Imagine the chance to drive nearly 160 miles per hour and not get the mother of all speeding tickets.
Bill and Deborah Savage got their chance to do exactly that Oct. 9 at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, Michigan.
The Oxford couple were students in the “Richard Petty Driving Experience,” a program where ordinary people learn how to drive NASCAR Winston Cup-style stock cars at high speeds around professional race tracks.
Deborah was the Grand Prize Winner in the “Penzoil Race Week Driving School Sweepstakes.”
While getting her oil changed at the Pennzoil Ten Minute Oil Change (1285 S. Lapeer Road) in Oxford Township, Deborah filled out a sweepstakes entry, mailed it in, then “forgot about it.”
A few weeks later, Deborah was notified she had won the grand prize (valued at approximately $2,400), the chance for her and a guest to learn to drive NASCAR-style.
Earlier that day, Deborah said her horoscope had stated she was in for a “five-star day.”
The next thing you know the Savages were off to MIS to complete 30 laps around the same two-mile track on which NASCAR legends such as Richard Petty, David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip made racing history.
Reaching 158 miles per hour by the final 10 laps was the program’s ultimate goal for each student driver.
Shortly after 7 a.m., the Savages’ NASCAR odyssey began with them putting on their red, white and blue, flame-retardant racing suits.
Following a brief introduction of their instructors and short video presentation, the Savages toured the track in a van, during which they were instructed as to how to hold the steering wheel and throttle, when to shift gears and how to drive the “line” of the track.
After the van tour, the Savages received an instructional tour of all the bells and whistles that make up the inside of their stock car.
Once all the souvenir photos were taken, the Savages and other drivers assembled for a meeting at which the drivers list was posted, which included their place in the driving order and car number.
Bill was 12th in the driving order, while Deborah was 25th.
Each student drives in their very own stock car alone while following an instructor around the track.
Working for an advertising agency whose major client is Chevy, Bill said he was hoping to drive a Chevy.
But the automotive gods, with their wicked sense of humor, were not feeling particularly generous that day, so Bill ended up driving a Ford Taurus bearing the number 88 and a huge United Parcel Service logo on the hood.
After being fitted with a crash helmet and safety harness to protect his neck and spine, Bill climbed in his Ford and began following racing instructor Corey Lacosta’s car around the track for the first round of 10 laps.
“I don’t think he even waivered. He just got in like he was born to do this. He has no fear,” said Deborah as her husband started around the track.
The goal in the first round was to reach 149 mph.
According to his session summary, Bill started out at 132.88 mph in Lap 2 and reached 149.01 mph by Lap 9.
Climbing out of his car after Round 1, Bill exclaimed, “That’s the best, the best! Unbelievable! Oh my God, was that great!”
When asked how it compared to driving a regular car on a regular road, Bill replied, “There’s no comparison. It’s totally different. The speed, the noise (from the engine), the comfort. There’s no comfort in that thing. None at all.”
“Things happen fast out there. Really fast. Ten laps are over like that,” he added. “The car really does kind of drive itself.”
Soon, it was Deborah’s turn to brave the track in her Dodge Intrepid bearing the number 43 and a giant Cheerios logo on the hood.
“Nervous. Overwhelmed. Yeah, I’m all that. It’s very cool though,” Deborah confessed. “I’m excited. I’m ready to go!”
“Just follow the guy in front of you. Do what he does,” Bill told his wife as some last-minute advice.
According to the session summary, Deborah started out at 89.62 mph in Lap 2, reached a top speed of 90.70 mph in Lap 4 and finished at 89.66 mph in Lap 9.
“I’m a weenie,” said Deborah as she took off her helmet. “They told me to go faster. I felt like I was really holding back. I had to keep telling myself to let go. It just didn’t feel safe to me. It was nerve-racking, but fun.”
“There’s no way I’m going to get up to 158 miles per hour,” she said. “I can see already I’m just not.”
Deborah admitted that in her normal driving, she’s not a “speed demon.”
“I’m the one who usually does five (miles) over (the speed limit),” she said.
After a quick drivers meeting, it was time for Round 2, where the goal was 153 mph.
Bill started out at 134.20 mph in Lap 2 and climbed to 151.13 mph by Lap 19. When asked how Round 2 went, Bill said, “Faster. Much faster.”
“I got a better feel for the car,” he said. “It does steer harder as you go faster.”
“You don’t even hear your heart beat. You don’t hear yourself breathing. You don’t really hear anything. You’re just so geared, so focused. I wanted to do more. Ten laps is just not enough.”
Deborah’s Round 2 yielded a definite increase in speed. She started at 105.05 mph in Lap 12, peaked at l11.62 mph in Lap 17 and finished at 111.09 by Lap 19.
“Oh my gosh! There’s no way I’m going to go any faster!” she exclaimed walking off the track. “I just can’t. It’s too fast. I’m not quipped. It’s not as easy as you think. It’s freaky.”
One more drivers meeting and it was time for the final round and the ultimate goal, 158 mph. It was now-or-never, gold-for-the-gold time for the Savage racing team.
Bill took to the track like an old pro and reached his fastest speed of the day in Lap 28 – 155.25 mph.
“I think I blew everybody away!” Bill said after finishing the round. “I really pushed myself. A couple of times is felt really hairy out there. But I thought they’re not going to put me in an unsafe situation, so I just stayed on him (his driving instructor).”
“It’s another world out there!” he added.
A quick kiss for luck from Bill and it was Deborah’s turn to prove herself in the final round.
Tossing caution to the wind, Deborah reached her high speed of 112.80 mph in Lap 27. “That was the best,” she said after the round was over. “I did really good. I felt more comfortable because I knew this was it. I’d never buy this (experience) for myself, so this was my last shot. I thought, ‘I’ve got to do it now because I’m never going to get another chance.’”
Overall, the Savages said they very much enjoyed their “once in a lifetime” experience. And Deborah came a way with a new found respect for NASCAR.
“I have a new appreciation for (NASCAR drivers) now,” she said. “To do that for three hours (during a race), I’d be a wreck.”
For more information about the Richard Petty Driving Experience call 1-800-BE-PETTY or log on to www.1800bepetty.com.