Do you look at the field of thirty-something cars whipping around an oval track at speeds nearing 200 miles and hour and yawn? Have you insinuated that a fan of such racing might be a fan of other low-brow entertainment venues as potato cannon firings, homemade trebuchet pumpkin launches across the field and twangy pop music that keeps referring claiming to be true country music? Do you grumble every time someone strikes up the argument that NASCAR race vehicles are little more than an awesome go-kart with a body covered in stickers? It’s easy to rag on stock car racing…it’s a down-home motorsport that has it’s roots in illegal liquor transportation, has been primarily filled with a bunch of good old boys from the Southeast who could drive their asses off week in and week out, and yes, the occasional pit fight does break out. Racing requires passion, and passion can flare up when Murphy’s Law comes into play.

NASCAR does have a lot going for it. Even with a toned-down engine that was making “only” 350 or so horsepower, the car that we got to drive at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was plenty capable of handling high speeds and had an unreal amount of room left on the tachometer to use up…and if the folks at the Petty Driving Experience trusted us more, we would’ve gotten a chance with that. Day in, day out, thirteen total engines, all sealed up. Tires, identical across the board. Restrictor plates and safety items aplenty because of lessons learned in the past. And still, there’s much to learn and understand about stock car racing besides “turn left and keep your foot buried”. Click on the video to learn a little more about NASCAR and what goes on behind the scenes!