Two things made the eight-lap trip worth every penny, every word I could write down. First, it brought the visual experience of what it's like to get behind the wheel home. Watching races, either in person or on TV, doesn't do the actual act of driving any justice.
Second, and most important, it puts any and all myths of racing to rest. Sure, race drivers turn left - a lot. Sure, they go fast., but it's nothing like a trip on I-15. Traveling at 75 mph is nothing. Nearly doubling that speed is a feeling to behold. The g-forces that push and pull you are something you REALLY feel by the time you get out of the car.
Now granted, I wasn't as fast as I could have been, topping out at over 112 mph, but I had a major disadvantage. Driving a manual transmission isn't easy, especially when you've only owned one car that had it. I last touched a stick shift more than eight years ago, but as my wife told me, it's like riding a bike.
Hey, once I got the car in fourth gear, the rest was cake.
And my passion for motor sports grew as fast as my lap times did.
My best advice - the Richard Petty Driving Experience is worth the investment. When it comes to the reality of racing, it made a believer out of me.