Like many of you guys... when I was a kid after the races I would rush over to the pit area and make my way around to different driver's pits, and check out the cars up close...sometimes the winners... sometimes the wrecks... but always my favorites.

Giving this a little more thought, I remember that a lot of kids would get the ok from the driver to sit inside their race car.  Thinking this through a little more, I realize, I never did that, and I'm not sure why...  I was a shy kid when it came to stuff like that I guess, and for whatever reason, I would just kind of stand off a little in the distance, but never really pressed to actually sit in a race car after the races, even though I would see others having a cool time sitting in a real race car!

So, today's question for non-racers is, did you ever get to sit inside of a race car of any type?  If so, let us know what car (#, driver, etc.) and the circumstances (in the pits, a car show, trade show, mall show, other.)

... And for those of you who eventually became racers, tell us if you ever got to sit behnd the wheel of a race car before beginning your racing career, and if so, what car/circumstances that got you to sit behind the wheel. 

Thanks for thinkin' about it.... and thanks in advance to those who take the time to let us know about the first time they ever sat in a real race car.

Wow it's been soooo long I barely remember the first race car I sat in. I think it was Donny Chambers Wall Stadium Modern Stock when I was 16. 

In the flathead days at Reading , I sat in the Valariano 6jr one night after a race when it was driven by Shorty Kerschner . My uncle was a brother of Shorty & Whitey .

I always enjoyed letting kids sit in my cars . Loved to see their face expressions when I would say yes :)

The first hot rod I ever rode in was Augie Moschera's little "0" after a New Egypt Spedway (1/4 asphalt) feature win in the mid 50s.  Augie would take a few little kids with him on his "checkered flag" victory lap.  I was 5 0r 6 at the time.  My first time sitting, and driving a hot rod was in 1965. It was Chic Ronan's first racer, a 1937 Ford coupe # 35 with a 312 Ford V-8.  He let me pull into his garage.  Chic bought the car, less motor from Augie for $ 200.00!  In today's world, I guess you have to add a few 0s to that price tag!  Scott Ely   

Herm Versnell's car and recently Jesse West Delaware Supertruck

Photo of Earl Elzer#1, who was a 2-time track champion at Weissglass Stadium on Staten Island. Photo by Dave Innes, and I purchased the photo at the track in 1968. When I was 13-yrs old I worked for Earl at his candy/newspaper store which was across the street from my family home. Occasionally I would walk down to the Gabe RispolI shop on Saturday afternoon and ride inside the car as it was literally driven to the track behind the Weissglass track crew pick-up truck. I always wished that I could race my own car and I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to drive for a few years. Great memories of a much simpler time.

Sat in Hoop Schaible 95 as a young kid. And of course, many others after that.

Sat in Hank Goranson's 36jr modified and #36/4 Sprint cars bunch of times. In the pits, in the shop. Fun times. Don't know how much that counts since dad was on the crew and are long time friends. It was the best of times.

As for other cars, I was sort if shy like that too. I remember sitting in Paul Rochelle's sprint car at a URC race in upstate NY. I kind of became friends with his son one year when we traveled to URC races. Sat in Hearn's 20 once - think at a Matheny Benefit...

When my brother Norm Lemasters flat-towed his K-9 novice car in 1959 and 1960 I road in it a few times to make sure it tracked straight - especially over the uneven roads to East Stroudsburg.

Had to build my own but years ago I jumped in the Novi at the Talladega museum. Got a picture to prove it too.  No one was around soooooo I just couldn't resist.

I was a gofer with Cincinnati car owner Don Mergard's Indy car efforts at Pocono in 1976 (Jan Opperman) and 1977 (Larry McCoy qualified, John Mahler raced). Car was a 1972 Eagle/Offy, an orange #42. Jan was bumped out of the 1976 Indy 500 in the car, Mahler qualified and raced (with relief from Larry Cannon) in the 1977 Indy 500 in the car. In 1977 I was thrilled to be able to slide down into the cockpit when the car was back in the garage, a car that just a month earlier had raced in the Indy 500! I do have a couple of pictures of me standing in the seat of the car. 

In 1981 I was a gofer during practice for Pocono's Indy car race with the Lyle Roberts team that was one of several Silver Crown cars that competed to help fill out the field. Bill Tyler was their driver. I got to climb in their Roberts Steel Erectors black #57 while it was sitting on pit lane.

