Driving Experiences Make Great Gifts

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." by Maya Angelou

I think this is also true about Christmas gift giving. Do you remember the gift your brother gave you ten years ago? Do you remember the gift you gave him? How many people just grab something off the shelf thinking "that'll do" versus actually putting some thought into the gifts they give.

This year, why not put a little creative thought into your gift-giving? Give your friends and loved ones gifts that provide them with a feeling. Give them a gift of an experience they will never forget. Give them a gift they will be talking about for years, if not the rest of their lives

Consider giving a driving experience as a Christmas gift to the racing or NASCAR fan or enthusiast in your family!

While married to my first husband, we were heavily involved in owning, restoring, and racing vintage Ford Mustangs. We would travel to all the Texas and Oklahoma area swap meets, car shows, drag races and driving events.

We have ridden on tracks like:

• Hallet Motor Racing Circuit in Jennings, Oklahoma not far from Oklahoma City
• Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas
• Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas
• Little River Dragway at Little River Academy/Holland, Texas

The thrill of being on each of these racetracks is almost indescribable. It is nothing like the ordinary day-to-day driving we're all used to. You can not begin to appreciate the banking of the curves on a NASCAR track until you've been on it. You have to drive fast just to keep from sliding off of it. Or how quickly a quarter mile is over when you're racing against someone in the next lane. It is an incredible feeling.

There are driving schools virtually everywhere that you, or someone you love, can attend and learn to drive on one of the top tracks. If they'd rather ride along with a qualified instructor rather than drive, that's available as well. This is a driving experience that makes an incredible gift for the racing fan in your family, male or female.

There are a number of considerations in choosing a track for your driving experience:

• Cost-your budget will determine much of your choice. Driving Experiences seem to start around $150 for 3 laps. You can easily spend thousands on a 25 lap experience. Riding experiences are much cheaper for obvious reasons.
• Location-most of the driving schools are held at all of the major tracks, but that may still mean travel to it. Make sure that whoever you're giving the experience to can afford to get to it. It's probably easier to pick a track location, then see what schools offer racing experiences there. You can go about it from the other direction and pick a school and then see what tracks they offer experiences at. It really depends on how willing you are to travel to where they are.
• Schedule-consider the time of year and note that the slots fill up fast. Many of them are already booking up way into 2010.
• Features-each school and/or track offers different features. Determine what features are important to you. Some tracks allow passing, some do not. Some have inboard cameras and radios, some do not.
• Refund or reschedule policy-before purchasing, make sure you understand their refund and/or reschedule policy due to weather, uncontrollable circumstances, illness, etc.
• Reviews & Safety Record-review what others have to say about the schools. Check out their safety record.

Another consideration, is the health of the person you're giving this to. Elderly fathers with heart or health issues are not likely candidates for this experience.

• Dale Jarrett Racing School 1-888-GO-RACE-1

• FastTrack 704-455-1700

• Mario Andretti Racing Experience 1-877-RACE-LAP

• NASCAR Racing Experience 1-877-RACE-LAP

• Racing Experience Inc. 1-888-RACING-8

• Richard Petty Driving Experience 1-800-BE-PETTY

• Monster Racing 1-800-GO-TO-WIN