Riding in the rain at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR gave me the opportunity to ride a few laps in the pace car today before the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.   NASCAR’s Brett Bodine was at the wheel of the Camero.   I got to do something the real NASCAR drivers don’t – see the track through windshield wipers.    It has rained most of the past two days here at TMS, forcing the Nationwide Series race to be postponed and worrying everyone that the same may happen to the Sprint Cup Series race today.

Because the track was wet, Bodine took it easy on me.  I had done this ride before on a dry track and know he really likes to give the passenger a thrill.  Though I didn’t get to experience the high G-force turns this time, I still found myself gripping the armrest and expecting to hit the wall from sliding out of Turn 2.  I shouldn’t have worried though, as Bodine knows exactly what he can and can not do with the car.  Did I mention Bodine is a former driver who now works for NASCAR’s Research and Development center?

As we dodged the jet dryers, Bodine explained the nuances of the track at Texas Motor Speedway.  From accelerating off pit road, to the way the banking goes away exiting Turn 2, Bodine pointed out the keys to racing here.  (I resisted the urge to say I already knew this from iRacing.com)  Listening to Bodine was a real treat.  Although I’m sure he said the same things the last time I rode, I was way too preoccupied with the speed to listen.   We were going at least 40 mph slower this time, and my body thanked him for it.  It is hard to describe how it feels to enter the turns at speed and hope you don’t slide out upon exit.  It is hard to appreciate the 3-story high banking until you are at the bottom of it, looking straight out the window and seeing the sky.  And when it is time to stop, slamming the brakes to make pit road speed at the exit of Turn 4 is enough to make you think you are going through the windshield. 

If you ever get the chance to take a ride around Texas Motor Speedway, do it.  But I recommend you have a pro at the wheel.