The Richard Petty Driving Experience Tragedy

[@reno145]

Gary was my instructor at the old Disney Speedway in Orlando. He told me, "Don't worry. You won't come anywhere near the limit of the car." That put me at ease. When I got done, all he said was, "You did good." He was a great instructor and an all around nice guy according to my cousin who knew him.

[@guysumpthin2974]

Those tires are “heat cycled” too many times , they get too hard to “tac up” when warm , like driving on plastic, and sometimes abruptly harden when warm

[@brianbooher7318]

L l

[@JamesCook-u9h]

I've been in racing 52 years. You don't have to be going 200mph to get killed

[@fish.happen]

Me too……. Great guys……if you do not understand the physics of the vehicle…….. just stop…….. you think that you can handle it……let’s go JACKWAGON

[@missingremote4388]

Keep speed same as the floor of traffic , most of the race

[@tristandupuis5345]

I considered Gary Terry my friend. My heart is still heavy over his loss, especially for his family.

[@DestroyerH6]

I still miss seeing him in the garage area. He was a great guy to be around

[@caprad]

Hey Legend! Good to see your name.

[@AeroGuy07]

I did a Richard Petty experience at Kentucky Speedway years ago. I watched two guys spin out, basically because they weren't following the rules. I followed the rules, mostly, and had a great time. As for safety, they put me in one of Clint Bowyers old cars and I'm not as tall as him. So they put a pillow in my seat.

[@mickangio16]

In the picture it shows a speed limit sign laying on the ground that reads 40 mph(?) Crash happened at 100 mph(?)

[@raceace701]

That’s sight is probably for the infield access roads and not the racing surface

[@davecarsley8773]

​@@raceace701 That's the speed limit for infield roads, not the roads they actually raced on.

[@Johnny-mq3mo]

I can go faster in a 90 Honda Civic this sucks if you want to go fast get about 20 or 30 people and rent out a mile and a half for around 4 hours and get some good racing insurance and a gen 5 mustang and let it rip

[@tednugentlives]

I drove Sterling Marlins old Cup car with a Bush cup engine, 650 hp..Got 144 mph. Petty driving class was a blast.

[@3-2-1-.]

My brother and I drove the Petty Experience at Daytona in 2010. We hit 145+ on the back straight. It was great. I've still got a DVD where you can see a jack rabbit jump onto the track from the outside of turn 3. By the time we got there, the rabbit was just hopping off the track to the infield. I forgot all about it, until I got the DVD. They told us in the driver's meeting, that anything you can imagine has happened on the track. They made it clear that any problem could cause us all to lose our opportunity to drive. I loved that we were in the car by ourselves, and got to go through the gears down pit lane onto the track. We just followed our instructor. My brother got me by one mile per hour, and I still haven't heard the end of it. This was before the repave.

[@tednugentlives]

I did the RPDE im 2002 at Texas Motoe Speedway..Piloting the car without an instructor I never felt unsafe. I did 7 laps at avg 144 mph, after a 1 hour classroom..This seems at best a freak accident. Traveling the wrong direction was a bad decision and the guard rail danger was a huge oversight. Obviously. Petty isnt really responsible since they did not design the track. Its tragic anyway..Many safe classes have been completed and racing in itself is dangerous but cars and safety equipment are designed for that reason.

[@babarian34]

145 mph? I drive that fast on the German autobahn lol

[@richardclipp1509]

It's sad to think that just a couple water barrels or a couple stacks of tires could have saved that mans life.

[@misseselise3864]

water-filled barriers are less effective during high speed impacts. not sure why they didn’t have tire barriers though. but like the friend said, it’s a freak thing that happened. they just hit the edge of the guardrail- a difference of literal inches could’ve made a world of a difference

[@aab350z]

@@misseselise3864 I read years ago they were driving the track backwards for some reason, and it had places where there was no safety barriers because cars were never intended to be driven in that direction. Just a couple bad decisions and one idiot driver is all it takes...

[@johnny72Racer1]

I am a 3rd generation racer at 63 years old. I have seen it all. This video shows why I like (but do not love road courses) we turn left and when a car gets away you have a split second decision to figure how to bring it back. A lot of times you could be only along for the ride. Sadly things like this happen. Read the back of your ticket stub and understand the pit sign in sheet. There are risks involved on any Saturday night or life in general.

[@ambushdrift]

This car was sitting in a Copart lot in Orlando for YEARS. stumbled across it when looking at a BRZ for my dad and it was YIKES.

[@caprad]

Gary was one of my best friends in racing and his family are the best people I've ever known. He ran wheel-to-wheel with future NASCAR driver David Stremme at the beginning of both their careers and should have gotten to the top...but he never had that right day/right time performance on a day that scouts happened to be watching. He was content and still raced occasionally. His death hit hard and still does. The driver of the car is also an outstanding young man who didn't deserve this burden. Bad things happened to a whole lot of good people that day. Godspeed Gary, I miss you, my friend. Hugs to his wife and daughter, the Terry's, and the Watson's.

[@jarm7726]

Wow I can't comprehend why they didn't upgrade the guardrails or simply run the direction the track was intended

[@denyscpoyner]

Too costly, then they would have to be reset to go the original way. They could have easily placed water filled plastic jersey walls, those could have saved him. Plus they can easily be taken out and the track doesn't have to be changed.

[@dathorndike4908]

Why would you ever race the wrong direction to begin with? That's not even a proper racing experience!

