When my name was called, I posed for a few photos, then belted into the claustrophobic seat with a five-point harness system to the point where I had trouble breathing. I reassured her, told her not to worry – she’d be fine in Mario’s hands - all the time trying to hide my own apprehension. Suzanne Igdalsky, wife of track CEO Brandon Igdalsky, was in line with me. Sure, I would be in the hands of a legend, but what happens if there's a mechanical failure and we spin into the retaining wall? sharp, with the sun dropping and the track cooling, I was suddenly being stuffed into a driving suit with a crash helmet, signing waivers and getting ready for my own ride. Mario was getting around the 2.5-mile course - known as the “tricky triangle” because of its three unique corners - in less than a minute while the high-pitched whine of the engine echoed off the grandstands.Īt 6:30 p.m. (Photo: Vanessa O'Brien)Įarly Saturday I heard - then saw – the two-seater screaming down the track between the practice and qualifying sessions.
Suzanne Igdalsky (left), wife of Pocono track CEO Brandon Igdalsky, waits her turn for a hot lap. (NASCAR’s fastest lap at Pocono, for perspective, is 183.4 mph by Kyle Larson.) Since Ind圜ar’s return in 2012 after not having raced there since 1989, Juan Pablo Montoya has circled the oval at 223.9 mph, a record. Pocono, a track in rural Pennsylvania, was repaved in 2012 and now is one of the fastest tracks in racing. Another way to get the ride is by purchasing a $3,000 Pocono weekend fan package. A person is chosen for each of Ind圜ar‘s dozen-and-a-half annual races. To be Andretti’s ride-along passenger, one normally enters Honda’s “Fastest Seat In Sports” sweepstakes. Mario has also won at Pocono, in 1986, so he knows his way around the asphalt like the back of his hand. Mario, of course, has victories at the biggest events across all major racing venues including the Daytona 500 (1967), Indianapolis 500 (1969), Formula 1 (1978) and the 24 Hours Of Le Mans (1995). But to get a feel for what drivers really feel in their cars at high speeds, I was given hot laps with Mario Andretti in his two-seat Indy car.
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