Auto racing came about as an alternative to horseracing when it became apparent that horses have no windshield for stopping overgrown katydids from splattering on drivers' foreheads. Fuel up with this Groupon: for $145, you get a 20-lap stock-car racing experience from L.A. Racing at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville (a $399 value).
Featured on NBC Today in L.A., L.A. Racing's Adventure 20 program lets would-be racers grip the wheel of a real stock car and streak around a 5/8-mile, 18-degree banked oval for 20 laps. After a brief class introducing safety systems, track orientation, Victorian architecture, throttle control, and the safe-racing line, speedsters strap into racing suits and helmets. Drivers open up throttles along the straightaways and scream through turns as instructors pipe advice and tips through earpieces. See a video of the experience at L.A. Racing's track in Irwindale, California.
L.A. Racing
A real stock car roars around a banked oval track as a coach's voice crackles in the driver's ear. This isn’t the Indy 500; it's L.A. Racing. Featured on NBC Today in L.A., L.A. Racing's Adventure programs let would-be racers grip the wheel during fast-forward laps around a real track. This video shows the rubber meeting the road at Irwindale Speedway.