My favorite dare, so far, was the NASCAR Racing Experience. Growing up in Detroit with a household full of car guys who could quote Chilton repair manuals chapter and verse, I regularly overheard conversations filled with exotic words like “chassis”, “engine torque” and “suspension systems”.
And even though I barely understood a word of what they were saying, the message was clear: Cars are cool; and the faster, the better. Once I learned how to drive, I wanted a piece of the action. Unfortunately for me though, my first car was a well-worn 1976 Chevy Chevette with a 4-speed manual transmission (stick shift) …not exactly the stuff an aspiring car girl’s dreams are made of. It didn’t matter though. The seed was planted; and like Walter Mitty, my imagination was fertile ground.
Fast forward to December 2015 when the DARE DIVAS decided to drive actual NASCAR race cars on the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. I was so thrilled you could have knocked me over with a feather. When we finally arrived at the race track, I cou
ld feel my adrenaline pumping as drivers revved their engines and cars took steeply banked turns at super high speeds. Let. Me. At. It.
And then I noticed something that snapped me out of my own thoughts and opened my eyes to the best thing about being a DARE DIVA. I saw my girls nervously chatting with one another and grilling our instructor about what to expect once we got out there. I really wanted to know too, but there was something about the way they sought out information that grabbed my attention. They pressed in and listened carefully out of sheer determination to do this despite any fear or uncertainty that was trying to bubble up inside.
They defiantly stepped out of their comfort zones. I watched them steel their nerves and learn how to drive a stick shift for the first time – on a NASCAR race car, no less! Then, when the time came, we each slid into our cars in true “Dukes of Hazzard” style; and after giving each other a vigorous thumbs up, we held on to all 900 of those “horses” and went on the rides of our lives! We were exhilarated, empowered, and scared as all get-out – but we were in this thing together. And that’s what’s in the heart of a true DARE DIVA.
© Copyright DARE DIVAS 2016