What Is Driving 101 and What Experiences Does It Offer?

Updated

Driving 101 LLC is the parent company of two racing-experience brands: NASCAR Racing Experience and Richard Petty Driving Experience. Through those brands, it sells hands-on stock-car experiences built around real NASCAR race cars. The core offer is a drive-it-yourself session on a racetrack; a passenger Ride Along is the alternative for people who want the speed without taking the wheel.

Who Driving 101 Is

Driving 101 describes itself as the parent company behind NASCAR Racing Experience and Richard Petty Driving Experience. Its stated mission is to offer "the most professional and technically advanced driving experience in the world" and to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. In practical terms, Driving 101 is the corporate umbrella; the booking-facing brands are the two experience names.

The Main Experience: Driving a Real NASCAR Race Car

The flagship product is a session in a real NASCAR race car that has been driven by NASCAR drivers. According to the site, the format works like this:

  • You drive alone. There is no pace car to follow and no instructor riding in the car with you.
  • You suit up and train first. Drivers are fitted in racing gear and attend a drivers' training and instruction session before going on track.
  • You get live coaching by radio. A personal racing instructor talks to you through in-car radio communications while you drive.
  • Passing is allowed. You can pass slower cars as you catch them.
  • You leave with proof. After the session, drivers receive a graduate certificate showing their top speed, plus a souvenir racing license.

That combination — solo driving, radio coaching, open passing — is what separates this from a typical paced "lead-and-follow" track day.

The Alternative: Ride Along

If you don't want to drive, the Ride Along puts you in the passenger seat with a professional racing instructor at the wheel. It delivers the speed and track time of the same cars without requiring you to control the vehicle, and it avoids the driving gear-up and driver training steps that drivers go through.

Which Option Fits You

Drive (NASCAR Racing Experience) Ride Along
Who controls the car You Professional racing instructor
Instruction Drivers' training plus in-car radio coaching None needed — you're a passenger
Passing other cars Yes, you pass slower cars Not applicable
Takeaway Graduate certificate with top speed and souvenir racing license Passenger experience

Choose the drive if you want the full solo-on-track format and are comfortable following radio instruction at speed. Choose the Ride Along if you want the sensation of a race car without the driving responsibility.

What to Expect on the Day

Plan for a sequence rather than a single lap: check-in and gear fitting, a drivers' training and instruction session, then your time on track with an instructor in your ear, and finally your certificate and souvenir license. Because you drive solo with no pace car, the radio coaching is the main channel for guidance once you're rolling — listen for it and use the passing allowance when you close on slower traffic.

For current availability, locations, and booking, go through the NASCAR Racing Experience or Richard Petty Driving Experience brand pages linked from driving101.com.