[@marcludwick512]

​@@dathorndike4908Look at the Indianapolis road course, they run counter to the oval on turn 1 and down the frontstretch. A lot of ovals use different configurations for a road course setup.

[@MrTrainstation]

@@Iceberg86300Watkins glen?

[@Iceberg86300]

​​​@@MrTrainstation I just deleted my comment b/c I was wrong to say always, and it gets slightly complicated and didn't warrant the language, but I'm still not happy with the presenter by any means. B/c NASCAR runs true road courses like Watkins Glen & Sonoma clockwise, street courses like Chicago clockwise, ovals counterclockwise, and the "true superspeedway" "rovals" like Daytona & Charlotte counterclockwise. IRL does the same to my knowledge. But COTA & Laguna Seca *_do_* run counterclockwise & there are a handful of other Grand Prix courses that also run counterclockwise. Total everything up & it's probably at least 2 to 3 in favor of clockwise road/street courses. So saying they were running the wrong direction isn't exactly a fair comment. Had he said wrong direction for existing safety feature design, I'd be 100% on board. But he didn't. Edit: NASCAR also ran/runs the Indy road course clockwise.

[@dondear9474]

I had driven that track at least 18 times with the Richard Petty experience. All the staff was great, they would watch you and could tell about your skills were on driving. What I saw at times were many that thought they were the best hot race drivers in the world. In fact they most times the worst. This is when the staff could see and would slow them down and end there experience.

[@jacko241]

I worked at RPDE from 2011 thru 2020. Gary hired me. I was told it was because of my extensive sports car racing experience, as they were starting up the exotic program. I did the exotic thing for a short time and told them I only wanted to give rides in the stock cars as I felt the exotic experience was extremely dangerous. Gary was a great guy and a talented racer and it was very sad what happened to him.

[@albondigas9549]

@@jacko241 you probably knew my friend Milt Minter.

[@jacko241]

@@albondigas9549 I knew who he was but didn't know him personally. Great racer.

[@austindoran9746]

I have a decklid from one of the disney stock cars 🙏 glad I got to see the track in person

[@jaspal666]

I’ve been an HPDE instructor for over 20 years. I sit in the car with the student with helmets and comms. Back when I started… 300hp was a lot of power. Now some kid can buy 400hp easily. Tune? 600-700. Safely is 1000% on the instructor’s minds and the CI has our back if there’s any issue. But yeah… I’ve been doing less and less instructing the older I get. Partially my real job conflicts with the events but those brutally fast cars has me concerned.

[@JamesCook-u9h]

Hpde needs to mandate full names as well

[@DaveFazzino]

The technology today means you can talk to your student without being in the car and putting the instructor at risk. Skip Barber schools have been doing this for decades with single seat formula cars where the instructors are at the corner stations and discuss with the drivers when they are in the pits. Is it good to have a instructor in the passenger seat with a 1st time or novice driver, yes but once they figure the lines out and pick up speed the instructor should be removed from the car. Your right back in the 80's a fast car had 250hp. Now they all have 2 to 3 times as much.

[@JamesCook-u9h]

@DaveFazzino I've always been against right seat instructors. To much going on for the student and to risky for the instructor. We have radios ,,videos corner workers telemetry etc to aid the student. There's been to many tragedies to continue the practice

[@DaveFazzino]

I was the coordinator of the CT BMWCCA drivers schools at Lime Rock Park in the 90's. I'm so proud that for the 7 years I ran our schools we had no major accidents or injuries. @@JamesCook-u9h

[@MrTL3wis]

If the rich guy asks you to ride right seat and you don't want to do it, then have him call his attorney and ask if it's a good idea. The attorneys never want the liability, so they'll tell the guy to not do it. Problem solved. I don't think the right seat work is worth it. We've lost too many good guys like Gary and since we can do the in-car vid system now, it's not even necessary. You're 100% right, though. We used to train guys in a 400 HP 996. Now we're trying to train them in 750 HP Challenge cars when they'd be 8 seconds off in a Miata. It's a stupid contest and every once in a while, we get a winner.

[@Noskywyd]

I did a school diorama on the walt Disney world speedway, i covered this incident on my project and got the highest marks

[@MrTL3wis]

I raced the first race there (mechanic) in '97. That makes me old, huh?

[@Noskywyd]

@@MrTL3wis maybe😭

[@kge420]

I did a Ferrari 488 drive in Maranello this past April. We rode out on back roads and my coach was encouraging me to go go go. I had way too much respect for the capabilities of the car and my lack of same. I had no desire to crash a Ferrari and worse injure someone. That being said it was the time of my life. What a thrill.

[@mikelliteras397]

I did the Disney Petty Experience and loved it. We lapped at 125mph max. We probably hit 150 max on the straight. My son and I went there later, around 2012, to talk to them about my son becoming an instructor. He had active SCCA Pro, an IMSA and NASA license. I looked the track over for 10 min and passed. The cars were too fast for the track for one thing. Too long of a straight/dogleg It wasn’t just the track, but the people coming in to drive. My son was 18 at the time and no 20-35 year old wanna be superstar is going to listen to him if they’re out of control and I’m not sure he would’ve even tried until they were in the wall. Then this kid gets killed less than a year later, and while relieved my son didn’t work there, it pissed me off. While mentioned a few things to the guy my son was going to see, they were all racers working there, someone should’ve known better but obviously nothing was done until someone died.

[@madmage2676]

They probably knew, they just didn't want to say anything and risk their dream job.

