"I Love Crepes"

Last Friday I was talking with a co-worker about my weekend plans. I told her I was traveling back to the Cackalack for my Mom's XXth birthday (I am not allowed to reveal her true age on the interwbs, obvs.) and that my Dad was going to surprise her with a trip to the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. "How very....Southern," she replied.

And she is right, but ask any of my friends from college and they'll undoubtedly tell you I was the least Southern Southerner there ever was. Which is not to say I don't have a few redneck tendencies (I do), but I hate NASCAR. Actually, that may be a little harsh, but I really don't care for it at all. But after riding along for three laps around the speedway on Saturday, I have a better understanding and appreciation for it.

First of all, the three laps on the 1.5 mile long quad-oval track go by very, very quickly at 160 mph. The g-forces on the banked curves are pretty incredible, more powerful than any roller coaster you've been on. We took the first turn high and easy, but on the second lap, the driver gunned it and we stayed low. Wow. Coming out of that turn and hugging the wall was pretty intense. We were only a few inches from the wall in the straightaway and I'd be lying if I didn't think about what would happen with one wrong turn of the steering wheel.

I can only imagine what it must be like coming off that turn in a group of cars, three wide. We didn't "race" and of the other cars out on the track, they all kept in order, one after the other. But it was still one of the wildest things I've ever done. Good idea, Dad! The track itself was immense. It holds 167,000 people on race days. It's like a small city. I just might have to go to a race one of these days and see what that is like. But I'll have to brush up on my Talladega Nights quotes first.

[mp3] Radiohead | Killer Cars

Full photo set after the jump.