Getty North Carolina players took part in a special NASCAR experience.
Some of the top college football players from the Carolinas have just taken part in a special experience. Members of the South Carolina and North Carolina football teams took laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway in the passenger seat of high-powered stock cars while celebrating an upcoming bowl game.
The Charlotte Motor Speedway Twitter account provided some footage of the North Carolina players reacting to their trips around the 1.5-mile track. Some expressed excitement about the experience while quoting “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” Others said that “it was not fun” and that they will never do this again.
We wanna go fast 🤙
The South Carolina Twitter account also provided some different looks at the experience. The various players and staff members held a camera while riding in the passenger seat and provided a look at their reactions. The result was an abundance of entertaining expressions.
Derrick C. Moore, Executive Director of Character and Player Development for South Carolina, sparked numerous comments with his reactions to the laps. Coach Shane Beamer even posted a photo of Moore screaming and said that he “truly enjoyed” his laps.
The Two College Programs Cap Off the Year With a Bowl Game
Fastest bowl game in all the land.
The reason that the two football programs headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway is that they reaped the rewards of winning enough to reach a bowl game. UNC went 6-6 in 2021 and finished seventh overall in the ACC. South Carolina also went 6-6 and finished ninth in the difficult SEC.
Competing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl was one perk of winning at least six games in 2021. Another was receiving the opportunity to ride in the passenger seat of a stock car while going roughly 170 mph.
Now that their NASCAR experience is complete, the two programs will now go head to head on the football field with bragging rights on the line. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl will take place on Thursday, December 30. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN.
The Annual Trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway Remains a Favorite for Teams
Let’s GOOOOOOOO!
The NASCAR experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway was not the first time that players from South Carolina have ridden as passengers in a stock car. The organization also did so in 2018 prior to a Belk Bowl matchup with the University of Virginia.
2019’s Belk Bowl tradition featured players and coaches from Virginia Tech and the University of Kentucky traveling to the famed track for the annual tradition. The coaches from each team received a special jacket honoring their bowl game berths and then they took laps around the track.
COVID-19 disrupted the special tradition during the 2020 season, impacting both the Wisconsin Badgers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. However, the tradition returned in 2021 and featured two more groups of players and coaches channeling their inner racecar drivers.
The opportunity to ride around in a stock car courtesy of the Richard Petty Driving Experience and the NASCAR Racing Experience has become an annual part of the bowl season. Not all of the participants fully enjoy their time in the passenger seat, but they embrace the perks of securing a berth in a bowl game.
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