Report From Track Night in America

NMS Cayman on track at CMP. Photo by Tradd's Photos.

Carolina Motorsports Park (we'll call it the home track for NMS) was the place, and Track Night in America was the event. Sponsored by the SCCA, these events are an EASY way to get on track for part of a day, in YOUR car, and have FUN! There ya go, three big all-caps words that no driver can resist: EASY, YOUR car, FUN! OK, make it 4 words, I'm not a math major. 

Check out the website, find an event near you, and GET ON TRACK!

Hey, I got a free t-shirt!

The drivers were split into three ability groups, and everyone got 3 twenty-minute sessions on track. Actually, the Beginner group got an extra session of paced laps, just to get used to the track and learn their way around. Here's a video one of my sessions, if you want to see the track at CMP, a few cars passing, and nothing but a good time being had by all! I drove in the Intermediate group. There are 4 specific straights where we could pass each other IF the leading car gave the following driver a point. That makes sure everyone knows who is passing who and on which side of the lead car. The Advanced group could point another car by in any location, since those drivers should have enough experience to be safe doing so. 

One Session TNiA at CMP

Intermediate Group Driver Meeting
Kyle Ray-Smith (2nd from right, member of the Bunch of Idiots racing team) was our group leader.

I had not driven on track for over a year, so my first session was a bit of relearning, but man it was fun. In the next 2 sessions I pushed the speeds up a bit, hit the brakes really hard, and worked on improving my cornering. 

When you're serious about racing.

I went with the 19-inch wheels for this event.

These events do a great job of splitting drivers into ability groups, and I can say that everyone in the Intermediate group was well behaved, let faster cars go by, and I didn't see any yellow, red, or black flags. Being safe, keeping it on track, and ending with a smile on your face (with an intact car) are the goals.  

Oh, don't worry if you get low, they've got gas at racetracks, and plenty of it!

Pro Tip: Show up with a full tank, because the plenty-o-gas at the track will tend to be a bit more expensive than outside the track. They had 93 octane at $4.99 a gallon, and $10.99 for 100 octane. On a side note, why does the blogger website want me to make "93 octane" plural, as in 93 OCTANES?

Oh hey, they gave me a shiny new "Track Night in America" sticker! The rule of decals/stickers is that each one on your car or helmet is worth 5 more horsepower! It's a proven scientific fact!

When the advanced group went out, I grabbed a photo of almost all the cars, so just in case you haven't seen enough cool cars today, here ya go! Any car can participate in TNiA.