Richard Petty - tell me your experience!

[princess angel]

Hi everyone,
my dh has been interested in doing the Richard Petty driving experience for some time now, I was thinking of possibly arranging this for him during our next trip.

The one that you go on a few spins w/the driver and then he lets you drive yourself!

please tell me if you thought it was a great experience worth the $300 plus dollars it costs, and how many hours would he be there, I know they put you through a training class first, how long is that?
trying to decide if I would go with him or not... I know he'd want me there.

thanks

Laura

 

[allicat]

Cant speak for myself, but speaking for DH, he absolutely loved it! He did the 300 dollar experience and to him, it was worth every penny!
The first time, the track was wet, so it was rescheduled for the next day so you might want to think about that when making reservations.Dont plan it for your last day there in case of rain.
I believe the whole thing is about 3 hours long, maybe a bit more. I didnt go with DH so I didnt actually see him, but they gave DH a certificate and took a photo of him in his driving suit in front of the car that he could purchase.
My DH was like a little kid when he was describing it. His only complaint was that he wished he could do more laps!

 

[avdeane]

princess angel,

So if it rains they won't refund your money if you can't come back the next day?

Vicky

 

[genealle]

Originally posted by allicat
they gave DH a certificate and took a photo of him in his driving suit in front of the car that he could purchase.

For $300 you'd think the photo would be included!



.

 

[EmptyNester]

My DH did the 8-lap experience (can't remember the price) last Feb and I did the ride-along.

Hubby had a blast and still talks about it IMHO, it was definitely worth every penny

I enjoyed the ride-along, though it was a little scary to go that fast.


- Sharon

P.S. It took approx 3 hours and seeing dh's face was well worth the wait!

 

[Shelly]

Hubby did the 8 laps , loved it. I does take awhile and is a hot wait. kids were ansy. We stuck it out and video taped it. He did it againg on our next trip and we did the magic kingdom while he went alone this time. It is so nice to have the shuttle pick up right there. He just shuttled back and met us at the park. He loves this, I'm hoping to arrange it for him for our spring break trip.
It is worth the high $$ and if you think about the price of those cars you can understand.

 

[princess angel]

wow, it sounds great, I think he would really love it!

If there are shuttle's to the park's, I guess I could leave for a while and then come back to see him actually drive the car!
is that feasible?

think I just figured out part of dh's christmas present!

thanks

Laura

 

[vicb]

Shelly, I'll probably be in your shoes with the kids so just a few questions.... were there bathrooms for the kids? Anywhere to get snacks? Vending machines? Did you and the kids sit in the classroom part of it with DH? Lastly, did you and the kids get to drive around the track once in the van as some other poster reported?

Sorry for so many ?'s.... thanks!

 

[Oh Kay!]

So if it rains they won't refund your money if you can't come back the next day?

Yup! I arranged a Rookie Experience for DH this past May. He took the class, suited up, and even took the obligatory picrue. He was 7th on the line. The first man got up to get into the car. Then it began to rain. Just a drizzle. Five minutes later it rained enough to completely wet the track at which point they took all the race car off to the garage and cancelled. We were leaving the following day so he took the voucher. The nearest Petty driving school to home is in NH. It's good for a year. If you are planning to do this, I suggest you arrange it for the beginning of your stay so even if it gets cancelled, you'ld be able to make it up. BTW, the funny thing was when we got back to Poly, it wasn't raining. It didn't rain for another 90 minutes. They did close the pool and marina. We ended up taking a nap.

vicb,
Yes, there is a bathroom. The complex is composed of a builing right off the track. You walk into a large giftshop, and the classroom is in the back. One wall is devoted to a disply of autographed pictures of celebrities who's done the driving. I believe there was a vending machine, but don't quote me on that. They have a covered viewing stand, the left section is for the family, and the right section for the drivers. A huge fan is stationed by the drivers section, so it wasn't uncomfortable. They took the family in a couple of vans and drove them around the track. My DS4 was napping so I skipped it. We did not stay at the classroom with DH; we waited at the viewing stand.

princess angel,
The shuttle to the race track stops at the TTC by the kennel. If the van doesn't come after a reasonable wait, tell the kennel personnel. They will call the tract to send the van.

Hope this helps!

Kay

 

[vicb]

Very helpful... thanks!

 

[Msslaydbug]

I bought this for Dh last year as a birthday present and it was all he could talk about before AND after. We did the Rookie Experience ($300) and he said it was worth every penny and then some. He plans to go back and do the Kings Experience next time !!

 

[disneygals]

I want to do this for my dh this year in Dec-Jan. We have a small extended family, but I'm going to have everyone contribute whatever they would have spent on his b-day (12/8) and Christmas, so he can do the $700-800 one.

Thanks for the reviews!

Vivienne