Bristol Motor Speedway - A Track Like No Other

Such communication allows for instruction that's easy to understand. Here, there's no need for an instructor to ride shotgun. At Bristol, you don't have time to watch an instructor's hand signals, keep an eye on the track, and drive anything even remotely resembling a smooth and consistent lap. Coaching is kept to a minimum, and in the simplest of terms ... lift and move left. Good job. Move up a little bit. That's it.

Really, in retrospect, it just seems to be a much safer way of doing things for students and the guinea-pig instructors who at other schools have to hang on for dear life while in the passenger's seat.

From the very first laps on the track, students are taught how to deal with other cars. Sent out in groups of four, the tail-end car is not given clearance to pass the first three until he has had the chance to learn to pass. The warm-up session is also the only one in which students have to follow a pace vehicle.

Another plus. A big plus.

Finally, Michael Edwards has to be one of the classiest kids around. He and dad Scotty are from Richmond, and race Legends together when they're not both working with Ebert at his school. Michael patiently helped me into and out of my assigned car, and then helped buckle me in.

When I land my first driving contract with Hendrick Motorsports, Michael is going to be my crew chief.

What They Could Do Better
Mess up and it's going to cost you.

Flat-spot the tires on the car you're driving, and they're yours. At the moment, brand-new tires are 416 bucks each. If they've been used, the cost is prorated, down to a minimum charge of $75 a tire. That's just if you spin.

It's a whole other ballgame if you actually hit something. For around $60, you can get an insurance waiver with a $1,000 deductible-evidently, in Ebert's case, you can take the man out of the insurance business, but you can't take the insurance business out of the man.

Still, give Ebert credit for being up front about the policy. Liability for accidents at other schools is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Maybe it's in the fine print at other places, but not here.

Personally, I passed on the waiver, and it was the only thing that came close to taking even the slightest edge off the DriveTech at The Racing School experience. Ebert and I rolled off into Turn 1 during a side-by-side exercise, and for the briefest of moments, I wondered how I was going to present SCR with a bill for the damage I was about to do.

I lifted.

The Rundown