Relaxos Racing Experience!

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August 1999For some time I had been toying with the idea of going to a driving school. I would hold on to Christmas money, birthday money, and any extra "play" cash that came my way. For a while I thought about spending the money on a metal detector. Something I would still like to have, but felt like I could always aquire sometime in the future. I guess what really made me get on the ball was the fact that Melissa was pregnant with Evan, and she told me that "If you're ever going to go drive that racecar, you need to do it now before the babys born. Because things will be different then." Yeah, she was right. And it was just the impetus that I needed to get on the phone and "make a date." Richard Petty, Andy Hillenburg, Buck Baker? The only thing that I knew for sure was that I planned to go to Atlanta. About a 5 hour drive from home, and one heck of a racetrack, I just had to decide which school to go to. I compared laps, prices and activities offered and decided on The Buck Baker Racing School. I made the reservations for saturday, August 21st. 1999. I actually didn't mention much about it to my Mom and Pop. Knowing that my Mother would be way too nervous about it, I just kept it my business. Of course she knew anyway. Wonder how that happened? She asked Melissa, "Do you mean you're going to let him do that?" To which Melissa replied, "Of course, it's what he wants to do." (Good woman!) "It's safe. I'm not worried at all." Friday. The weekend comes. Melissa works her regular job until about 5:00 PM. I arrive at the Hair Salon to pick her up. I have to wait a little until she can leave. Nervous. Intense pressure on myself as I'm approaching this weekend. I go next door to the Coin Store and purchase a "roll" of 1964 Silver Kennedy Half Dollars. Awesome. Brilliant. I love coins! Hey she's ready. As we leave her place of work, her boss tells me, "If you wreck and get killed down there, I'll see you on the news." Thanks alot! Because we're getting such a late start we plan on staying in Birminham that night, and getting a early start tommorow. Besides it's pouring down. We arrive at the track saturday morning and enter through the tunnel near turns 3 and 4. You can immediately hear cars on the track. I'm nervous. Driving in we see the #6 Valvoline car on the track along with the #88 Ford Quality Care. Hey, they don't look too fast to me. I think I can do this. All this time I had been afraid that I would be the only guy there who had'nt driven anything like this before. That everyone else there would be weekend dirt track drivers with alot of experience in speed and racetracks. It wasn't the case. I felt a great wave of relief. Now I was pumped. I was ready to strap in and blow everyone away. While I was ready to rock and roll right then and there, I actually had to wait for several hours until others had completed their programs. We sat in the Media Center where the drivers have their meetings. I couldn't help but try to pitcure the room full of familiar faces I see each Sunday. Jeff Gordon. Ward Burton. Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt. Buddy Baker. Wait! That is Buddy Baker. Earlier he had been on the track himself. There was one car that was noticebly faster than the others. It was none other than the original 200 mph man himself. He came into the media center wearing a Miller Lite uniform. He waved and spoke hello, then exited down a hall. Presumably to return to street clothes. He had his speed fix for the day. I talked to some guys who were there for the 2 day class. Out of my spending range. One of them was wearing a Ward Burton shirt. I struck up a conversation with them. Later we had a "class" that mainly instructed us not to forget 4th. gear, and don't wreck Bucks cars. It was interesting. The instructor asked if any of us had any experience. One guy said he had went 200 mph in a rail. Yeah sure. I said that I had driven Atlanta several times. On the computer. His reply, "It's alot like it. You just don't feel it when you hit the concrete."

Follow the flags!