Rusty Wallace Racing Experience- Phoenix International Raceway

After a few weeks, someone from customer service did contact me and after explaining what happened, I was issued a refund of the majority of the cost. Still frustrating that it took that long to reach an agreeable solution, but in the end they came through.

Was there on the 17^th of Jan 2015. This was actually my second time. As fun as the first time was, I actually managed to have even more fun the second time! For first timers, I recommend taking the 3 lap pro driver tour, it’s crazy how fast he goes but he also shows the line and where to accelerate and brake, it’s worth it. After that, I did feel a little bit more confident about going out.
The second time I went, I felt I was a little bit more confident in the car and track and was going a lot faster and braking later. I overtook some slower cars this time! Don’t feel bad if you think you are going slow or can’t drive stick. Go whatever speed you feel comfortable and don’t be too hard on yourself the first time, I noticed a big difference between the first time and second time going.
I recommend Rusty Wallace racing and can’t wait for 2016 to do it again!

Spent a few hours this morning and loved every minute of it. They are very professional and make sure that having a great time.
On a side note, do the ride along! Not only do they help you understand the line to hit but at their speed its a whole different experience.

My wife purchased this for me as a Father’s Day gift, but I was only able to take advantage of this great gift this past weekend. They had to reassign everybody who originally purchased their slots for Tucson, but they threw in 3 extra laps to make it up to us, which I thought was a nice touch. The staff was very friendly, and the safety briefing was provided by an experienced racer. Once I got used to the car they put me in and got to merge onto the track, I went according to the instructions proved by my spotter. The best part of my own experience was getting the go-​ahead from my spotter to pass another vehicle. Getting to feel the full power of my car as I made the pass was the icing on high octane cake. Definitely would do this again!

Super fun! I had a great experience! I would recommend you do the ride-​a-​long with the pros first. Yes, it costs more but they show you all the lift/​brake and accelerate points that fly by at full speed. My spotter was friendly and encouraging but if you do get yelled at (like my friend did), it’s nothing personal, you only have split seconds to react to their instructions. This will make you have a new respect for the sport.

If you are doing this in Tucson, prepare for a bad experience. My wife bought this for me as a gift, but I wish we had spent our money elsewhere. The two most important facts that I would have really liked (or rather wish had been made more plain) is that Tucson Speedway is about the size of my parents pool, and 10 laps may seem like a lot when considering a normal race track, not so much when you see Tucson speedway. Secondly, those may have been Nascars at one point, but not in the last 30 years. I probably would have had more fun racing my crappy 1996 Infiniti G20 around the track than what felt like a stripped down Pontiac which could proudly don a historic plate. Before you buy this Groupon, ask which raceway yours will take place (depending on your state) and then ask yourself what you would consider a good time.

It’s always been on my bucket list to either drive a race car or be a passenger in one. When I found a living social deal I jumped with joy!!! They are always having LivingSocial deals and Groupon deals and there was no way I was paying full price.
I paid, I drove down there with a coworker who is really into NASCAR and was eager to try it out.
I have to say it was great to experience what it feels like getting into one of those cars and getting out, speeding around clinging to corners. I can say I did it and had the experience but I wouldn’t say I’ll try it again. Maybe driving it myself but never as a passenger.
First of all the drive is really short, it’s a couple of laps, it flies by within minutes. The driver wasn’t that friendly, when I got in the car he didn’t speak one word to me, not a hello, are you ready, not even a keep your hands in. And according to my friend he was the same way with her too when she got her turn. Something had happened with the walkie talkies right before our rides and I believe there were words exchanged between him and a coworker right before that put in him a bad mood. In the drivers defense it was the other guy that I thought was being a butt head but doesn’t mean the driver had to take it out on me. We all have jobs where our coworkers can be a little sucky at times but doesn’t mean you take it out on the customer.
Honestly being a passenger was boring, you’re just going around in circles while a professional drives so what’s scary about that. There’s no adrenaline or anything else to it. Even if my driver was nice it still would have been boring. Still nice I experienced it to say I did but boring.
I’d recommend if you’re going to do it, just pay the extra money to take the lessons and drive the car yourself. I just know if I would have been behind the wheel it would have been a million times better. I use to drag race and my car wasn’t as near being fast like NASCAR race cars. It would have been nice to feel that level of power.

