A SUDDEN TURN AT AUTO RACING
Herald reporter meets NASCAR at Loudon
LOUDON, N.H. — I’m not used to driving fast. So I had no idea what to expect when I was sent here to test-drive an actual NASCAR race car.
I joined a group of amateurs invited by the New Hampshire Motor Speedway folks preparing for a real NASCAR race next weekend. They gave us a safety class, but I didn’t retain the lessons. The instructor described things like “clutch” and “apron” — which, since I had never covered a racing event, weren’t in my sporting lexicon.
By the time I stepped onto the track, I still had no idea what I was doing.
We put on fire suits (which make you so hot) and a head “sock” (like a ski mask worn in summer) before donning the helmets (which smelled horrible). I can’t imagine how NASCAR drivers zoom for hundreds of laps on hot days. It was rainy, humid and 70 degrees and I was still sweating from the gear.
NASCAR pit crews change four tires in less than 10 seconds! Me? Well, it took over a minute to change one. Still, I think I enjoyed changing the tire more than the actual driving.
During my test drive with the instructor, we went around every curve at more than 100 miles per hour. I truly felt like the car was going to flip, but these NASCAR automobiles defy the logic of our mainstream road expectations. I held onto the handle on the passenger side for dear life and counted seconds until it was over. When I got out, I almost kissed the ground.
After that test drive, I said, “I don’t know if I can do this on my own.” And it was truly on my
own. No copilot. But I mustered the courage somehow.
I was tied down in the car with something better described as a harness than a seatbelt. I even had to move to a smaller car than the first one I tried. My feet barely reached the pedals.
Around each curve, I imagined the steering wheel falling into my lap — something that happens if it isn’t locked in correctly. Very reassuring!
But it definitely helped having pros in my ear guiding me — literally and figuratively.
I don’t think NASCAR will recruit me to replace the retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr. since I drove my eight laps at about 50-60 miles per hour.
Needless to say, I didn’t win the race. I don’t even really remember I was “racing” because I was focused on just trying not to crash.
But I did learn how to change a car tire.
And, most importantly, I survived.