[@mikepoe5293]

I've been 160 on interstate and 210 mph on a long straight stretch in street legal cars the 160 was 3 days ago in a KIA K5 Turbo and the 200+ was in a 3000 GT Twin Turbo VR4....Don't need a Track

[@madmage2676]

@@mikepoe5293Tell us how selfish you are without saying the words.

[@jamiejones6994]

​@@mikepoe5293😮😂

[@thejman5552]

@@mikepoe5293 186 on two wheels haha

[@lilred986s3]

GT helped with my training on the RPDE stock car program for a week in 2007 at Disney. Super great guy, glad I got to meet him, so sad this happened to him. I was working with Xtreme when it happened. It was a huge eye-opener for all of us. My heart still goes out to his family.

[@iLikePlanez]

Gary Terry, what a Name. A great name for a great man. May he rest in peace. 🕊️

[@corvairjim1]

So sad, both for the Terry family and the young race fan who, sadly, lost control of a car that was probably much more powerful than anything he had driven before. We're all human, and humans make mistakes. This is a mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

[@C-WiL]

💯

[@cyclepath55555]

As it should...

[@deviantlord142]

@@cyclepath55555 fuck off man, it was a goddamn accident.

[@SeahawkSTRIKE]

@@cyclepath55555 whoever made the decision to run the cars opposite should feel that way clown

[@piedpiper1172]

@@cyclepath55555He didn’t design an experience that placed cars traveling in a direction where they could hit entirely unprotected guard rail ends. That is an egregious safety failure. It’s like saying the person who sits next to a fatality on a roller coaster should feel guilt for it. The designers of the experience who placed people in such obvious and preventable danger are the only ones who should feel guilty. Everyone else involved, including the customer driver, is a victim.

[@guillermopatlan3918]

Gary Terry told me i was a great extremest and gave me great safety tips on how to drift on the indi speedway! He was a great person all around the speedway. RIP GARY😢

[@423byniejr]

Did the Petty exp in Atlanta a while back, 1 hour film study, several laps in a window van at 80 mph with instructor showing the marks we were to hit. Did several solo laps following instructor, then back to classroom. After about 30 minutes back on the track for a few laps at 150 top speed. An adrenaline rush like no other.

[@tednugentlives]

Its freaky till the tires warm up..then they stick in the turns. A blast for sure.

[@mikenonya6382]

First time I heard of this. Condolences to everyone involved. I drove at Dover Speedway in the 90's and it was a great experience. They put 3 of us on the track at a time and a pace car in front with an experienced race driver. A day I will never forget.

[@jasonlasher8615]

Wow. The fact that they drove against the appropriate orientation of the Armco... That's damn near criminal. One of the few things I hang my life on when racing is that the barriers will save me rather than be situated such that they'll kill me

[@chevy4x466]

Yup, that killed him. This kid went to the camp cuz he wanted to learn to drive fast in a safe and responsible manner. We see pro drivers mess up, the kid has to live with something awful. I also can’t imagine being an instructor and having to ride along with amateur drivers. I have a teenage daughter, her driving scares me. I can’t imagine going 150 with people that don’t know how to drive.

[@spageddie3266]

Amen Agreed 💯 % !!!

[@LasVegas68]

I did the RPDE at Las Vegas motor speedway years ago. Since I had no prior experience in a race car I let up on the throttle going into the corners, because I didn't know how much I could push it and I didn't want to put the car into the wall. I had a fabulous time for sure!

[@novadude1968]

Gary was a awesome guy, he also was my instructor, we talked about his Mom and Dad having a place up in North Canada they rented out just so so sad when I had seen this had happened. I will never forget you and our little talk and special of a day I had with you in that black Ferrari. RIP. The only control they had was to dial the throttle down, and in no way I felt unsafe and felt in full control of the car, I hit 120 mph.

[@cammacisaac9966]

It was interesting to see the incar footage with the one driver and instructor only wearing helmets. I did a ride along in 2004 at Walt Disney World Speedway in a NASCAR Cup car and I had to wear a firesuit, helmet and HANS device plus a 5 point harness in a proper racing seat and the driver was the same. I don't know what happened over the years but I felt very safe that day.

[@MrAngerthis]

That's exactly why they where only wearing standard equipment seat belts for the supercar and a helmet as those cars are glorified street cars AKA super cars not a race car like what you got to drive you had to wear all the safety equipment because you can't have one and not the other because of things like the fuel cell is in the trunk not under the car hence why you had to wear a fire suit and it's the racing experience so they give you the full experience hope that answers your thought to why they were only wearing helmets

[@DestroyerH6]

What’s even crazier is I knew Gary and his family through racing and they’re from my hometown. I miss seeing him race RIP my friend

[@RPJ12]

How is that crazy

[@DestroyerH6]

@@RPJ12 I never expected to see a documentary style video like this made

[@JeremyArnold-y9u]

He had to be nervous seeing a non driving black take the wheel.. they truly can’t drive or do anything beneficial to humanity.

[@Slugg-O]

I had a super great instructor when I did my laps. He looked like he was in his early 30's but I can't say it was Gary. I'm just very sorry to hear that anyone was killed. The NASCAR experience was an absolute blast and far more realistic than I expected. I hotrodded and raced when I was young but the RP cars were on another level. My sincere condolences go out to the families of all involved.

[@heliotropeslogbender3833]

G'day, I did the Richard Petty Driving Experience twice and Gary was my instructor both times. I really enjoyed both trips there as we were at Disney anyway and my wife insisted I give it a try. Gary gave me friendly grief as I was a long time drag racer and he told me not to forget to turn at the end of each straight. During my pitstop I was told that I was doing extremely well and the car was running full tune. I lapped the other guy on the track 4 times the first time I was there but wasn't quite as fast the next year. It was fun.

