Everyday Eddins: Racing Experience

Talk about an experience in the making!!! In December of 2011, a Groupon came out that had the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience as a deal. Amber, Monica and I then promptly snagged up some race time for the guys. We had all gotten our Christmas shopping done, so we decided to save it for Father's Day (remember this post?!) in June. And finally, the day was here to actually cash in on the gift and go racing!

We left the Eddins household a little after 9:00. Our first stop was Riley's Cafe for a little breakfast! After breakfast we were on the road to Newton, where the Iowa Speedway is located. It was fun to see the guys get anxious as we approached the check-in and tunnel that lead us right down to the infield.

Smiling with anticipation!

Our first stop was check-in and then it was time to pick a driving suit and a helmet. The group was split up between drivers and riders. Mike was a driver today, so he had to stay back and do a 'driver's meeting' so he could learn all there is to know about driving a race car.

The racers!

While Mike went to his driver meeting the rest of us found our way to the track to watch Brandon and Brad do their ride-a-long. First of all, it was cold, much colder than I think any of us even realized, and secondly, this was a tad bit unorganized. The guys had specific instructions on when they should report to the speedway to keep things moving along on time, it didn't seem to matter! Brandon and Brad were slated to drive around 1:00 - 1:30, they went down to the designated area only to find out they were about 15 people behind and only had one or two cars doing a ride-a-long.

Welcome to the Iowa Speedway!

Brandon and Brad waited so patiently, in the freezing cold, and by the time they finally got to do their rides, Mike was out of class and was ready for his ride-a-long that he was taking before he actually drove the race car.

Waiting for his ride-a-long

Mike and Brandon ended up going on their ride-a-longs at the same time. Mike is getting into the National Guard/Mt. Dew car, while Brandon was in the M&M car right ahead of him!

Hopping in!

Brandon is ready to race!

Replacing the tire on Mike's car - you can see him in the window!

Off they go for the ride of a lifetime!

Hitting top speeds!

After the ride-a-long it was time for Mike to get assigned to his own race car. He walked over to the race coordinators and they assigned him to the 51 car. For those of you that have seen Days of Thunder...Mike's car had Rowdy Burns painted above the driver side door!

Looking like an official driver!

While Mike was getting ready to drive, it was finally Brad's turn for his ride! It was truly amazing how fast these professional drivers go on the track! They weren't really showing any mercy for the riders, which is obviously what these people wanted...I think they were all surprised at how fast it really is when you are hitting the straight aways and heading into the turns!

Brad zooming towards the finish line!

They spent some time getting Mike and the other drivers all ready to go! I was particularly interested in them making sure that his seat belt was on properly!

A big thumbs up! Ready to go!

Waiting to get the signal..."gentlemen, start your engines!"

And he is off!

A big thanks to Amber for recording Mike taking off in his car! I didn't even think to get video! You can watch it below...

They all got out on the track and did two slower laps with the pace car and a red flag was out. So, the drivers had to stop the car and kill the engines and sit patiently on the track. It was kind of a bummer for some of the drivers as it seemed that some of the cars weren't quite up for racing. After what seemed like forever...they were finally taking their 12 laps!

Doing laps with the pace car - getting comfortable

Red flag - stopped on the track

Finally getting to experience the real drive!

Picking up speed!

Bringing it in!

After so much planning it was so much fun to finally see the gift put to use! When we went back to the registration area for the guys to change their clothes, us girls could hear them talking from the bathroom in the hallway! They were all sharing their experiences and talking about how much fun they had! It made us all smile to think we were able to give them such a fun experience!

We loaded up the car and headed to a local restaurant in Newton to warm up with a few drinks and some appetizers! Then it was off to Kalona to have dinner at Tuscan Moon. Several of us had heard that the restaurant was delicious, so we were anxious to give it a try!

We weren't disappointed! The atmosphere was nice and cozy, the food was delicious, and the live music made for a really nice touch! We would recommend it, if you are up for a bit of a drive!

I know I have said it before, but we have a great group of friends! It is always fun to make new memories together! It was even better that for this particular event we were celebrating three awesome Dad's! We are lucky girls!