First thing is everyone who is involved is really good at what they do. This is a well run group, very sincere in seeing that you have a great time.
I signed up for the 8 lap qualifier. The only thing that caused a problem for me was not knowing where the pink tape was placed on the track. During the intro class it was mentioned there was tape on the track but failed to inform us where it was placed. I understand track position but spent 4 – 5 laps just trying to find where I needed to be on the track. If they had some kind of graphics or handouts to illustrate the track position line that would have been very helpful. With all the things you need to be watching, pink tape should really be one of the least if you know a head of time where to be on the track. Place more pink tape on the track or stripe it better as it was later in the afternoon the glare was wicked on the track surface which didn’t help matters. I’ll be back in November now that I know where to find the pink tape and earlier in the day.

I got my ride along on 9÷27÷13 and what a rush it was! This was one of my bucket list items and Rusty Wallace Racing Experience delivered the ride of a lifetime! I’ve been a NASCAR fan for many years and the chance to be on pit road at PIR, and then strap into a real NASCAR race car with a pro driver was incredible! The staff at Rusty Wallace Racing Experience were first class all the way. The team was friendly and efficient, and welcoming. The helmets and suits were neatly lined up and labeled so it was easy to find the right size. The process was orderly and I knew what to expect at each step. They provided excellent shaded seating which is important in Phoenix, even in September ;-D The crew took great care of the car between riders, checking air pressure and changing tires as needed. The driver was professional and smooth through the turns. The G force in the corners was amazing. I was pinned to the seat! The ride was so much fun! I bought the professional photos which were reasonably priced and will be a reminder of this amazing day. I have a new appreciation for racing now. Watching the race on TV will be forever changed for me. Well done Rusty Wallace Racing Experience! I highly recommend them.

Buyer Beware!
We bought a package for my son for Christmas. He had a good time. DO NOT, however, buy the $ 60 DVD! Six months after his racing experience, we still don’t have a DVD. They say they ‘can’t find it’. We are not the first people to experience this apparently. We don’t have a refund either. Good racing, bad business.

The briefing of the class prior to the drive was okay prior to the driving. They basically tell you where to try and be on the track to maintain good control of the car and stay in a safe path while driving around the track. While on the track they can talk to you and tell you what to do if you know what they are talking about. I was told to drop down while coming into turn 3 after being at full throttle and I let off and came down as close to the bottom of the track as I could. They kept telling me to drop down, so as I came around the turn 4 I came into the pits not knowing what they really wanted me to do? The guy over the radio says when I say drop down I don’t want you to take ½ track to do so. Apparently they have an experienced driver on the track at the same time doing a ride along and they wanted to pass. Maybe they should do the ride alongs while people who are driving the cars may not be as fast as the ride along car. It was obvious the ride along car was faster and has an experienced driver. On Top of this I paid for a video $ 59.95 of my driving experience and 3 months later say they can not find it and will refund my money and offer a discounted driving experience again. Well this was something I wanted to do one time not every weekend, or every year, was just kind of a thing on the bucket list of things to try. Think I will try a driving experience with an off-​road style racing team and see how that rates compared to this one. It was an adrenaline rush but thought they have a lot of room for improvement in the experience.

This was the second time attending the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience. This was a smaller track than the previous time so it was a little more difficult, there were some people in the class who were pros. The problem that some people had with this track is that if they were a slower driver and had to go left for people to pass them they could never get back up on the track and hit full speed before having to go back down and let someone pass them again. So you really need to hit the gas and stay with the pack, you can’t be the slow man or your time on the track will suck.
I did have a better time at the track in LA because it was a Super Speedway so you got to drive more rather than worry about the other racers. But I do like the fact that they get you in the car and racing within an hour of checking in.
Save your money and skip the ride along, its pretty expensive for a couple laps that you don’t drive.

Zoooooooommmm! What a fun and exciting day!
The Rusty Wallace crew were super nice, professional and organized. I took advantage of riding a few laps with the professional driver and that was the best part of the day! Wow!!!
You go for a briefing before getting into the car and learn that they lose at least 1 car a day! I was the only female in my group and swore that I was not going to be the one who crashed! Later on, we heard that in a previous weekend experience they came with 24 cars and left with 6! Right before I got into my car, I found out that no cars had crashed the day before and none so far that day so I was more determined not to be the first one to crash!
I had a Groupon so if you’re interested in doing this, check Groupon! They have these experiences twice a year — in April and in November.

Just finished my 12 lap race at PIR. It was everything i hoped it would be. Everyone was very friendly, and our instructor was very helpful. I’d do it again right now if i could. Thank you to everyone involved!