I had the opportunity to take the Jimmy Stills School of Open Wheel Racing in Marysville, CA,-- an experience of a lifetime.740-horse power, 1,300 pound Sprint Car on a ¼ mile mid-banked dirt track, made an incredible day at the track.

The thought of driving those loud winged cars that crash, spin and flip over the fence had me both excited and scared. I was scared until I actually got into the car and started driving.

Being tall with long legs made it hard to sit in the car. The seat was very straight up and down causing the weight to be closer to the back tires. The gas and brake pedals and steering wheel were different from what I was used to. They were straight up and down similar to playing a piano and the steering wheel was huge, like driving a bus. The large wing on the top was like driving a sedan; it made it hard to see.

I was seat belted in and ready to go. Sprint cars don't have a starter. A truck with a big bumper pushes them off. I put in gear and turned the fuel on.

As the car was pushed, the oil pressure rose and the wheels began to spin. I flipped the ignition switch on and then BRAP, BRAP; throw you back in the seat, raw horsepower was at my hands. As soon as I got on the throttle the back tires dug in and the weight transferred to the back.

That much power threw me back in the seat and the front wheels lightened up and almost came off the ground. The tire stagger immediately started to pitch the car to the left, and the car became a handful and the wild ride began.

The racing line of a sprint car is totally opposite of any road racing or stock car race line. This was very challenging to me. It was hard to feel comfortable keeping the car out high on the bank with big speed where my instincts told me to keep the car down on the apron and brake and then allow the car to drift out. As I accelerated the car full throttle down the straight to the turn, the car was tossed back and forth in the ruts of the dirt and it had a tendency to turn left.

At the end of the straight I braked as hard as possible pushing the car around the corner as it pivoted around the car's rear axle. Once the car had pivoted around the corner, I picked up the throttle and headed down to the apron starting my next full throttle straight away.

In stock car racing you apex the apron at the end of the straight and let the car drift out as you accelerate and this points you back to the straight. Sprint cars are set up to turn left automatically and require you to kind of do a high-speed slide sideways to make the turn. While sliding the car is very close to spinning, it takes good car control to keep going in the right direction.

The whole experience was amazing. I am now looking forward to getting some time in a midget racecar. This car is similar except it is smaller and doesn't have wings.

To Distant Thunder front page

To Distant Thunder Archives