The Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) company started with a small shop and office out of Concord, North Carolina with a small number of cars during 1994. Today there are a number of locations including Talladega, Alabama that offer the experience. There are two basic programs in addition to a number of variations on them.
The Ride-Along Experience of the RPDE is a chance for gives participants the chance to ride in the passenger seat of a NASCAR styled stock car. The cars are driven by a professional driving instructor. There are three qualifying laps taken at speeds of up to one hundred and sixty-five miles an hour. Twenty locations including Talladega offer the Ride-Along program from the Richard Petty Driving Experience.
The Driving Experiences allow participants to get behind the wheel themselves. Participants can see the complete listing of driving experiences and decide which one if right for them. In order to participate they must have the ability to drive a standard transmission vehicle. All participants are asked to arrive thirty minutes before the time of their driving experience in order to check in and complete the proper forms.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience is approximately two hours long. The program begins with a five minute orientation and video that allows participants to see a short video of Richard Petty and meet the staff. There is twenty minutes of driving instruction from the crew chief to assist in learning when to accelerate, decelerate, the distance you should follow and how to maneuver the track itself.
Richard Petty Driving Experience follows the driving instruction with twenty-five minutes of Mechanical and Safety Instruction. This goes over all aspects of the race car including entering, exiting, the shifting pattern and the safety devices. A ten minute mandatory driver's meeting follows which goes over the final details and allows participants to ask questions and get the driving order. There are also pictures of participants taken by one of the RPDE cars before receiving the order to start the engines.
The actual driving experience is next and takes approximately one hour although the experience level can cause the time to vary. Those that choose to drive in a program that includes more than one session receive instructor feedback every time they exit the vehicle to ensure that driving skills are improved with each session meaning they are closer to meeting speed goals. The experience ends with a fifteen minute closing ceremony.
The Closing Ceremony for the Richard Petty Driving Experience includes a Graduation Pack. The pack includes a lap time sheet detailing the laps that were driven and a Graduation Certificate with the name, date and an estimation of the top speed goal that was reached. Anyone with an interest in racing that has ever wanted to be on the track in a race car should make it a point to have the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Talladega, Alabama. The facility should be contacted directly for additional information about scheduling and pricing if you would like to participate in the experience.
