Wild rides in NASCAR cars exhilarate players, coaches
Thursday, December 24, 2009
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Pitt Panthers got the adrenaline rush of all adrenaline rushes yesterday when they visited Lowe's Motor Speedway and rode along in NASCAR cars driven by professional drivers.
The trip to the racetrack is part of the annual festivities leading up to the Meineke Car Care Bowl -- the Panthers (9-3) will play North Carolina (8-4) Saturday at Bank of America Stadium -- and it is hailed by players and coaches as one of the best bowl-related experiences in the country.
"This is one of the things that helps our bowl stand out," Meineke Car Care Bowl executive director Will Webb said. "We have several things -- the logistics of the downtown area where fans can walk everywhere from their hotels and even walk to the stadium -- but this is unique. We don't have a beach to offer [and] we don't necessarily have warm weather, but this event every year is just phenomenal.
"I think the players and coaches, they really never know what to expect from this because of the size of the track and the sounds of the cars. It is exhilarating"
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt had perhaps the biggest smile of all the players and coaches when he finished his three laps. He said he hasn't had that kind of adrenaline rush in a long time -- and that includes at the end of tight football games with championships on the line.
"I used to think pressure was making a decision to go for it or not on fourth-and-1," Wannstedt said. "Heck, we have 40 seconds to figure that out -- that is nothing compared to these guys, considering they are going 180 miles an hour and then to have someone cut you off or swerve in front of you ... now that is pressure, to make a split-second decision.
"This is a big part of things for our kids because it is an experience that many of them would never have a chance to do or even think about doing. So this was a great trip for us and for our guys and I know they've all really enjoyed some things."
The event is held by the Richard Petty Driving Experience, which is based at three tracks around the country -- Orlando, Las Vegas and in Charlotte -- but also travels throughout the country to different racetracks.
Fans can choose between one of two programs -- the driving experience, which requires some training and safety instruction, and the ride-along, which is what Pitt and North Carolina's players and coaches did.
"Today, these guys were getting to ride in a car going about 160 to 170 mph," said Mike Bartelli, the chief marketing officer for Petty Holdings. "On smaller tracks, they might go a little bit slower."
"We have highly trained, professional drivers and most of them have either raced on smaller circuits or currently race, so the experience is something people will remember."
The cars are actual NASCAR cars but are modified slightly for certain safety regulations and so they can accommodate a passenger. Bartelli said the typical NASCAR car on the circuit has roughly a 750-horsepower engine whereas the cars used in the driving experience have about 600 horsepower.
Each Pitt and North Carolina player squeezed into an actual racing suit and donned a helmet and then was strapped into the passenger seat for three laps around the Lowe's Motor Speedway's mile-and-a-half track. And each got a photo of his experience.
Pitt quarterback Pat Bostick said he wasn't a NASCAR fan before the experience but he certainly gained a newfound respect for the sport and particularly the drivers.
"This was a great experience of bonding for us as a team," Bostick said.
"But this is a great experience, period, because, to get the chance to go to 170 mph in a car, it is something a lot of us will never get to do ever again. It is things like this which make our bowl experiences really something special and something we'll all remember. It was a blast, really, just unbelievable.
"I really have a newfound appreciation for that sport because those guys [the drivers], to be able to go that fast, around those turns and experiencing those forces and then doing it four hours straight with four cars wide and getting bumped into it. ...
"When you are going that fast, the force is so great; it is something everyone needs to experience at least once."
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