[@tbest29]

Richard Petty and his family are kind and honest people. I’ve met them all since I worked close to their home at level cross. Accidents do happen driving a high powered vehicle. It is a sad occasion. Richard Petty is such a giving person. Very sad indeed for both families.

[@ItzMzJulez2U]

Did you catch the Dale Jr. Download with Richard & Kyle? It was one of the very best, and you can tell how much Jr. respects The King!🏁❤️

[@tbest29]

@@ItzMzJulez2U I will have to take a look at that film clip. Being an NC boy and one that’s been around a few years, I feel blessed to have been able to meet Richard and to see Kyle at the diner in Randleman NC..( right down the street from level cross.) Then there is Dale Jr.!! What a great young man/ man! I would love to check out the clip you mentioned. Thank you for the suggestion. Hickory isn’t too far from High Point..Charlotte is about an hour and 10 minutes away. Lots of drivers live in the area but more towards where Dale grew up. He lives 30 minutes or so outside of Charlotte. That’s west of where I’m at. Thanks again!!!

[@ItzMzJulez2U]

@@tbest29 I’m just a fan, but I am so proud of Jr. and how well he’s doing nowadays. Amy was Heaven sent, and was by his side thru the concussions/recovery, and loss of loved ones. (Brenda, MawMaw, and Danny.) DJD is available here on YT, just so ya know!🙂

[@tbest29]

@@ItzMzJulez2U Heaven sent is an understatement. Juniors family is just awesome. Junior was blessed. I hated to see Fake Dale senior would have loved her. That being said, I was never a Teresa fan!!

[@ItzMzJulez2U]

@@tbest29 Typo? LOL, same!

[@ItzMzJulez2U]

I drove the Texas Motor Speedway Driving Experience 20 yrs ago, 10 laps, 150 mph with an instructor. Best money I’ve ever spent on myself, celebrating my bday & divorce! It was loud, hot, and draining, but I loved it! No Earnhardt cars were an option, so I chose Smoke’s orange #20.🏁❤️🏁

[@MrAngerthis]

The best divorce President any car nut could have must have been fun and just think how some people think Nascar is not a sport and to easy doing a buck 50+ lap after lap and tell me it was easy I know it could not have been fun hell yeah but not easy

[@ItzMzJulez2U]

@@MrAngerthis Thx. It was a blast, even as I was thinking, I can’t imagine doing this for 3 hrs! But as a car/old school NASCAR gal, I’m glad I did it.🙂

[@stanparker9556]

​@@ItzMzJulez2Ulots of respect, I can relate. Depending on what state you live in I'd recommend buying a motorcycle. I have a very powerful but good bike for a rocket and it's a super sport for sure. You don't have to give it everything but when you're ready it's there. Just throwing it out there.

[@ItzMzJulez2U]

@@stanparker9556 Thanks Stan. Been there, done that! My motorcycle days are over, enjoying a quiet retirement at home, which I’ve earned!🙂😉

[@stanparker9556]

@@ItzMzJulez2U I'm only touching 40 soon. Been riding ten years. Michigan isn't ideal but it's beautiful if you can handle the cold 4-5 months a year. Enjoy retirement.

[@fishingwithkar4871]

I had to do some digging on the old interwebs but I did find pictures of that car without the blue tarp. That car was destroyed.

[@fastone371]

Got links??

[@dcrasta]

I've done SCCA HPDE events. You drive your own car, however the instructor ride along really teaches you a lot of things. Also SCCA events usually have a skidpad where you can learn some of the low speed dynamics of your car. The professionalism of the SCCA and their emphasis on safety is impressive. I feel sorry for all involved in this tragic incident. I believe the organization made many mistakes with how they ran this program, and the tragic outcome that affected all of the families is so sad. Prayers for all who experience these situations.

[@charliesgrumma5388]

Took the RPDE at Martinsville Speedway years ago. We did the ride along and the drive. Had we not taken the ride along first we wouldn't have pushed the cars near as hard because we had no way of knowing how well these cars stick to the track. There are like 8 cars there and they are divided into 3 classes. There are 2 cars for skinny people, 4 cars for regular size people, and 2 cars for fat people. The #20 Tony Stewart Home Depot Chevrolet was a fat person car there. The seat is wider to accommodate people up to about 350 pounds (I guess), but the hole in the door you crawl through is the same size as all the rest so if you ever want to drive a race car remember that. Also, we only got 8 laps for $500, and we had to follow a "professional driver" around the track and were forbidden to pass. My driver went 96 mph but the driver in front of Grummpa only went 93 and Grummpa was ticked off all weekend because the driver wouldn't let him go or get out of his way. We did the driving experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and it was far more enjoyable. The "spotter" talks to you on the headset and after 2 laps at 3000 rpm he tells you to bump it up to 4000 and then up to 5000 rpm. The engine rev limiter is set to 5200 rpm and if you feather the gas pedal just right you can average 164mph on the track. Well, Grummpa did, I got 157mph but both tracks, even the half mile Martinsville track, you run it in high gear as fast as you can. You never downshift or let off the gas pedal in a curve.

[@p71nero]

A lot of people ask me why I don't want to instruct at track days, stuff like this is why. Multiple people including an instructor have died in accidents at SpeedVegas as well, which is a local "driving experience" track.

[@ARUSApacecarHAMPTON]

I did Bristol. Loved it. Now I own part of a champ car endurance series team. Pro tip “ don’t buy a race car “.

