richard petty driving experience

we bought passes for my dad and 2 sons. They had a blast! My dad couldn't quit smiling afterward! Staff friendly.

We traveled nearly 100 miles to watch our 35ish-year old son join his friend for this experience. Although we were not participants- as spectators, we watched two men act as excited boys... as they went through an orientation, got suited up, and climbed thru the windows of their cars. Loud and fast, colorful and fun... a great time was had by all- including the spectators!

My third time with RPDE. Brought two friends this time with their sons. Their sons did a Ride Along and had a blast. Our driving experience was awesome. The extras like videos, pictures were a bit pricey ($99 and $69 for video and plaque). Plan on spending 3 hours at track. This had become an annual event.

My husband loves fast cars so this was perfect. I was afraid he would know where we going so we took all the back roads to get there...so he didn't guess until we got there. The staff was awesome. If I can save up for $500 I will let him do the driving one..and get lots of "wife points" for at least a year!

Took my dad with me, fathers ride free coupon. Checked in on time. Sat around for forty minutes. Saw a video. Sat around some more. Went and took pics. Sat around some more. Max the crew chief was nice. Sat around some more. Waited my turn. I drove. The instructor said hello. He told me what to do every second of the experience. I know how to drive a fast car. He restricted my speed and made me slow down so another driver could pass me, I did not like that. I wanted to go fast. 3 minutes in the car, $580 dollars. My top speed was 135 mph. I would recommend that they let the drivers drive how they want and stop talking the entire time. I would just pay the $100 and jump in and let them drive ya around really fast. Not impressed but my dad had fun.

Not much of a Nascar fan, but I enjoyed the ride along much more than expected. Terrific ride, the staff could not have been friendlier. Was worried they wouldn't allow us to use our own camera since they took professional video/photos. Not the case at all, the staff was very accommodating. I would like to go back some day for the driving school.

I was given a ride-a-long as a anniversary gift and upgraded to the rookie experience. The driving and pit crew were to notch! The add ons were a disaster! My wife was given the wrong picture for her ride and to this day I have been unable to view my video. MS Mayo from corporate had failed to resolve issue from either photo or video as of 10-01-2013. They have my money and I have no photo or video. Lester Stone

My lovely wife surprised me with a ride along for my 60th birthday. What an incredible experience! Despite there being several others ahead of me, the wait was short. I also had a friend with me that also did a ride along so we got a special price to buy 1 and get the 2nd at half price. So take a friend.They have a great staff that fits you for your fire suit and helmet. They also did a good job assisting me in and out of the car which isn't easy when your old. The ride is hard to describe because using words like incredible or fantastic just isn't good enough. I found it hard to believe how the car did not slide off the track in the corners going that fast. 165 MPH on the straights.It's been a day since my ride and my face is starting to hurt from the huge smile stuck on my face. I was told it might last 2 days or more. The plaque with your picture (35$) and the video on a flash drive (50$) are a bit pricey but worth it in my opinion.

