Richard Petty helped to secure the Chrysler Corporation as a Motorsports powerhouse in the 1960s and 1970s, and since 1994 The Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) has been giving NASCAR enthusiasts the chance to tear around a track in a stock car very similar to those found in a NASCAR event. Much like the RPDE, Mopar’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group has been giving Chrysler Corporation enthusiasts the chance to get behind the wheel of some of the highest horsepower street vehicles sold in the United States and tear around a variety of race tracks.  A February announcement by the two groups has made it official; the SRT Track Experience and Richard Petty Driving Experience will be working hand in hand to promote and organize adrenaline pumping track days all around the country.

The day’s events at the SRT Track Experience include seat time in a Dodge Viper SRT-10, a Dodge Charger SRT-8, a Dodge Magnum SRT-8, a Chrysler 300C SRT-8, and a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8, and all driving is overseen by a group of specially trained high performance drivers.  While the RPDE may only give enthusiasts the chance to feel what it is like to take a turn at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 150 miles an hour, the SRT Track Experience is set up to be more than just a fun day at the track.  While tossing a 505 horsepower Viper around the tight corners of an autocross course is a world of fun, the SRT group hopes to send students back onto the public roads with a better understanding of how a high performance car handles, accelerates, and brakes; thus making them safer drivers.

This year will mark the highest number of SRT Track Experience events, with over 60 scheduled, having started in late February.  The group’s tour around the country will stop at some of the most famous tracks in the United States, such as Watkins Glen, Road America, and of course, Daytona Motor Speedway.  Each student gets the chance to take each of the high powered SRT vehicles through a series of different types of racing including Autocross, Full Throttle Challenge, Advanced Car Control, Viper Performance, Performance Drive, and Drifting; and at the end of the day every student gets to climb into a NASCAR prepared stock car to take a ride-along with a professionally trained driver from RPDE.

The cost of the RPDE start as low as just $99 for a ride along package, and for those who want to be behind the wheel, packages start at just $399. The price of the SRT Track Experience is $500, but those who have recently purchased (later than April 1, 2005) an SRT vehicle are admitted as a part of the cost of their vehicle.  For more information check out www.1800BePetty.com and www.DriveSRT.com.