[@xjarhea]

I’m a track driving coach of nearly 20 years. I coach both teen and older drivers. In the organizations I coach with we nearly always use the students street car. I’ve only ever been in a couple of spins or off track excursions. We provide over an hour of driving and safety guidance before anyone goes on track. I thing that students implicitly understand that if they wreck their car it’s probably not covered by insurance and it’s a LONG walk home. That said, even with passenger side pedals I would NEVER get into a hyper/super car with a 24 year old who has only watched a short video. The crash shown here is well known by most driving coaches and well covered here. We get into cars with students in the hope that the skills learned in a driving school may make them a better driver on the street.

[@williamrizzo1285]

I did this at the Miami Homestead race track, it was awesome. They had the revelimeter set to 5000 R. P. M. But I held it wide open in the turns. I could smell the tire rubber, I hit just over 136mph.

[@csxjim]

I always wondered when I did the Nascar ride along if he was my driver in 2013. His name was Gary and he was really cool. Never seen his face though but I think it was him.

[@F8Tributo]

I went out with the "Mario Andretti and Jeff Gordon Driving Experience". In the driver's meeting, they stressed in no uncertain terms that we should never touch the locking ring on the steering wheel, or the wheel could come off and we could have a fatal accident. Then after being belted into the IndyCar trainer, their CHIEF MECHANIC put the steering wheel on, but didn't make sure the locking ring was clicked into its detent. I noticed this and pointed it out to their Chief Mechanic. He didn't acknowledge his mistake, just pulled the ring and clicked the wheel into the right place on the shaft. After ALL THAT CAUTIONING in the driver's meeting, this bozo was going to send me out at 185 mph on the high banked oval of California Speedway with a loose steering wheel. Unbelievable incompetence. Incredibly unprofessional staff. Just an accident waiting to happen. The left rear tire blew, but since we're making all left hand turns, I did not hit the wall. (Whew!) Later that day in another car, I did max out at 185 mph, the fastest of any participant, and the fastest that car would go. So then the engine blew! Oil sprayed out on the track. Their same CHIEF MECHANIC blamed ME for the engine blowing! That INDYCAR trainer is a one-speed car- you cant shift it, there's nothing the driver can do to harm the engine. Except drive it at the limit, and if it breaks, that's the fault of the equipment or their maintenance, not the driver. Might have starved for oil on the high banked turns. Most participants pussy-foot around at much slower speeds, so the cars aren't that stressed. Chief Mechanic was an idiot in charge of mayhem. They should have called it the "Mario Andretti + Jeff Gordon Fatal Accident Waiting to Happen Driving Experience"

[@jefferypitts343]

I can't believe the elemental problem of racing back wards, it's counter-intuitive, and tragic.

[@Ron-zi3cg]

Didn't know they ever had any accidents there, not till just now (2024)February. 😢😢😢😢😢 My sympathies and condolences to this family this family. RIP DRIVER 😢😢😢

[@Oats-yi5sf]

Mom had 1971 Buick Skylark. Sometimes at traffic light mom would say hold on. Car pushing me back into the seat and smoke rolling off the tires. Awesome feeling. Car parked in driveway. Me behind the steering wheel pretending to be racing. Then early 80s my brother got his driver's license and Mom gave him the Skylark. My brother could not handle the power and FUBAR the car showing off. He was fine. But I was upset because I really liked that car.

[@brianclifton9988]

I did the nascar experience in 2018 , just has Richard petty name on it. 150mp at Charlotte. so sorry about this. one water barrel at the garden rail could of saved him.

[@scotcoon1186]

I'm half way through and haven't heard a key bit of info. Douglas Bergeron bought majority holding in Petty Enterprises around 2008, in order to take ownership of the Petty driving school, with no real interest in the race team. That's why it was Richard Petty Motorsports from 08 or 09, til Jimmy Johnson took partial ownership 2 years ago. The Petty family, despite their name being on the building, has had nothing to do with the racing experience for 15-16 years.

[@rhodaborrocks1654]

We had an annual event at our local race track where they used the track in the opposite direction and a similar accident happened, a car went through a gap in the armco that was not accessible lapping in the designed direction and wrapped itself around a tree, paralysing the driver who died prematurely a couple of years later. Many people raised safety concerns about this but nobody listened until somebody got hurt. Fortunately to date that was the last time they did that and hopefully somebody will remember what happened in case there's ever thoughts of trying that again.

[@scottiswatchingtele]

i heard about this, but never knew of the cars switching directions. i've driven several lambos and they are touchy but never driven one this fast. absolutely heartbreaking to know these details.

[@BamaDega]

I took Dale Jarrett Racing a few times, mainly a decade ago. It was raining at Talladega and they let me take my 1996 Toyota Camry around. I lifted @ 159 mph in the tri-oval but it was epic.

[@Bo-hb3eo]

If I were an instructor, I would never ride in a car with a student driving. I would drive the car to instruct them. Then when it’s time for them to go solo… it would be just that, them going solo. There’s no way I would trust an inexperienced driver with my life in their hands. Just a terrible mistake. Never, ever!

[@madmage2676]

You know nothing about HPDE driving and instructing do you? At some point, a student has to be the driver. You can either have them be the driver with no instructor, or with an instructor. Statistics show that with an instructor is much safer than without. It's a high risk activity, everyone who engages in it should (and usually do) know this. It's a tragedy every time someone is injured or killed doing a high risk activity, but it is a risk they chose to take.

