MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / June 12, 1999

LAPLACE – Don Haywood and Earl Harris Sr. of LaPlace were recentlyclocked driving at over 100 miles per hour.

More speeders on the Bonne Carre Spillway? Actually the two were participating in the “Experience of a Lifetime” at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla.

Haywood received the trip as the third prize winner of the True Value Fantasy Sweepstakes. Harris, Haywood’s son in law, actually picked up thesweepstakes form at True Value and his wife filled them in in his name, her name and Haywood’s name and sent them off.

Haywood was notified that he won on Dec. 17. Harris won the fourth placeprize of a $10 True Value gift certificate.

“I picked them up, my wife filled them in and he won,” Harris joked.

At first, Haywood could not believe he won. He called a representative forthe sweepstakes and was told that he was indeed a winner. When he toldHarris, a Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte fan, he could not wait to go.

“Let’s go now,” Harris recalled saying.

Both Harris and Haywood have had experience with race cars. Growing up,Harris used to go to the track in Avondale and warmed up the racecars that his friends owned. Haywood drove stockcars when he was young.The two took the trip to Florida May 10-12 and stayed at the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World. The two also took a trip to Daytona andvisited Daytona USA, an interactive museum. There, they got to call a raceand have it videotaped and watched a I-Max film on an actual race. Harrisalso got to work with a pit crew.

With the “Experience of a Lifetime,” each got to drive a Winston Cup stock car 30 laps in three 10-lap sessions. Drivers had to follow an instructoraround the track but other than that, they were on their own.

“They told us you are in total control,” Harris said. “Wherever you turn thewheel, that is where you will go. It was real hot waiting to take off. Butonce you started going, you had such an adrenaline rush you didn’t feel the heat. I was so excited, so pumped.”Haywood admitted he was a little nervous during the first couple of laps.

But the instructors were telling him to let it go.

“They were telling him this is an experience of a lifetime,” Harris said.

“Give it the gas.”Haywood got more comfortable during the second and third sessions. Heimproved his best time from 111.7 MPH in the first session to 121.1 MPHin the second. He ended up averaging over 120 MPH with a top speed of129.4 MPH in the third session.”The third time, I powered it out there,” Haywood said. “I was completelyrelaxed. Once I realized it was an experience of a lifetime, I said let’smake into an experience. They let you go as fast as you want as long asthey saw you were in control.”Harris had a top speed of 131 MPH. Both he and Haywood receivedcertificates of completion after finishing.

“Like they said, it was an experience of a lifetime,” Harris said. “It wasawesome. The last lap, I got up on the instructor and stuck to him like astamp. I had a blast. I would love to do it again.”

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