Mom and
Daughter Bond
on the Disney
Speedway
By Debi Lander
I
’d like to think my needs are
minimal: a clean bed, food and water
(maybe a little wine) a camera and
computer. However, I admit my
desires run toward luxury and I have
developed a taste for out-of-theordinary travel and adventure. Feeding
that hunger can be challenging.
Luck was on my side as my twentythree year-old daughter (yes, she’s
spoiled) and I were presented an
appetizing treat. We didn’t nibble
at the chance, we devoured the
opportunity to drive an exotic
luxury car as fast as we could
handle. Decadent, for sure!
24
Everyone knows Disney creates magical
memories and that’s exactly what we
received: a day of automotive dreams.
We left St. Augustine in my car and
drove to Orlando, then passed through
the gate to enter the Magic Kingdom.
We weren’t headed to the theme park,
but rather to Walt Disney World
Speedway, which sits near the
Disney parking area.
We found an official race oval,
originally built and used for NSCAR
events, but crowds of theme park
guests and race enthusiasts caused
major traffic congestion. So now
Disney offers the Richard Petty
Driving Experience and an Exotic
Driving Experience on alternate days.
Just imagine, sitting behind the
wheel and driving the world’s fastest
and most exotic high performance
cars on a real racetrack...no traffic...
no stoplights...no law enforcement.
What an amazing gift this would
make for someone special.
We were ready to jump into a super
sexy car; however, all participants
must first attend a class and watch
an educational video which is
supposed to make you feel
comfortable. In my case, it made me
anxious. Laura and I were surrounded
by a number of macho guys who were
on a company outing and couldn’t
wait to show off their skills. What if
I became an embarrassing slow poke?
I thought about that and then
decided to forget it. Yet I knew
I wanted to race that car. Would
I have the courage?
The one-mile course combines the
speed of racing on an oval track
with the challenge of a street-style
course. You don’t roar around like
a NASCAR driver; instead you
maneuver sharp turns more like
a Grand Prix racer.
We headed out to the spectator
area to watch some of the earlier
students taking their laps. Whoosh.
As the cars whizzed by, you could
actually notice the drivers increasing
the speed with each additional lap.
Okay, I could do this.
We were soon told which cars we