Stan's big day finally arrived...and it was, in his words, definitely worth the wait. He drove eight laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in #18, sponsored by M&Ms. Prior to the car's retirement from the active fleet, it was used by Kyle Bush and a few other luminaries of the NASCAR circuit.
The official NASCAR Experience certificate states that Stan reached 135.11 miles per hour...near the limit of 140 that's imposed by computer chips imbedded in the engine. The adrenaline took a while to work out of his system; his hands were jittery for at least a half an hour after the drive ended...much longer than the eight minutes he was actually on the track. He said that 65 mph on the highway (half the speed of his racecar run) feels more comfortable, but that he'll never forget the experience of 135. That's a great comfort, given our limited insurance budget.
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| Stan (rt) and Brian, posing by a photo-opp car |
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| One last hug from Kelsey |
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| Thumbs up--it's a go! |
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| Heading out of pit row |
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| The winner! |
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| Stan's coach, Smith, talked to Stan throughout the drive (via earbuds) and monitored his entire run from the roof of pit-row central |
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| Our Raleigh friends, the VanVoorens. Stan and Brian added to the family lore...NASCAR memories! |
Wow, that is awesome. You are my hero. That is one of the coolest things you have ever done. Amazing. Just think, Tajima went almost that fast through the picnic area on the hill climb. Crazy!!! Glad you had that opportunity.
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