This is my second time around with the Petty folks, and I have to say it just keeps getting better!Eighteen months ago I drove with them on the Las Vegas track, and I had what I thought was as much fun as I could have inside a car at that time. The format then was you drove by yourself, and followed an instructor in a car in front of you, working to stay 3 car lengths behind him at all times. After 8 to 18 laps, if you stayed right with him, you had worked up to 130 to 140 mph (I got up to 139.65). And yes, it was a freakin adrenaline rush.Well, I told my wife, "Anytime you want to give me this gift again, I'm all in," so this last birthday that's just what she did (Bless her). But now they're pairing you with an instructor in the right hand seat, and no lead car. And the max speed allowed on the Kansas Speedway track, if you've got the skill to do it, is 165 mph!We start with a session indoors where we learn the layout of the car and the track, the obligatory safety information (like just what to do in several types of real emergencies), and then some teaching on how to go fast. And that includes how that right-hand instructor will be working with us to coach us to better speeds.So now you're out there on the track driving your own line, with only a pair of orange stripes three car widths apart every couple of hundred yards or so, to give you a general idea of where to put the car. And believe me, there's a lot of room in that broad stripe of racetrack to make a huge difference! Plus when to let off and when to get back on the gas (they do have orange cones for decel and accel markers), but again it's not as simple as just lifting off and stomping on the gas. But you've got this comforting voice in your ear as the instructor is coaching you thru every turn and straightaway. And my instructor Mark was a cheerful 20-something kid who made a huge difference in making me go fast vs me just driving in a big circle. And by the way, you don't just turn left. Part of the time, particularly when you're wanting it to hug the wall, you have to turn the car to the right to keep it from wanting to go to the left down the track. Tell that to the 'turn left, turn left, turn left' naysayers! :-)So you start off easy the first lap or two, just 100 or so mph to get the general feel of the car and the track with its corners. You cross the checkered start/finish line and come back into turn one (which you haven't seen yet, because you came off pit road and really started seeing the track after turn two), and by the time you come out of turn two he says, "Let's do it." And the race is on, so to speak.So you gently start mashing the gas pedal and the car shoots down the back straightway, and you start the cycle of off-the gas, turn into the corner, ease into the gas, here comes the wall (!!! man that thing comes at you fast !!!), full into the gas by the time you're to the wall, and you're rocketing down the wall and to the next turn. Off the gas, into the the next turn, and on it goes...Before you know it, you cross the start/finish line and a checkered flag catches your eye and the instructor says, "When we come out of two, ease off the gas and come down on the apron." And you think, "D##n, is it over already?" You've been turning laps somewhere in the 50 down to 45 second range, so 8 laps (the first package) can only last about 6 or 7 minutes at most. But you slow down, shift to third, cruise into pit road, push on the clutch and go to neutral, pump the brakes a couple of times to see the nose drop (so the pit crew up ahead will know the car can actually stop itself), and the car coasts to a stop.If you've got a few more bucks, you go for the King's Experience and get another 10 laps, or the Experience of a Lifetime and add another 12 laps on top of that. The more laps you go, the more experience you get, the faster you'll be going! I was once again blessed with 18 laps, and this time I managed to work it up to 147.86mph! But I have to say it was both more challenging, and a LOT more fun with the new instructor-in-the-car format. I felt a lot more like an actual race car driver this time around than before. It's been almost two weeks, and I'm still feeling the rush from this. WooHoo!!All I can say is, "Let's Go Racing!"

Just loved the speed. Very profesional staff and allowed me to go fast. I think they also offer this opporutinity in several other cities that have large tracks.

OK...this was an over-to-top experience for my husband and was a gift from his kids and me for his birthday. I don't think I have ever seen him smile that big as he did when he exited the race car at the end of the "ride." Be sure to buy the pictures...the memory will last forever for my husband.

They say you can pass but only with permission and only when the other cars move down low and slow down. The cars are governed but it is still a great time. Be ready to spend extra... a ride along, extra.... a video of your race, extra... a nice plaque with your picture, extra. All were worth it but be prepared for the additional charges.

We went to KC and found out they were doing the ride alone and it was there last day. I love nascar and didnot really think how hard it really is for the drivers to be buckled in and cant move. But any way I did the ride along it was like 110.00 buck and well worth it. I got the suit on and helmet got in the car and away we went 160MPH it was alot of fun. did not have to wait very long at all.If you like nascar you should do this you will also have more respect for them drivers.

The Petty Driving Experience had some financial trouble a couple of years ago so I'm glad to see them still in business. I can hear them from my house on the weekends and I have done the Driving Experience. It is really, really exhilarating. I think you must be at least 16 years old to jump in.You wear a fire suit and helmet. There is or should be a minimum physical requirement to consider. That is you have to be able to climb into the passenger side window. Real race cars don't have doors and this is definitely a race car. I think top speed is 160 MPH and your pretty close to wall at times. The cost when I did it was $100 for two laps. Have fun!

If you want to drive or ride along, you'll have the time of your life! I received a gift certificate for 10 laps around the track. After attending the brief instructional session, you may choose which you prefer. I chose to drive with the most experienced instructor in the passenger's seat. What a thrill!! And yes, I would do it again!