In less than a quarter of a mile, the 650-horsepower stock car went from a dead stop to about 130 mph.
It was breathtaking. Literally.
Part of it may have been a certain anxiety at seeing the concrete walls of Atlanta Motor Speedway hurtling toward us. Part of it may have been G-forces. And part of it may have been the sheer suddenness of the speed.
Then, we were out of pit row and into Turn 1.
It was, in a word, intense.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience allows regular people to get a taste of what it’s like to drive or ride along in a stock car at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Petty, the legendary racer who retired in 1992, realized that NASCAR fans wanted to drive stock cars in some of the premier racing venues. Starting with a handful of cars, Petty launched the program in Charlotte in 1994 and came to Atlanta a year later.
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