[@MrAngerthis]

​@@madmage2676Agreed and I am sure the instructor(s) got paid what it was worth and a good instructor would always want the best training for a student. A good driver is only made by a good instructor

[@natural-born_pilot]

@@madmage2676well said I commend you. I strongly recommend anyone wanting to go the exotic driving experience to first sign up to one of the HPDE organizations operating in there area. The wealth of knowledge and experience will not only allow for a better driving experience when you go but also make you a much better and safer driver in hi-speed, hi-performance driving. Licensed member ProAuto Sports.

[@SarasotaRainBarrels]

Wait until you hear how people learn to fly airplanes. 😂

[@ryankelly2828]

Ya well you aren’t an instructor….

[@OnlinecarshowNet1]

I did this in vegas in a mclaren. I agree with everything you said but disagree that it should be shutdown. Yes it was dangerous, yes i could have died, but thats a choice i made getting into the car. Just like he did... we cant remove freedoms because a bunch of karens worries more people will die. They probably will, and more people will want to drive even knowing this. How many people die yearly to STDs, but you dont see sex being outlawed. People enjoy racing with the same passion. Im one of those...

[@DrDemented9885]

💯

[@username69420h]

Why would they drive the track in reverse? the walls are designed for one direction only so this does not happen. the most negligent part of the whole thing

[@brucebeauvais1324]

For the most part, US road racing runs clockwise while US oval tracks run clockwise.

[@leeannbarber2820]

My brother always wanted to drive these fast cars. He went to Las Vegas and drove them. It’s on his instagram account. That was on his bucket list. He passed away in 2020

[@higherstandard710]

I did the “dream racing” in las. Vegas. In a hurrican and Porsche gt2 and my driving instructor didn’t have any peddles on his side. One time I braked to late he was yelling break! And it locked up and I slide through the grass. My guess is this car didn’t have those peddles too. They was only on the nascar Richard petty vehicles….

[@naturekid1335]

I did the rusty wallace version of this several years ago. We all had radios in our helmet with a spotter in the tower, that would say things like "#19, slow it down, your not that good" i think one guy still managed to kiss the wall though

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Very interesting video. Thanks for posting this.

[@settledontheprairie5524]

I enjoyed my Richard Petty Driving Experience at Daytona in 2013. My average lap times were in the 155-157 range, nearly lapping another driver. My top speed was 167. There’s nowhere else I’d have that opportunity for only a few hundred dollars. At the same time, my Father in Law did a ride along at higher speeds than my driving. He enjoyed that very much.

[@AdamMc2003]

I did the Xtreme Driving Experience in NOLA a few months ago and drove a Ferrari 488 GTB and will tell you, they don’t have any kind of brakes on the instructor side or anything else. They do make you keep TCS on and won’t let you paddle shift the cars anymore(they told us because they had two Porsche GT4 engines destroyed within 60 days of each other due to overreving) It had a relatively short backstretch and I still hit speeds in excess of 145mph and that first curve comes up on you quick. I was surprised they would let people get to those kind of speeds with basically zero training. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it and had a blast but they are definitely taking a huge gamble

[@danshobbies13]

I did the Pocono racing experience. It was so much fun. I’d love to do it again.

The school ended at WDW had plans to demolish the track in 2015-16! The terrible accident just moved the action plan up several month. They ran the clockwise direction because that is how you run the road course. the stock cars run counter clockwise on the oval because the driver is not on the concrete walls. The young man that was driver worked for Disney.

[@My_Abby]

I did a few lap ride along and then a 8 lap ride by myself up at the track in Louden, NH. a few years ago. It is a short oval and I did it in one of the NASCAR looking cars. It was fun and I don’t think you really get going all that fast. I thought of going back and trying one on the super car events where they use the longer road course and you do not get to drive alone. I ended up not doing it since I bought my own 2019 GS Vette since then :-)

[@aacar4095]

I’ve done several HPDEs in my own car. You really need to work your way up, but spinning out is something that can happen to anyone (I’ve certainly done it…heck, a simple lift of the throttle in the middle of a turn can sometimes do it). The barrier going the wrong way/not protected is the issue here in my opinion, but anytime you’re at high speeds, risks inherently increase. Insurance companies are the best at statistically identifying risks…hence why they ask you when getting a life insurance policy “do you do extrem sports, do you race, do you skydive, etc”.

[@stevepayne3094]

It's insane to run any track in reverse with no modification. The poor guy driving, every bit as the poor guy who lost his life in this deeply tragic accident, did absolutely nothing wrong. I reckon having that kind of spin running trackwise would be almost unremarkable except for the cost of some lambo bodywork. But I hope whoever signed off on that reversed road course has trouble sleeping at night. If you haven't seen it, find a video of Verstappen driving an F1 car the wrong way around Spa-Francorchamps. It's remarkable how much more fearsome that track feels when so many of its safety features not only point the wrong way, but seem to be incredible hazards in their own right...

[@larryplummer9154]

That track is scary going the normal way I couldn't imagine going the opposite.

[@216Numbskull]

AKA "Polish Victory Lap" famously created by Alan Kulwicki in his no.7 car back in the day. But even the Polack knew better to drive at a low speed in the opposite direction on the track with a victory lap win! 😂😜🤣 Just saying...

[@JasonYouTube]

You do know that they weren't driving in REVERSE right? They were driving FORWARD in DRIVE , just going around the track clockwise vs counter clockwise. The whole this is you pad the guardrails in the direction of travel ( IE Clockwise) so you don't pad the back. But when they went other direction , the back becomes the front and is unpadded and not protected.

