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This is a guest post from Steve, an award winning journalist. Thanks Steve for the contribution to our little publication.

If you’re not a fan of NASCAR, there’s a good chance you’ve never driven a stock car. There’s also a pretty good chance you don’t like the taste of Budweiser, you probably don’t have a “good” pair of sweatpants or have a buddy with a hyphenated first name ending in Bob; and there are probably no barbeque sauce stains on your wifebeater – that is assuming you own a wifebeater, which you probably don’t.

But all those little extra bonuses that come with being a NASCAR fan will happen with time, trust me and don’t worry.

The first thing you have to do is experience a race. And I mean have to.

Let’s be clear though, I don’t mean experience a race by watching it on television in HD on surround sound; or even going one better by purchasing a ticket and seeing a race in person. (Actually, this might not be a bad second option. The sound of the cars racing past your spot in the crowd is deafening and when the stands shake, you know you’re part of something special. Depending on how fast you acclimatize yourself to the aforementioned taste of Budweiser, will also affect how exciting the live experience is.)

You do not actually have to drive a racecar to appreciate the beauty of the sport, but experiencing a race from inside one of the famous left-turn only vehicles, is a must. And, actually inside the car; not theoretically in the car via a camera strapped to the driver’s helmet and witnessed on HD.

You have to physically get inside the car.

Many speedways across

North America will host classes where students have the ability to learn how to drive a racecar, get a bit of instruction from a professional driver and then take a turn behind the wheel. Which would also, no doubt, be a pretty amazing experience, but it’s not cheap and it’s an all-day activity.

However, for about the same price as taking a date to dinner and a movie, you could sit in the passenger seat of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series car for a few laps around the track at speeds in excess of 160 mph, which is roughly 258 km/h. Which is exactly what should happen when you’re in

Fort Forth, Tex. on a hot summer afternoon at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Climbing into a fire retardant suit and strapping on a helmet in 100 F temperatures, was not exactly a prime selling point; but anything billed as a “Ride of a Lifetime…” is enough to peak my interest. Climbing into the racecar through the passenger window, instantly made it a unique experience, but it was about to get 160 times better.

Reaching speeds that actually force you into the contours of the seat and toss your body as far right as the numerous safety belts allow, is an amazing experience. Reaching speeds that for no explicable reason will make you want to scream, but you can’t because the air is rushing past your mouth faster than the sound comes out, is again pretty amazing.

But what makes it incredible is being in the midst of the pack.

Being surrounded by nine other cars, just inches from the front and back bumpers, and close enough on the side to reach out and touch – if your arm stayed attached while reaching out the window, that is. Traffic so tight, if you were in the city it would not be moving faster than 5 km/h.

The calmness and control of the driver is amazing. The fact that you will somehow walk away from this is amazing.

Coming around the first bend, you’ll instantly reach for your brake pedal - which is imaginary since you’re in the passenger seat - and think that what if this a#$hole in front of me brakes? After the first lap, the sheer terror will fade. For the next two or three laps it will be nothing but pure enjoyment and bliss; and within a couple of days the colour will slowly return to your cheeks.

If you find yourself in a NASCAR city, it’s worth a trip down to the track for the “Ride of a Lifetime…” and it may even make your next Budweiser taste a little better, while adding a bit of dignity to that stain on your wifebeater.