A1cntrler
Well-Known Member
The wife and I stopped by Daytona today while we are in FL visiting all the theme parks for the week. Grandma and Grandpa took the little one for the day so we decided to go. We were planning on stopping by on our way back home with the little one, but since we had her parents watching him for the day, we decided to try out the driving experience. Today was the first day one track with the COT's at the driving experience. We only did the ride along one, but it was expensive enough. For 3 laps a piece, it was almost $300 for the two of us, plus signing forms that if we break a fingernail or die, they don't care..blah blah blah... Anyways it was a cloudy day and about 80, little wind. The COT's go about 170 mph out there. Both of us were on track at the same time, She was in the 11, and I in the 8. I let her pick which of the two cars she wanted to go in (neither of us care for either of those cars, her=9, I=19). I now really understand why the commentators get jumpy when they get 3 wide, let alone 4 wide. That track looks plenty wide at a standstill, but going 170 it looks like a narrow 2 lane road. Ride was pretty smooth. I could really feel the pull to the outside in the turns. My car was always in the back and in the draft. The rear end of the hood bounces up about 3-4" when in the airflow of the big wing on the COT. The driver said it didn't really do it that much with the old cars. I must say it was the fastest money I have ever spent, but would do it again in a heartbeat. Afterwards we took the tram tour of the speedway. We stopped on pit road (behind the wall as the Petty cars are on track all day) and I looked across at the start/finish line and saw how wide it was. Looked to be maybe 4 feet wide, yet in the car I thought it looked small, maybe 6". Same for the white lines on the speedway. They looked like lines on the highway in the car, yet from outside they look to be maybe 30ft long each. The speed looked fast from inside the car, but we went up by the grandstand and stood on the wall leaning on the chain link fence around the track, and man standing that close was insanely loud and fast!! We would do it again in a heartbeat! I had fun watching, but not sure I am quite ready to tackle the driving myself part.
Oh yeah--My ST is loving the love bugs down here!! Almost looks like I have an Ironman Grille on my '07. I am so glad I bought a bug shield before I left. I can see so many of them just missing the windshield. There are a few that are persistent and apparently are on a kamikaze mission that have met their demise on the glass, but not as many as there could be.....
Oh yeah--My ST is loving the love bugs down here!! Almost looks like I have an Ironman Grille on my '07. I am so glad I bought a bug shield before I left. I can see so many of them just missing the windshield. There are a few that are persistent and apparently are on a kamikaze mission that have met their demise on the glass, but not as many as there could be.....
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