Shaun Bailey: Automotive Journalist Turned Race Car Driver

Lux Performance Group did everything they could to make sure I was comfortable in the car and gave me as much practice as available. The team had prepped the car well, and the only thing I worried about was my driving. And that's a lot to worry about in a 640-bhp Viper ACR-X on Michelin race slicks. I knew the car would be fast and stick in the corners well; I just wasn't prepared for how well. I drive street cars. I've driven nearly every production car made since 2000. But nothing on the street compares to the lateral grip and cornering thrill of a real race car.

Dodge Motorsports and Lux Performance Group trusted me with this car, on this track, with no experience racing here is an honor. One that I wanted to repay with a good showing and decent pace among the field of cars. I also didn't want to be "that guy", the one that has to say sorry because he drove the car beyond his ability. Easy to do, as the car's limits are seriously high. The fast esses at VIR were taken with only slight lifts in 4th gear at over 120 mph. I never looked at the gauge, because the esses require a lot of concentration at that speed. One little brain hiccup and I'd have been "that guy".

As it came out I became "that guy" on the 8th lap of the Saturday race. A little bobble leading onto the front straight had me in the grass, of which I couldn't drive out of. Instead I slid sideways all the way to the tire wall. Where I re-molded the back bumper cap and scratched the paint. Not to mention the damage I'd done to my ego.

Back in the pit, the good-natured Fred Lux shrugged it off as a racing incident. They worked hard and had the car cleaned up by that evening. I spent that time hiding under the rock I'd found to crawl under. Seeing the car cleaned up so well gave me back some motivation and Cindi's never-faltering smile gave me back some more. Cindi helped me relax and keep focused during the race. She really inspired a lot of confidence in the driver. And she truly loves Dodge and the Viper brand.

I finished 4th place on Sunday's race. A place I'd have thought impossible the previous evening. The reward for 4th being a $1250 check cut to the charity of my choice. Habitat for Humanity will put it to good use.

And if I thought the Viper ACR-X was a thrill ride it was nothing compared to what I drove after the race. By precise calculations by the team put just enough gas in the car to finish. I crossed the checkered flag and made it half way around before necessitating a stop on the back straight. To the rescue was Team Mechanic Matt Hinkley with a gas can, driving a three-wheel electric scooter that could only be described as something my grandmother would ride. I traded him the hot seat of the Viper for it, and cruised the 2 miles back to the pits in wind buffeting comfort around the outskirts of the track. Did I mention that the Viper got hot, and that this electric scooter could do 60-mph! And I thought the Viper was scary, this Fred Lux hot-rodded electric scooter, aptly named "The Crippler" was the thrill ride of the weekend! I don't know if the grin on my face back in the pits was from finishing 4th or having been told to slow down at the guard shack because I'd been breaking the speed limit on a granny mobile.

It was an awesome weekend. It was my first experience in the hot seat of a serious race car with a real crew. I couldn't have done as well as I did without Lux Performance Group and Dodge Motorsports. They worked hard to make me look good. Even when I wasn't.

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