In the driver's seat, like a NASCAR pro
Posted April 25, 2019 3:06 p.m. EDT
Updated May 23, 2019 6:49 p.m. EDT
Charlotte, N.C. — Hours before the Hurricanes advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, photojournalist Brad Simmons and I got to race (yes, they let me) around Charlotte Motor Speedway.
[I also had to be on the air, because the Canes took their time clinching their spot in the second round and Jeff Gravley was up in DC covering the game. Shoutout to Debra Morgan, Kathryn Brown and Gerald Owens for saying I didn’t smell like burned rubber. We all deserve friends like that.]
Anywho, I’m someone who has barely driven a stick shift. Brief background: Once I learned in high school on an old Volkswagen Beetle my dad bought for my mom, and then I learned again in Kent Island, Md., on our family friends' Wrangler out in the country.
It’s been at least 10-15 years since I drove a manual car. And I had never made the attempt on a NASCAR track going 121 mph! 121 mph in my case, others were faster, personally I was impressed with myself.
As Brad put it, after a few loud scary booms I was on my way. Just riding like a pro (in my humble opinion) around the same track NASCAR stars speed around for the Coca-Cola 600.
It took me a few laps to remember this stone cold fact: these cars are built to turn left!! On the turns, I would slow down because that’s your natural instinct when you’re driving your everyday vehicle.
Pretty scary to let that go.
The kind gentleman who was coaching me from the headphones in my helmet gave me the confidence to TURN IT UP. Shoutout to him: On my fourth lap, I sped like a bat outta Raleigh into and around those turns, and the car didn’t slide at all! In fact, it preferred me to maintain that 120+ speed!
If you watch the video on my Instagram, I think it’s pretty apparent how happy and proud I am that I pushed my limits and tried something that terrified me. It was one of the most different rushes I’ve ever felt in my entire life.
Not all of us can get on a NASCAR race track, but if you’re still reading this, let go of the ‘norm’ and try something that scares you.
