Joe and Jamie's Blog

I finally got to cash in my birthday present on Monday. My parents purchased a 20 Mile Super Speedway Program, part of the Stock Car Racing Experience at Pocono Raceway. This program allows me to drive a 600hp stock car around the 2.5 mile Super Speedway for 8 laps, reaching speeds over 160MPH.

When my father booked it he got a free 3-lap ride-along for free, so we gave that to Jamie. She got to ride in a car with an instructor who went around 170MPH for 3 laps. She thought it was awesome and crazy fast. Around the first turn she thought she was going to slam into the wall.

Now I spent around an hour in class watching videos on safety, the track, and how to operate the car. We took a test run in a big van around the track so we could see all the markers we saw on the videos. After getting fitted in the racing fire suit and helmet, I waited my turn to strap in and drive one of those puppies. Well over an hour went by and of course, I was the last person to go. Not fun waiting in 90 degree heat and sun in a fire suit. Anyway, it was absolutely awesome to drive. It’s amazing how much damn power they have. The turns felt sketchy the first few laps, but I got used to them after awhile. I got up to around 8500 RPMs, which is over 160MPH, just amazingly awesome. Needless to say this is probably the best gift I’ve gotten so far, even trumps my first laptop and Xbox.

Click here for more information on the stock car that I drove.
Click here for more information on the driving programs they offer.

Enjoy the videos and pictures from the day.

Happy Birthday to me! Sad that I have to blog about my own birthday, (grrr Jamie) but that’s another issue.

I am 24 years old now, getting pretty old I guess. I asked for a simple birthday, just a nice family dinner, wanted everyone to save their money really. There isn’t any need for a big hoopla in between 21 and 30 anyway. To celebrate, I asked to go to O’sho Japanese Steakhouse on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie. We all haven’t been there in many years, so it was time for a visit.

The dinner was great. By some stroke of luck we got our own table which was nice. We all were stuffed by the end of the meal. I felt like the guy from Monty Python’s Life of Brian (hope you all know what I mean). Everything that came off that hibachi was delicious, couldn’t get enough of it.

After we took some pictures in the rain of the building for this blog, we went home to digest some food before cake. A few hours later we sat around the table and had cake while I opened my presents. Everyone hates shopping for me because I either want stuff that is really expensive, I already own everything they think of, or the gift that they want to get me is technical so I would have to ensure they purchase the right one. I am a big movie buff and own quite the collection of DVDs, up near 400 last time I checked. Like usual, I only asked for some DVDs for my birthday. Love getting a whole bunch and adding to the collection.

To my surprise, my parents got me a very awesome gift. They gave me tickets to the 20 Mile Super Speedway Program from Stock Car Racing Experience at Pocono Raceway. This program puts you behind the wheel and driving a 600 hp Stock Car on the 2.5 mile Super Speedway for 8 laps, reaching speeds of 165mph. I am in 100% complete control of the car by myself. No instructors or experienced drives in the car with me, just me and an exact model NASCAR stock car. I don’t think awesome is quite a powerful enough word. I have to go through a few hours of lessons and training first, but I just can’t believe I get to drive the thing! I also get to go on a three lap ride along in the beginning, which is fun in itself. Can’t wait to experience 160mph G-force going through a turn with a 20+ degree embankment.

Enjoy some pictures from the night.