Opening reception at Texas Motor Speedway

Sponsors welcome: Representatives from Texas Motor Speedway and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

By Lauren Kobylarz
2007 AWSM intern at MLB.com

They say everything is bigger in Texas, from buildings to high school football. AWSM members experienced firsthand what it means to go big  at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

After an opening reception at The Speedway Club, more than 60 AWSM members zipped into blue and white full body jumpsuits and lined up to ride in stock cars with Team Texas racing school drivers. Tucking their hair into helmets, AWSM women slid through passenger-side windows and held on tight as the drivers drafted, passed and weaved in groups of 10 for four laps around the banked track--all at nearly 160 miles per hour and in fewer than two minutes.

“We all have covered NASCAR or maybe racing, but never felt what it was like to actually be in the car,” said Lauren Amstutz of Toledo, Ohio. “I have more respect now for the drivers because I got to see how hard it is, and how hard it is to not hit walls.”

AWSM women, however, were not the only ones in a unique situation Friday night. AWSM marked the first women’s group the Team Texas racing school has hosted.

“For the drivers, it’s their first female group,” said one Team Texas racecar attendant. “They’re in heaven.”

Groups such as the Dallas Cowboys have also come to the Texas Motor Speedway to drive and ride shotgun in the stock cars. Although AWSM members did not get to drive the cars, many felt like they got the full NASCAR experience -- jitters and all.

“All I know is that my driver was still going 100 miles per hour and took his hands off the steering wheel and took off his helmet,” Amstutz said. “It’s just so comfortable for them, and we’re all scared out of our minds."

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