[@CombatInfantryVeteran]

First problem was the track named "Walt Disney" ~ Left turns only

[@ryancheyne7991]

😂😂😂😂😂 best comment

[@dev1360]

He was a Nazi, tho.

[@Rufus_McMillian]

Easy to criticize after the fact and this channel is good for it

[@RedlineVulpine]

I did the ANDRETTI EXPERIENCE in NC a couple of years ago and it was awful. My dad, wife and I paid $1000 each to take a Indy car around Charlotte Speedway for 24 laps. They did a lot wrong and frankly stole some of our money from us, but the most egregious thing is that they did not put the fitted seat into the Indy car so while we were rounding turns at over 150 mph we were just sliding around on the inside of the car on a platform where the fitted seat was supposed to rest and we had to use our arm to brace ourselves in place while experiencing all the g-forces. It was dangerous, uncomfortable, rude, and someone is going to get killed because of the lazy, incompetent people they employ that hate their jobs. It was a disgrace to the Andretti name and I'm sure they would be furious to know how bad their experience was.

[@blingbling574]

I'm an NHRA stock driver and owner. I see teams ride the line on safety to make their cars 1/10 of a second faster. Those no-prep outlaw racing guys really gamble. The setups are twitchy/iffy. That 1000HP Supra is a death-trap in the hands of an inexperienced driver.

[@blakem9109]

Little sidenote, I'm not sure how much ownership or control Richard Petty has ever had over the driving experience. Robert (Bob) J. Lutz started the Richard Petty Driving Experience in the early 90's. He sold it in 1997 and started the Mario Andretti Racing Experience. Then later started the Jeff Gordon Racing School which became the NASCAR Racing Experience. In 2017 he bought back the RPDE as best I can tell still owns it.

[@doechsli]

I believe Petty has no investment in the RPDE. He was paid to use his name.

[@erictroxell715]

Great video. Id Heard of this, but we need to remember he had a family first n foremost!! So sad

[@brewcrew5854]

is this similar to the 1961 reds kagle crash at world 600 where the rails over lap normally with the same direction of vehicle so next piece is under previous one to "reduce chance " of the impaling effect if crash into a union of rails ? there is times i have heard that installation was done wrong but not corrected

[@swedesspeedshop2518]

No way I’d ever get in the passenger seat of a supercar with an inexperienced driver no matter how much I was getting paid

[@RaceMentally]

We got paid $150 a day fyi. Then went to hourly after the IRS has issues with the company 10-99 us. Then went to $15hr and 4-8 hr days. That’s exotics racing. Trash French owners.

[@FlyingBuzzard]

I have drove my personal car over 100 mph + on a highway, so have others , to talk about inexperience on a track with an instructor is absurd. How else do you learn unless you drive on the track and near real speeds? same as a Pilot in an aircraft. You can not learn most things behind a desk or a simulator . It takes reality to learn and do it right . Things happen everyday and when it's your time to go, nothing is going to change that fact, nope not laying in a bed or setting behind a desk

[@generalgrant3189]

Ridiculous comment

[@FlyingBuzzard]

Mindless reply@@generalgrant3189

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

A guardrail at a 100 mph track with no roll cages , with inexperienced drivers . Pure genius .

[@Chaos_God_of_Fate]

When I first heard about this program my first thought was 'I wonder how long this will go on before someone gets killed or seriously hurt and the program will end'. I don't know how anyone is surprised that this happened at all, it was only a matter of time. I still think it's a cool idea and we shouldn't let things like this stop the rest of us from having fun, as long as we understand the dangers, with this it's pretty clear what the dangers are.

[@Leahi84]

I really wish they'd let you sign a waiver and/or pay more money to drive faster than 150 in the stock cars. Thats so bloody slow, for me at least.

[@rickyestes7477]

Maybe a little slow in the straight aways but not in the curves.. everyone's not a pro driver like you

[@garyszewc3339]

​@@rickyestes7477 when it's at Daytona, you barely turn the wheel at 180. The bank turns the car.

[@rickyestes7477]

@@garyszewc3339 anything could have happened that's why it's called an accident... something could have broke, something on the track even a sneeze could make him lose control at that speed

[@madmage2676]

Get your own car, get a racing license and get on track. Then you can go as fast as you are capable of.

[@216Numbskull]

@Leahi84, You think so huh... When's the last time you were clocking a buck 50+ pedal to the metal in a car? Please, I'm all ears while you're BSin'! Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Goooo...! "That's so bloody slow." GTFOH & kick rocks with that silly shlt, seriously. 😂😜🤣 Blah,ha,ha!!!

[@JakeP2013]

I don't think it can be overstated just how careless it was to have the cars run in the reverse direction without updating the walls, it's why most circuits cant be run in reverse, boot up almost any track in a racing sim and drive it backwards and you'll immediately notice many unsafe wall openings. I can't remember where I read this, so it may not even be true. but apparently Gary's last words were "I told them this would happen"

[@Miata822]

If you want to drive fast and actually learn how to do it w/o embarrassing yourself, check out a local on-track driving school. I don't mean racing school, but something like guided HPDE. There are several in my area and probably in yours too. Some supply cars (not Lamborghinis) and some let you drive your own. Learning to push a normal car to its actual limits in a controlled and safe way is a real eye-opener, even for street drivers who think that they are fast. One weekend on track with a professional tutor will have an amazing impact on your confidence behind the wheel and get you ready for that Lamborghini.

