My wife and I rode back seat in an Indy car on Father's Day at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. We loved it!! What a thrill. Glad we also bought the in-car video as it is fun to show our family/friends the fun ride. My wife said it was better than a roller coaster. We had a very professional driver who passed some of the slower cars on the track. And got tight to the wall on the straightaways. And that made it more fun. Bucket list = CHECK!!! read more

Mario Andretti Racing Experience - Racing Experience Near Me - Concord, North Carolina

I love driving, anything. But there has to speed, right? That's what attracted me to this activity. My cousin drove their nascar last year. So this year, I joined him and we drove their IndyCars. The 1 mile oval allowed them running three or four cars at a time; drivers along with one pro ride-along. Big 12 and 1 PM groups meant a long queue for our 8 minute runs (no big deal, but a lot of standing and waiting). The IndyCar cockpit is very narrow and long. Even my 6' tall cousin needed a few back cushions to allow pushing in the clutch. The full-face helmet is very tight and the opening is small, as expected. I received almost unintelligible driving advice from an audio feed through the helmet; loud, staticky, poor quality, inconsistent. The engine has a "chip" which limits the engine and car speed. The coach advises to ease into the throttle entering the straight away, then on to full throttle. This is in contradiction to "find the sweet spot" which is a little less than full throttle. My cousin understood this and recording a 125 mph. I did not figure it out, and recorded 112 mph. This was all very frustrating and disappointing...not losing to my cousin, but driving such a performance limited set-up. I've had more excitement driving my sporty SUV on I-95 through CT and NY or over the Cape Cod canal bridges. You may love it. Once is enough for me. read more

Mario Andretti Racing Experience - That's me in the IndyCar, ready for a push start by the quad. - Racing Experience Near Me - Concord, North Carolina

I never felt a thrill, rush or any sense of excitement at all. 106 mph top speed on the track -- I think I hit 90 in my truck on the way there. Extremely disappointing. Ever been to a petting zoo and seen a pony ride for kids -- where the ponies are strapped to a metal carousel and just walk around in a slow circle? This is the racing equivalent. If you are Ned Flanders and have never had your Mini Van out of the slow lane -- go for it. The Andretti Racing Experience was at Phoenix International Raceway on October 2nd, 2016. As a gift I was given the opportunity to drive an Indy style car (about a $300 package). I spent 6.5 hours at the track to be on the race track about 7 minutes (granted, about 1 hour and 15 minutes was due to a brief rain shower). While on the track an extremely unprofessional "spotter" was in my ear to guide my laps on the track. I received very little instruction and lots of condescending feedback. He was truly a miserable human being and clearly didn't want to be there. The car had a rev limiter that kicked in at 4700 RPM and kept the car from ever getting much speed. Pick another item on your bucket list. read more

The Mario Andretti Racing Experience is a must do on any Racing Fans Bucket List! We've done the Indy and the Nascar experiences and would do them every weekend if we could! Was the best Father's Day gift I've ever received! Highly recommended and there was a smile on everyone's face that day! read more

My son (age 37) and I (age 62) received gift-vouchers for Christmas 2015. We are in New England, and they only come to Loudon NH (NH Motor Speedway) ONCE each year. The next closest track is 7 hours away. We were scheduled to participate in June 2016, but that got cancelled due to rain. I understand why they have a "No Refunds" policy, but we had to wait another 13 months, and were rescheduled for July 2017. Let me start by stating that it was great fun spending time with my son doing something together, and my grandkids got to watch as well. The experience was priceless, and I give it 5-stars from a father-son "bonding" perspective. That said, I need to review & rate this company and their "product" from a business perspective. I want potential customers to understand what they can expect to experience. The GOOD: I'm an avid motorsports fan. I've done 3 or 4 different "racing experiences", and they have all been a "blast". I giggle like a little schoolgirl every time I slide into one of these race cars. They are even more fun if your family can participate with you (even if they are just spectators). It's a very safe way to experience something that very few people will experience in their lifetime. I've done other racing experiences, but this was my first open-wheel experience (so I got to check this off my bucket list). The BAD: Compared to other "racing experiences" that I've done, this one is easily the most expensive per "track-minute". The basic "Practice" package is only 5 minutes from the time they start pushing your car, until you coast back and stop in the pits. Most or your "experience" seems to be all about WAITING. I pre-checked online and arrived 45 minutes early, but still had to wait in a long line to check-in (the so-called "express lane"). I then waited in line again for my fire suit (more about that under "UGLY"), and I waited nearly 1 hour for my "restaurant table buzzer" to alert me to get in the "prepare-to-race" line. I should add that my son's buzzer NEVER went off, so needless to say he was dead-last. More BAD: You also sit through a ~40 minute "driver's meeting" that includes an extremely repetitive video followed by another driver's meeting at the pit-wall. I understand the importance of safety, but the video is based on Charlotte Motor Speedway, not my track (NHMS in Loudon NH). I have to question the "safety value" of a video that contains misinformation based on a different track. The video repeatedly told us to "split the two white dots" when entering and exiting the turns - later we are told "there are no white dots at this track". The video instructed us to remain on the gas pedal when entering the "high banks" of this track - Loudon is a FLAT "paperclip", and we were later instructed to completely lift off the gas through the turns. They then used a large (3' x 5') chart of the track to show us the driving line - once again this was based on Charlotte Motor Speedway which is totally unlike NHMS. Once on the track, my driving experience was impacted multiple times waiting for another car or moving down the track to let the "ride along" car pass me on the outside. The UGLY: The real UGLY moment came when we picked up our "fire suits". I have to assume these are entirely for show and serve no fire-protection function. You can expect they'll have two sizes (too big and too small). Clearly they didn't have enough suits nor was their inventory organized (instead of asking what size, I got handed whatever was left). But don't worry, because most of the suits are worn, torn, ragged, and the velcro closures are completely "shot". I complained that the velcro wouldn't hold my suit closed and I was told "don't worry about it, you don't need it closed, and you'll want it open because it's hot in the car". What's the point in issuing fire suits that don't fit or stay closed ???? I saw one guy with a tear on his left butt that was about 6" x 6" (good thing he was wearing pants underneath). In summary, I'm glad I was able to do this with my son, and it was an enjoyable time together, but I would not use this company again. I got a lot more track time with the "Kenny Wallace Dirt Track Experience" and some of the other racing experiences I've use in the past. read more

It was a blast I highly recommend it. I originally booked a track closer to home but opted to pay the $50 to reschedule. After looking into it the other 2 track options were shorter so the times were not as fast so i opted to drive further. If your going to do it might as well go as fast as you can so if you have options go with the longest track. I recommend at least the double session. After the first session I was much more comfortable in the car and on the track and am sure I was much faster. I just think once would not be enough. I also recommend getting the video, I've watched mine numerous times to relive the experience. the staff were great, friendly professional and I think really want you to have fun and go fast. it was well run and organized, couldn't have been happier. I plan on doing it again and will definitely try for the 4 session package. Before booking mine I had read reviews and some people had issues which I was a little concerned about, however I didn't have any. read more

Had the time of my life. I'm 65 and felt like a teenager after the drive. Drive the car as fast as you care to, passing is allowed, constant contact with your spotter who encourages, advises, and gives you info the whole time. Cars are quick, and low to the ground. It doesn't matter how old, or what sex you are, you will enjoy this for sure. I'm doing again this year at Kentucky Speedway. Hope to see you there read more