Like so many others her age, Gloria Brown, 64, admits to keeping a “bucket list” of accomplishments she’d like to tick off. One of those items, inspired by her love of NASCAR, was driving a race car around a professional track.
On April 2, Brown crossed that goal off her list. The Marietta resident spent a Saturday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, learning how to handle a racer and then getting behind the wheel for six laps around the track.
“I’m an adventurer, but I never thought I’d have the chance to do something like this,” admits Brown. “I’m coming up on my 65th birthday in June, and I wanted to do something really fun. When a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go do this, I jumped at the chance.”
The day began with a one-hour driving review that covered the basics from handling the steering wheel to changing gears. After the lesson, Brown and one other woman who were part of the 60-person class climbed into a van that took them on a drive around the track to familiarize them with the layout. Then it was time to get behind the wheel.
“They left out the part about how you get in the car; there’s no door, so you climb in the window,” said Brown. “That was really funny for someone who is 5-foot, 3-inches.”
Brown donned a helmet and was strapped into the vehicle with a five-part harness she likens to a baby's car seat. “It’s so tight you can barely breathe; you really are part of the car,” she said. “And there’s no part of you that’s not covered up in some way.”
But being strapped in meant the petite Brown couldn’t reach the starter button. “I’m so short that one of the pit guys had to start my car for me,” she said with a laugh.
An instructor accompanied Brown in the car, and the two communicated with a series of hand signals. Brown followed his directions to speed up, slow down and pass as they drove six laps. Without a speedometer, there was no way to measure her exact speed, but based on the RPMs, Brown guesses she easily hit 125 miles per hour.
“The best part was passing two other guys who were going much slower,” she said. “There were only about five cars on the track, so it wasn’t very dangerous. But I know it was fast; it seemed like it was over before it started.”
Brown had friends take photos of the event so she can make a picture book of “Nana and the Race Car” for her 2-year-old grandson. She’s also looking for her next adventure.
“Life is too short; you’ve got to do all the things you want while you’re young enough to enjoy them,” she said. “I’m thinking about ziplining over the jungle in Costa Rica next.”
Though Brown said the racetrack session taught her some new lessons about handling a car, driving around Atlanta will never hold the same excitement.
“One thing was for sure: it made driving home on I-75 very boring,” she said. “I’ll never get that kind of rush on the interstates.”
"Milestones" covers significant events and times in the lives of metro Atlantans. Big or small, well-known or not -- tell us of a Milestone we should write about. Send information to hm_cauley@yahoo.com; call 404-514-6162; or mail to Milestones, c/o Jamila Robinson, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30346.
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