[@christosswc]

The gurdrail thing, that's criminal negligence. It's not something they wouldn't have noticed or understood how dangerous it is. Reminded me of something when, many years ago I tuned into formula 1 qualifying for the Hockenheim GP, and at some point of the lap I was struck by seeing the outside wall suddenly come towards the drivers at a steep angle rather than running parallel to the track. I couldn't believe my eyes, that was extremely dangerous as it meant a car leaving the road and hitting that wall would be basically hitting it at an almost 90 degree angle, practically head on, so it would have to shed all it's speed on the spot. With everything that had happened in F1 up to that point and the knee-jerk reaction to increase safety, which included redisigning and destroying many of F1's greatest tracks and corners, how'd they miss/allow that, I couldn't wrap my head around it. On the next day Villeneve, who was racing at the time in F1, mentioned the exact same thing. We use elaborate devices like HANS and SAFER barrier to protect drivers and yet some people still manage to screw up the most basic things when ti comes to safety.

[@ffwdw]

I worked at the track for 15yrs. And Gary was my housemate for several years when he moved to Florida. And I will say there is quite a bit of wrong information in this video.

[@frevazz3364]

Like???

[@MI325A]

I always wanted to go there because it was a similar setup to Pocono track. Nonetheless, as with all fatalities such as these, it is very sad....especially when a veteran such as Gary loses his life. I agree....the track was NEVER designed for the travel with the CGs that are placed on the vehicles. Sad story that hopefully can learn a good lesson.

[@StormyTuesday5108]

Pocono, another dangerous track

[@chloehennessey6813]

1:00 $3,000 seems like a lot. But the fuel you’re burning alone is close to $1000 itself lol 😂😂

[@whippetcanister4278]

i’m from right around orlando my long time gf is from orlando we’re both big racing fans and i’ve never heard of this, such a tragedy man. one of those situations where there was multiple things not right and it’s sad that an innocent man lost his life a family lost their father/husband and a young man has some real trauma he has to deal with for the rest of his life. one of my motivations in life to work hard is to b blessed to drive amazing cars after what happened to that poor young man i wouldn’t be able to look at high end sports cars the same for the rest of my life. probably could’ve won a lawsuit himself but didn’t want to deal with it which is completely understandable

[@garyszewc3339]

I feel jipped. I did the racing experience at Daytona, one of the fastest tracks, and the remotely limited engine. You only got up to about 125, before the rev limiter kicked in.

[@gman1time]

It’s a damn shame. This man lost his life to the negligence of the track owners and the experience. The experience was deadly and it happened. They should pay for the negligence.

[@c.d.8975]

What did Richard Petty have to say about the incident?

[@mikulitsi1819]

What an unnecessary death caused by them deciding to let people drive the track clockwise instead of counterclockwise...

[@addicted4life575]

That’s super sad for both families.

[@JRH99]

Guard rails on any race track is bad news. drag, dirt oval, and nascar.

[@ItsTheNada]

Tracks are engineered with possible collisions meticulously considered. Also, high horsepower mid engined cars handle so much differently than regular commuter cars. Sadly, it sounds like that incident was bound to happen and it was just a matter of who and when.

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

Instead of the Richard Petty Experience he got the Adam Petty Experience. Tough scene.

[@davidwhite-mr2xb]

Trust me dude i was a driver instructor for the racing experience and i have tons of insder news and not all good. If you want to discuss it I'd be glad to.

[@patrickisswayze3446]

I'd want to hear about it. Something about that track always seemed off. Almost creepy. Even back when it was active the place gave off a bad vibe. I can't imagine the management that came in after were any better.

[@BMarie774]

I feel like this concept is always destined to be dangerous. People will by nature feel safer. They’ll think “I’m doing a driving experience” and that’ll take away from the fact that..no..you’re still just driving a super car or race car around. It’s not safer, it’s not a ride or attraction that just SEEMS risky, it really is. I feel like people could become careless in associating this with a “ride”.

[@Eric_W]

What a shame! RIP Gary! I think the young man driving has a lawsuit too... his safety was at risk by them allowing him to drive the opposite way, which was not safe to do so... even OSHA fined them for it!

[@Isaiah-pv3cr]

I did a ride-along at Charlotte. I went 170 mph.

[@timframpton1965]

The petty driving experience is way better than the rusty Wallace experience when it come to very good equipment very knowledgeable instructors I've done both of these I will never do the rusty Wallace experience again the round track cars were absolute junk

[@bermchasin]

absolutely insane they didnt update the guardrails and even put addition protections.

[@mustangracer5124]

Having driven a Porsche, I know these cars 'stick until they don't' .. when they let loose they are 100% out of control, no warning ever!.. it can be a small item or a puddle the size of a dinner plate.

[@eddiebruce2961]

Hell I've been 125 mph on a regular highway in a few of my past cars.My Toyota paseo could only do 105

[@WoodLox]

Alterations that change the tracks intended purpose and or function should have been approved by an engineer before use. Public roads and safety are further DOT approved.

[@bozz3002]

you know what you signed up for ..shouldn't be able to sue

[@xn--g5h6690ovb]

i can't finish this video, the whistling S's were driving me nuts

[@TmcIIIvideo]

And the painful, repeated “MILES PER HOUR” over and over is douche patrol….just say 180 or 150…….jeeeeesus!

[@Gurn_Blanston]

Lamborghinis don't handle like Nissan Altimas or stolen Dodge Chargers.

[@carwashadamcooper1538]

And that's the damn truth.

[@boothr59]

Thats true but this all happened long before that was a norm