Imagine speeding around a track in a $250,000 race car with thousands of people watching you.  Moving at speeds of around 200 miles per hour for about 3 hours these races can get intense. The smallest move can cause a fatal crash and millions of dollars in damage. Drivers have to make every little move perfectly. If they miss a gear when they shift or they don’t give the perfect amount of gas then they will lose the race.

Recently, I tried driving a NASCAR simulator at a friend’s house. He is a professional NASCAR driver and uses this to practice for his big races. He let me try.  How hard could it be?

On the simulator you have to drive manual. My dad’s car is manual and he has taught me how to drive it so I figured I would have no problem. I started off fine and then once I got to around fourth gear I lost complete control of the car. I was spinning everywhere, slamming into walls, nailing other cars. It was a mess.

Imagine this happening in real life. This is why NASCAR drivers are extremely talented drivers. The slightest mess up can costs millions. I can tell you personally that it is extremely difficult to drive NASCAR and these men and women deserve a lot of credit for what they do.