Race Car Ride Along In Vegas

Last Updated on October 16, 2021

NASCAR Racing (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is one of the most popular sports in North America today. It is a fast-growing sport that reaches thousands of new fans every week. NASCAR oversees many types of racing across the country, the most recognizable being the Sprint Cup Series. You have likely seen a televised NASCAR race. It has always made me wonder what it would feel like to be in a race car. When we found out that you could go on a race car ride along in Vegas, we jumped at the chance to have an unforgettable experience.

Richard Petty Driving Experience Las Vegas

During our last visit to Sin City, we took part in a Richard Petty Driving Experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

During the race car ride-along in Las Vegas, you are put in a NASCAR race car for an adrenaline-pumping thrill of a lifetime at around 160 mph.

When you go around the corners, you really feel like the car is gonna fly right off the track. Feeling the strength in these cars and hearing the roar of the engine as they ripped around the track was mind-blowing.

Experience Length

This includes the driver’s meeting, training, and instruction. Ride Along should allow up to 1 hour from your scheduled start time. Times may vary depending on track conditions.

We had a pretty short race car ride-along experience that lasted only around five minutes, or three laps. It was just enough time to get a feel for the car and left us wanting extra laps. You can add additional laps. For the ride-along experience,  allow up to 1 hour from your scheduled start time.

There are several options if you want your experience to last longer.

If you want the full NASCAR experience, you can even learn to drive a race car yourself. You will meet with a crew chief, receive training and instruction, and get behind the wheel to drive NASCAR race car for a timed racing session; without an instructor with you. You will have one-on-one instruction from a spotter over 2-way in-car radio. After every eight minutes, you will have a quick pit stop before heading back out to work on driving faster speeds. For this experience, allow up to three hours from your scheduled start time.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval racetrack with 12 to 20 degrees of banking in the turns. The Las Vegas Speedway welcomes two annual NASCAR Cup race weekends and is home to several driving experiences, year-round.

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Getting Into A NASCAR

We also learned that there is no graceful way to get into a NASCAR, even with help. There are no doors, you hop in through the ‘window’.  A roll cage is ‘in the way,’ and you have a giant helmet on. Darcy is 6’5″, so getting in took a bit more maneuvering for him. I am quite petite, so jumping in was not as difficult. Inside you wear the usual five-point harness and a foam collar for your neck.

Appreciation For The Sport

To be honest, before going for a ride-along, we were not huge Nascar fans. This experience gave us a new appreciation for the sport and we would go on a ride-along again, or to a Nascar event, in a heartbeat. This is something every racing fan, or fan of speed and adrenaline, should experience. The incredible skill of professional NASCAR drivers is impressive.

Bring A Friend Along

If you go, be sure to bring a friend along. A big part of the experience was about being on pit road at a huge racetrack and seeing everything up close that you’ve seen on TV. Guests can wait near you and stand right along the fence as you drive to snap away for some pictures of your once-in-a-lifetime experience. They actually encourage you to bring friends and family to enjoy the fun at a trackside viewing area.

We had Madison with us when she was about 7 months old and they had noise-canceling headphones for her and she waited with us as Darcy and I took our turns; we loved that we could still take part in the experience, even though we had a baby in tow.

Do I Need A Reservation?

Making a reservation in advance is a good idea. Space is limited, and it would be disappointing if you arrived to find out that the experiences were sold out for the day.

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