Seasons of Love: NASCAR, baby!!

After attending the Stars game on Friday night, along with the movie Fireproof followed by a romantic dinner last night, K and I rounded out the weekend on an adventurous edge. This morning we made our way out to Texas Motor Speedway for a 10-lap driving school via Team Texas. It was seriously one of the most fun things we've ever done...

We began with a 30-minute classroom training session followed by on-track training in a van. Afterwards they put you in a Nextel Cup Monte Carlo - the real thing - for 10 laps around the track. An instructor is with you in the car, but because the engine is so loud you can't hear anything. The only way to communicate is through hand signals.

The whole process was fascinating to me. I have to admit I was extremely nervous. I had irrational images of crashing into either the wall or another car, spinning out, my car catching on fire, tire blow-out - you name it. I think what specifically triggered my fear was the language within the waiver form acknowledging that driving the race car could result in serious injury or death. How nice.

So you start out in 2nd gear with the clutch pushed in. A 4-wheeler pushes you along from behind and when the instructor says so, you let off the clutch and somehow the engine magically starts. After shifting into 3rd and then 4th, you're finally able to enter the track. They have white squares marked around the track to help guide you. The majority of the driving is done in the 3rd lane. On 2 of the 4 curves, you're required to take your foot completely off the gas until you're on the inside lane. Once that happens, you can accelerate again, and even pass slower cars that are in front of you.

My instructor was a guy named Tony who I loved. He had to help me steer around some of the curves because 1) the steering wheel was unbelievably tight and 2) I was afraid of running into the wall so stayed farther away than I should have. When passing, you're essentially supposed to tailgate until curve 2 comes, when the slow car moves to the outside lane 3 and you speed and pass on the inside lanes. I did this twice, which was extremely exhilarating. The 2nd time, I held back and was scared of hitting the car in front of me, but apparently I wasn't going fast enough because Tony reached over and pushed my knee down with his left hand so my foot would press the gas pedal harder. A couple times he told me to slow down, usually on the back stretch where we topped out at 150 mph. Did I say 150 mph? Yes, 150 mph!!!

K's experience was equally as enjoyable. We love doing different things together for fun, and this was definitely extreme. Here are a few more pictures from the day:

K getting ready. He was in group 1, I was in group 3, so we got to watch each other race.