Racing versus watching grass grow

This past fall, I was invited to a performance driving school. The Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., is home to the Ford Performance Racing School. The one-day class consisted of racing on a road course through the motorway’s banked curves and infield. The car was a 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with a 5.0 L V-8, 500-hp engine. The transmission was either a Tremec 6-speed manual transmission with rev matching or the option I chose, an automatic with the driving selector in manual and using the paddle shifters.

I have always loved cars, especially muscle cars of the 1960s and early 1970s. I looked forward to this experience with considerable excitement. 

Prior to going out on the track, the professional racing instructors went over what to expect and provided suggestions on when to brake hard, targeting the apex and staying within a two-car length with the car in front of you, to name a few. 

My anticipation was building through the classroom discussions as well as my uneasiness, especially when questions directed toward the instructors arose.  

Question: How fast can we go? 

Instructor: As fast as you can. 

Question: How fast do we go? 

Instructor: I don’t know… rarely, if at all, are you looking at the speedometer.

For those who have followed my column over the years, a topic that comes up occasionally is my 1969 Pontiac Firebird. I have enjoyed “cruising” in it and going to car shows. My driving is relatively slow and in deliberate fashion. I am reminded of this from the honking of those behind me. 

Needless to say, being strapped into the Recaro sports seats with my racing suit, helmet and HANS device (head supporting device required since the death of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in 2001) tightly fitting, I was extremely apprehensive and nervous.  

The experience was entirely new for me, but it also reminded me of basic driving skills that you forget over time. After the experience, I recounted how some of the driving experience was relatable to a few turfgrass management practices.  

One was to pick out a point in the distance and drive toward it. Through the communication system in my helmet, the lead instructor was continually communicating with me to keep my eyes up or drive toward the cone that is coming up. It is a basic driving principle, but over time, you forget or don’t think much about. It also reminded me of learning to mow greens. Similar to mowing straight lines on putting greens, you pick a point or object to mow toward. If you are focused on looking down at the mower, it doesn’t take long to get erratic or be forced to slow down. 

Race driving requires practice. No matter how fast I thought I was going, compared to when I rode with the instructor, I might as well have been in slow motion. I made that comment to my instructor. His response was saying all you need is track time and practice. Not surprising; being consistent in maintaining quality turf is dependent on repeatability of practices based on practice and proficiency.

Experiencing road car racing in a performance automobile is an experience that I have added to my bucket list of accomplishments. Most experiences have a corollary in golf course management, but at a much slower pace. Planning, anticipating, repetition and practice are keys to racing and are also applicable to golf course management.

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