rental Corolla Altis. The access to the central pit area is from under the racetrack. The same racetrack on which I’d be driving at 170 mph a little later!!

[aargee]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

confidence definitely increased as the laps built up.

Quite true

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Indian also ok. I drove on Indian DL. not even international

Yes very true & not many people know that any driving license printed in English can be used in US. However, I assume that it can be used only upto 1 year or so after which either a international DL or state license is required.

Keep them coming, I'm already hooked; probably you're the first one to drive a Nascar from TBHP?

[s3va]

am hooked...err.. i would appreciate if you can post faster .

The entry fees look so cheap for such a lifetime experience.

[14000rpm]

Now, a little info about the racetrack.




Talladega Superspeedway has the record for the fastest recorded time by a NASCAR stock car in a closed oval course, with the record of 216.309 mph set by Rusty Wallace on June 9, 2004. Buddy Baker was the first driver to qualify at a speed over 200 mph, with a 200.447 mph lap during testing on March 24, 1970. Baker's record was set while driving the #88 Chrysler Engineering Charger Daytona.
In May 1987 Bobby Allison experienced a tire failure while going through the tri-oval portion of the track, which sent his car airborne. His car tore out a portion of the frontstretch catch fence, nearly entering the crowd. NASCAR imposed rule changes to slow the cars after the incident, with a 1988 rule requiring cars running there and at Daytona to use restrictor plates. The most often cited reason is a fear that the increasing speeds were exceeding the capabilities of the tires available at the time, as high-speed tire failure had led to some gruesome crashes at slightly lower speeds. The plates limit the amount of air and fuel entering the intake manifolds of the engine, greatly reducing the power of the cars and hence their speed. This has led to the style of racing held at Talladega and Daytona to be somewhat different from that at other superspeedways and to be referred to by NASCAR fans as "restrictor-plate racing".
The Talladega Jinx
The high numbers of crashes over the years, along with other factors, have led to rumors of Talladega Superspeedway being cursed. Stories of the origin of the curse vary. Some claim that a local Native American tribe held horse races in the valley where the track currently resides and a chief was killed when he was thrown from his horse. Others say that the site of the superspeedway was once an Indian burial ground. Still another version says that after the local tribe was driven out by the Creek nation for their collaborating with the forces of Andrew Jackson, a shaman put a curse on the valley.
Since the construction of the track, many strange happenings and untimely deaths have fueled the rumors of a curse. In 1973, Bobby Isaac left his car during the race on lap 90 because of voices he claimed to have heard which told him to park his car and get out. Earlier on lap 14 in the same race, young driver Larry Smith died in a seemingly minor wreck.
To some, Bobby Allison's 1987 wreck described above was yet another reminder of the curse. In 1993, Bobby's son, Davey Allison, died in a helicopter crash in the infield of Talladega.
Source : Wikipedia.

None of the “jinx” was going to affect my drive though!!
I drove along with the convoy into the designated parking area. From where, we were taken to a training hall. Had the typical American favorite of coffee and donuts. Thereafter we were all given our ID’s. Only with these ID’s could they identify the number of laps I was entitled to drive. Then came the briefing. Now the team takes training very seriously coz these are not detuned cars and are capable of reaching 200mph in capable hands. Surprised to know that most of the drivers/trainers are farmers from the area!! Talk about local employment!! All the do’s and don’ts how’s and how not’s are all explained in this classroom session which will be displayed on a demo drive. I initially thought the demo drive will be in the racecars itself coz I’d just then seen the cars pull into the pit lane. My excitement was muted when we were guided to full size pickup trucks. I hopped in to a Ford F550 super duty. Now all that we were instructed in the classroom was going to be demonstrated on the racetrack while being driven in a truck!! I seriously started to think about body Roll and eventual rollover but these trucks were stable. Very stable even at 90mph on the 33 deg bankings!! its the steepest banking in all of NASCAR.

[14000rpm]

here's my video of the orientation drive in the truck.
observe the steep banking

YouTube - Talladega Speedway