Is this NASCAR fantasy site legit?

March 29, 2006 7:46 AM

Ultimate gift for a NASCAR fan?

we are thinking of buying my father one of those "10 laps in a NASCAR" things for his birthday...i know he will absolutly love it, but i have a few questions.

first of all, the closest track to us is dover, and we found this site that does the nascar fantasy thing there. However, as you can see the site looks like it was created by a 5 year old and is very sketchy looking...i want to know if anyone has dealt with this site and whether it is legitimate or not.

also, i want to know whether he will get to drive an actual nascar (~800hp top speed > 200mph etc) or some stripped down restricted version...because i know this will definalty make a difference in how much he enjoys the gift.

any input is welcome. Thanks in advance!

posted by I_am_jesus to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 answers total)

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is what you are looking for. www.1800bepetty.com

It is a blast!
posted by Gungho at 7:54 AM on March 29, 2006

How about some tasty NASCAR-branded bacon?
posted by kaseijin at 8:14 AM on March 29, 2006

Hmm... posted before fully reading question. Strike the bacon, I have no idea about actually driving a car, but that Richard Petty thing looks to be right on target. =/
posted by kaseijin at 8:16 AM on March 29, 2006

Ditto on Petty. I haven't done it, but I've booked people for the ride-along (the least expensive but also least scary option) and they've all really enjoyed it.

Or, how about a trip to Charlotte? Lots (most) of the race teams have their shops in the area, and many are open for tours. One of the locations for the Petty Experience is at Lowe's Motor Speedway. We also have two races coming up in May - the Nextel All-Star Challenge (under the lights on May 20) and the Coke 600 on May 28 - with Speed Street festival in between. Info at the speedway website.

/convention and visitors bureau spiel
posted by SashaPT at 8:24 AM on March 29, 2006

Watch the PBS video they link on the monster site. It has a lot of details and looks way more legit.
posted by smackfu at 8:59 AM on March 29, 2006

They buy the cars as surplus from actual NASCAR teams, so yes they are the real deal.
posted by First Post at 10:20 AM on March 29, 2006