I have a picture of that car sitting in pit road. My history teacher at Readington was a racing fan. He brought in a bunch of pics. He saw me eyeing it because a wingless asphalt sprint car (good looking one too) was a new thing to me. He had duplicates and gave me one, along with one of Johnny Rutherford eating a sandwich. Lol.

Back in 69/70 we towed on open trailer (like most back then). I'm about 11 years old and was pretty skinny so my job was to sit in the car while the guys pushed it on the trailer. I would steer and hold the brake until they tied it down. Some time after that I got to sit in the car while they jacked up the rear and I would start it and put it in gear to let the drivetrain spin and warm up. At that point the die is cast!  

Went to a car show back in 53 and IMCA sprint car great Deb Snyder was there with his sprinter, first time i ever saw a sprint car. After looking at it for half hour he says get in , try it out!!!!

As an adult I had my own cars.  When I was kid growing up on Staten Island I went to Wiessglass.  My favorite was Howie Brown .  Since my father knew him from school we would go to his shop.  A to Z auto repair near the the Outer Bridge.  At the shop he kept his sedan that he raced in N.J. at the time.  This was the car I got to sit in.  His coupe that he ran at Wiessglass was kept at home.

Everyone so far has better stories than mine but here goes: when I was 13 or so I was hanging around Earl Howell's house while he was working on the 29.  He was short handed so he asked me to climb in and work the throttle while he was tuning the carbarator.  My most vivid memory is the flames that kept shooting out of the carb. 

The other car I "sat in" was Jim Ramm's 03, steering it while Jim and brother Billy pushed it into the garage.

Sat in a couple modifides as a kid in Delaware (Haines Tull & Bobby Walls to name a few. However, got a chance to sit in Jon Swanson's URC sprinter about 5 years ago. If you look at the driver walking away from the car, that is Kevin Darling driver of the 9D sprinter. He was in the 17j pit stall lending color comentary as I tried to get in. Something along the line of "Trying to put 100 lbs of potatoes in a 50 lb bag." Sadly, he wasn't wrong. Thanks again Jon.

Allen

I sat in all of my Father's cars and others that he worked on. Sometimes had to sit in and steer and work the brakes when being pushed. But, before my Father's real career started. He was kinda partners on a dirt sportsman coupe that they planned to race at Wall. Probably around '71 and I sat in that. Theres a pic of that car on the vault somewhere. I forgot the number. 

Years ago I used to work at TransEnd Speed Shop in Whitehouse NJ. There were a bunch of cars stored in the back garage. One of them was Ron Leaf's Vega Funny Car. When the bosses were away on a Friday the saleman John lifted up the body and I slipped on it. He lowered the body and MAN what an awesome view looking out  windshield. The Rapp Bros had their Top Alochol Dragster there also. But I couldn't fit in the car. 

Over the years, more than 60 involved in the sport as announcer, PR person, media person I have driven a couple off Modifieds, a Late Model, drag racing vehicles, demo cars and perhaps some that I have forgotten. After doing all that it taught me that I would not make a decent race car driver.

Glad you chose the pen (and the mic) instead of the steering wheel Ernie!

I sat in each of these cars. Ironically, this picture is from 1960, the year I was born. The 55 of Al Chamberlain I sat in after lettering the restoration. The 28 of Bill McConnell (I think Lou Johnson was driving here) was sitting in Bills garage when we picked up a modified we bought from him. It had a cage and wing by that time, Bill told me to try it on. Amazingly, both cars still exist.

Back in the early 70's at Flemington they let all the fans come to victory lane and be in photos etc. I was a Billy O fan and he won in the Norcia 81 coupe. After the photos I asked Billy if I could sit in the car when he got back to the pits. He said jump in with me and ride back. I was amazed and jumped in with him. He started it up and said you can steer! Somehow I made it without hitting anything or anyone, I'm sure Billy would have grabbed the wheel if he needed to. I will remember that for the rest of my life and maybe that is what got me hooked. 

I couldn't remember what years Billy O was in the #81, so I looked it up on ARRA and found that Billy O had one win at Flemington in the #81 in 1971, 10 wins in 1972, and 8 wins in 1973, all behind the wheel of the #81.

https://sites.google.com/view/tracks-series-organizations/flemington-speedway

I got a ride in Billy Rafter's #22 at Lancaster Speedway near Buffalo, New York. He let me steer. It was 1965 or 1966. Billy Rafter turned 94 a couple days ago. He is in a nursing home not far from Ransomville Speedway.  I wonder if he can hear the race cars on friday nignts.