The thrill of motor racing doesn't have to be only for the professionals. You can experience the life of a driver through Nascar driving schools. There are various packages available and you can drive a car or be driven by an instructor. The schools also have Gift Certificates, so you can treat a friend to the experience of a lifetime.
The Buck Baker Racing School was founded in 1980 by Buck Baker, a Nextel Cup champion. There are no pace cars involved and passing is permitted on this course. Each car has CD-Rom camera and data acquisition technology. There are five different locations to choose from; Atlanta, Bristol, Darlington, North Carolina and Lowe's Motor Speedway. This Nascar driving school welcomes novices and professionals. There are three Ride and Drive programs for beginners. The 1, 2, and 3-day basic courses teach the necessary basics and cover safety, passing techniques, communication, and pit road conduct. Instruction is given in the classroom and on the track. Participants can take away a souvenir in the form of a T-shirt, sweatshirt or hat.
The Dale Jarrett Racing School owns several tracks including circuits in Texas, Nashville, Kentucky and Kansas. This Nascar driving school offers a variety of programs from 3 laps to 80 laps. Instruction includes the correct use of hand signals, passing, drafting, how to enter and exit a track safely, and other aspects of driving a race car. Drivers are fitted out with fire retardant Tri-Star racing suits and a full face helmet and they race Sprint Nationwide Series race cars that accommodate different heights and body weights. The school can also be booked for corporate events and team building exercises.
The Jeff Gordon Racing School and Mario Andretti Racing School have cars that have been driven by Nascar stars, such as Jimmy Johnson, Dale Jr., and Jeff Gordon. Drivers also have the choice of racing full sized open wheel Indy cars, prepped BMWs or Formula 2000 cars. This Nascar driving school has 14 locations to choose from, including Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway and Homestead Miami Speedway. There is a car radio for communication and drivers can expect to reach 150 mph. The Nascar driving school presents a special event on 15 November 2009 when Mario Andretti Fantasy Day comes to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The day has four different packages to choose from. Fantasy Day Ride is to ride in an Indy style car with Mario. Fantasy Day Drive is to drive an Indy car and to meet Mario. Fantasy Day Double is to meet Mario and to drive on a road course and on a superspeedway. Finally, the Fantasy Day VIP package is to race three different cars and ride with Mario.