I rode in a NASCAR pace car at 125 mph on one of the world's most dangerous tracks and nearly peed my pants

The author stands outside the NASCAR Toyota Supra pace car.Cork Gaines/Insider

• I road in the NASCAR pace car around the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin before the Texas Grand Prix.
• COTA is considered one of the most challenging and dangerous race tracks in the world.

I arrived early for the Texas Grand Prix at Austin's Circuit of the Americas, about 5 hours before the green flag.

A view of the main grandstand at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas      Cork Gaines/Insider

I was originally supposed to take a lap in the Toyota Camry with 300 horsepower and a top speed of about 130 mph.

My ride was supposed to be a little slower.      Cork Gaines/Insider

However, the Camry was only taking three passengers, so I got held back. Instead, I got to ride in the single-passenger Toyota Supra with 380 horsepower and a top speed closer to 160 mph.

This car goes a little faster.      Cork Gaines/Insider

Lucky me?

The author stands outside the NASCAR Toyota Supra pace car.      Cork Gaines/Insider

This is me realizing we are going to do this without a helmet. I also asked my driver if we were going to take it easy. He just laughed. There is nothing "pace" about the "pace car."

No helmet.      Cork Gaines/Insider

The ride immediately felt like a roller coaster, except worse. The first hill at COTA has a 14-story elevation. However, unlike most roller coasters that go up that hill slowly, we gunned it from the start.

The hill at Turn 1 at the Circuit of the Americas.      Cork Gaines/Insider

Because the hill is so steep, drivers can attack the first turn faster than they would at other turns because they can brake much later. My driver took this advice.

The first turn at COTA.      Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

It was also clear that we were not out for a Sunday drive. My driver was hitting every curb on the turns just like the pros, and it was clear that he was trying to set a personal record.

My driver was aiming for the curbs just like the pros.      Cork Gaines/Insider

On the long straightaway after Turn 11, we reached 125 mph as we approached COTA's famous observation tower.

COTA's famous observation tower in the distance      Cork Gaines/Insider

To put that in perspective, that is more than twice as fast as the fastest roller coaster at Disney World, which reaches about 60 mph.

 

At this point, I am feeling grateful that I had not eaten yet and was also thinking those carnival rides looked nice right about now.

Carnival rides at COTA.      Cork Gaines/Insider

Here is a video showing what it was like inside a 4-wheeled rocket driven by a guy whose job is to get up early on Sunday before a NASCAR race and drive around a dangerous track at high speeds.