Sweaty palms, mouth as dry as a sauna stone, butterflies the size of pterodactyls.

Now it's time to have fun.

The deep bass roar of a 600-horsepower engine vibrates your guts as if you were standing in front of a bank of loudspeakers at a rock concert.

Ease out the clutch.

Hallelujah! You didn't stall out in front of 50 strangers.

Hit 4,000 rpm. Shift. Hit 4,000 rpm. Shift again. Power out of the first curve. Shift again. Put the pedal down and keep your eyes on the bumper in front of you.

Scream down the straightaway at 120 mph or thereabouts. Repeat eight times.

The Richard Petty Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway is a ride for big boys and girls. After all, no roller coaster ride includes instructions on how to trigger the cockpit fire extinguisher.

The Rookie Experience is a three-hour program that puts you behind the wheel of a NASCAR-style race car for eight laps around a one-mile oval track. The goal, instructors say, is to get you around the track in about 40 seconds, at a top speed of 122 mph.

There's nothing to it, says instructor Derek Slade.

"Stay three car lengths behind and stay in our tire tracks and you'll do fine," Slade repeats again and again as he preps Ricky Bobby wannabes in driving jumpsuits.

Of course, if it were that easy, the field would be much more crowded at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The inside of a stock car is hot and loud. The helmet, Hans device and safety harness are restrictive. Claustrophobes may get the heebie-jeebies. And tailgating at 100 mph comes unnaturally to most of us.

But what a rush.

If you want to leave the driving to someone else — and go a bit faster — the Ride-Along Program puts you in the passenger's seat for three laps at up to 145 mph.

IF YOU GO

The Rookie Experience is $403.64; the Ride-Along is $105.44. You must be able to drive a stick shift for the Rookie Experience.

More information: 1-800-237-3889

IF YOU DON'T GO:

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is available at race tracks across the country, including Atlanta Motor Speedway.