one of the SRT cars on display in the Charlotte infield.
While my friends and I were running around the tri-oval in NASCAR race cars recently, Richard Petty Driving Experience personnel were also conducting a Drive SRT Track Day for owners and enthusiasts of the SRT-4, SRT-8 and SRT-10 Chrysler products. The orientation format is similar to the NASCAR Experience in that you are shuttled through four teaching stations where the operation of the cars and safety issues are discussed.
Caliber SRT-4 was one of the test vehicles you get to play with.
After orientation, you are sent out to the cars to participate in one of four modules offered at the SRT Experience.
Autocross is one module that features a technical road course you must navigate as fast as you can without touching marker cones. You attempt this course several times, trying to improve your speed and accuracy.
Performance Drive is another module that has you follow a professional driver on a high-speed road course to hone your braking and handling techniques with feedback from your lead driver.
Full Throttle Challenge is the module where you race head-to-head with another participant in identical vehicles to gauge your reaction time and elapsed time against each other.
Hot Laps is another module where you ride along with the experienced lead car instructors and see how much more they can squeeze out of these cars in terms of speed and cornering ability.
Chrsyler 300C SRT-8s were also there to be used/abused.
From talking to several participants, I believe Dodge SRT owners get one free SRT experience ticket when they purchase the car, however additional tickets or for those of us who can’t afford an SRT but want to flog on one, can be purchased for around $500. Not as cheap as the Petty Driving Experience, but you do get a lot more seat time and the tips you learn are likely to come in handy in your daily driver down the road.
Further information on the Dodge SRT Track experience is available on their website: www.drivesrt.com and there are locations throughout the country where you can participate. Charlotte was only 900 miles from Bennington but you should be able to find another location closer to you.