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Sunday, October 13, 2002

By David Yonke, Toledo Blade

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- One-hundred-twenty-nine-point-four-zero -- miles per hour, that is. I'm behind the wheel, alone in the driver's seat of a Winston Cup-style stock car, rocketing around the banked curves of the Walt Disney World Speedway and trying as hard as I can to ride the bumper of the car in front of me.

	If you go... Walt Disney World RICHARD PETTY DRIVING EXPERIENCE: 1-800-237-3889. WALT DISNEY WORLD: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/waltdisneyworld/. WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT/MAGIC KINGDOM CLUB TRAVEL CENTER: 1-407-824-2600.

This is definitely not your typical all-ages simulated Disney entertainment magic. This is a high-speed bout with a real-live, rumbling, quavering, fuel-guzzling NASCAR behemoth that wants to go faster -- faster than the 129.40 mph I clocked after a few laps around the track.

Those who are not quite ready for a drive can take a ride in the passenger seat (one of the few additions to an actual NASCAR vehicle) next to a professional driver who will hit speeds of 145 mph or more.

My chance to take the wheel of a fully equipped stock car came after signing several pages full of waivers and sitting through about an hour's worth of instruction, including a video featuring NASCAR legend and school founder Richard Petty. An instructor took our class of five baby-boomers on a slow ride around the track in a minivan, stopping to point out "the line," when to look for the flagman, and the location of cones that indicate when to step on and ease off the gas pedal.

I donned my fireproof cap and crash helmet; slipped into a red-white-and-blue driving suit, and climbed through the driver's-side window -- there are no doors on a NASCAR racer -- and entered the belly of this hulking beast.

Settling into the driver's seat, I snapped the removable steering wheel into place as the crew buckled me in with a five-point harness and then slipped a safety net over the driver's-side window.

A crewman then flipped the "on" switch, firing up the monstrously loud, 650-horsepower engine. My adrenaline began pumping faster than the 110-octane fuel that flowed through this car's veins.

Is this, I thought, the same Disney World where people wait in line to ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant?

The high-speed thrill of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, located at the Walt Disney World Speedway between the entrance and exit roads to the Magic Kingdom, is just one of a surprisingly large number of real-life adventures offered at the 30,000-acre complex.

Call it Walt Disney Wild.

It's possible to spend a lengthy vacation at Walt Disney World without ever setting foot in one of its four popular theme parks.

In addition to stock cars, Disney offers golf, tennis, fishing, parasailing, scuba diving, wakeboarding, horseback riding, biking, sailing, powerboating and surfing.

Once a driver is strapped in and the NASCAR is fired up, the goal is to follow the instructor's car around the track while staying within three car-lengths of his rear bumper.

Bobby Blake, my instructor, said the most common problem is for students to drop back too far. At 120-mph-plus, following distances can be deceiving.

If you stick close and follow the instructor's line around the D-shaped oval, he will gradually increase the speed. As Blake said with a grin, "I like to go fast, too."

It took me a few turns around the track, shifting gears manually, before I began to feel comfortable at the wheel of the blue-and-red No. 43 car (the Petty family number). It accelerated like a rocket ship and hugged the track as if all four tires were drenched with glue.

At first, the flagman signaled me to move closer. It took a few more laps before I was able to settle into the proper three-car-length zone behind speedy Blake. Once I settled in, he began picking up speed. I managed to stay on his tail and soon felt as if I were reining in a wild stallion -- this car wants to move.

It's an exhilarating feeling to be at the helm of such a mighty machine, but it also takes total concentration. Petty officials were proud to say there have been no accidents at the track in the six years since the school has been open at Disney.

I kept an eye on the tachometer, which wavered between 4,100 and 5,100 revolutions per minute, and was thankful that there are no speedometers in a NASCAR racer. Had I known I was flirting with 130 mph, I might have gotten nervous and backed off the throttle.

It wasn't until after the last lap, during a "graduation ceremony," that each driver received a packet of information including printouts of lap times, top speed and engine rpm.

Prices for the Petty Experience range from $89 to $1,200, depending on the number of laps. In addition to the three sessions offered daily at Disney World (weather permitting), classes are available at other tracks around the country.

Brett Smith, pit crew boss and emcee of the graduation ceremony, told the class with a knowing grin that bragging rights are a major benefit of the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

"Now if anybody says they wonder what it's like to drive a NASCAR, you can tell 'em: 'Been there, done that. What do you want to know?' "