NASCAR Fans Can Drive, Dine and Ride Their Passion At Walt Disney World Resort

    LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Feb. 6 -- Gear-spinning good times
take the checkered flag at Walt Disney World Resort, as NASCAR fans flocking
to Daytona International Speedway can "pit" at the Vacation Kingdom for a few
fun-filled laps around the "World."
    Just a one-hour drive from Daytona Beach, Fla., Walt Disney World Resort
offers its share of speed and horsepower (literally) for racing fans in the
area for "Speedweeks" and the 2003 Daytona 500.
    Since many NASCAR fans recite #8 as their favorite number, here are eight
ideas to get a NASCAR fan's motor running at Walt Disney World Resort:
    1.) Richard Petty Driving Experience -- Motorsports fans come out of the
grandstands and into a scene most only dream about: behind the wheel of a real
stock car on the one-mile tri-oval Walt Disney World Speedway.  The Richard
Petty Driving Experience features a choice of driving programs daily in
vehicles with 630 horses under the hood.  Guests can also choose a three-lap
thrill ride as a passenger at a top speed of 145 mph.  Information is
available by calling 800/BE-PETTY.
    Also at the Richard Petty Driving Experience: Are you "tired" of searching
for the perfect gift for a NASCAR fan?  If so, the Richard Petty Driving
Experience offers guests the ultimate racing souvenir that doubles as gear-
spinning home decor -- used tires.  After experiencing the ride of a lifetime
in an authentic stock car at Walt Disney World Speedway, guests can purchase
the same Goodyear Racing Eagles that are used on the 630-horsepower machines.
The tires are used for approximately 100 laps around the speedway before they
are changed. Guests can purchase them for $5 each.  According to track
officials, buyers use them for tire swings, coffee tables and conversation-
sparking wall hangings.  Fans often take the purchased tires to NASCAR races
to have autographed by their favorite drivers.
    2.) Feel the Need for Speed (at 7.5 miles per hour) -- It may not be the
high banks of Daytona's tri-oval speedway, but Tomorrowland Indy Speedway lets
young hopefuls and seasoned veterans take turns around the Magic Kingdom's
half-mile track at a whopping 7.5 miles per hour.  One of the popular Magic
Kingdom attractions that debuted on the theme park's opening day in 1971,
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway has been redesigned with the help of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
    The Indy-themed track pays tribute to the three races at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway: the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and the United States
Grand Prix at Indianapolis.  Drivers and riders (adults and children) are
welcomed to the speedway by replicas of landmarks made famous by the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the famed Yard of Bricks and Gasoline
Alley.  As they navigate the twisting track, drivers hear the calls of famed
announcer Tom Carnegie on speakers positioned throughout the course.
    3.) Test Track -- Ever wonder what goes on behind those proving ground
walls?  Sponsored by General Motors, this high-speed thrill attraction in
Epcot invites guests to buckle up and brace themselves for a series of
automobile tests.  Hair-raising maneuvers peak with a high-intensity speed
loop pushing 65 miles per hour around the massive testing facility.
    4.) One Horsepower -- While stock cars rev their engines using high
horsepower, Walt Disney World guests may take a leisurely, one-horsepower ride
on one of the many horses at Tri-Circle D Ranch at Walt Disney World Resort.
Guided trail rides are offered through the pine-lined woods at Disney's Fort
Wilderness Resort and Campground.  In addition, horse-drawn carriage rides are
offered for couples and families.
    5.) Just Eat in the Car -- Cars and film combine at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
Restaurant, a drive-in movie-inspired eatery inside Disney-MGM Studios.
Diners sit in 1950s-style cars as fiber-optic stars twinkle overhead.  The
theater's movie screen shows outrageous sci-fi movie clips as servers journey
from car to car dishing out classic American cuisine.
    6.) Stars in Classic Cars -- Classic cars also take center stage in the
"Disney Stars and Motor Cars" parade, the daily parade spectacle at Disney-MGM
Studios.  Honoring Walt Disney's career in motion pictures, resident stars of
the theme park - including Miss Piggy, Mary Poppins, Luke Skywalker, Mike and
Sulley from "Monsters, Inc." and Rolie Polie Olie -- ride in customized cars,
many of them vintage models.  The "Aladdin" car is outfitted to look like the
Genie, the "Toy Story" car is in the shape of Andy's bed -- and the final car,
a 1929 Cadillac, carries Mickey, Minnie and friends.
    7.) High-Speed, Rock and Roll Thrills Combine -- A wild limousine ride
through the Hollywood Hills gives guests high-speed thrills aboard Rock 'n'
Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, an indoor, "E-Ticket" roller coaster in
Disney-MGM Studios.  The five members of the legendary band Aerosmith teamed
with Walt Disney Imagineering to create the ride that features a high-speed
launch of 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, three inversions, rock-concert lighting and
a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack thundering from 120 onboard speakers
in each coaster train.  The roller coaster train was specially constructed to
resemble a super-stretch limousine car.
    8.) Two Wheels of the Future -- It wouldn't win at Daytona, but for a look
at what some are calling the "transportation of the future," guests can take a
gander at Segway Human Transporter (HT), the world's first self-balancing
human transporter that sends riders gliding down the road at 12.5 miles per
hour.  Walt Disney World Resort and Segway LLC partnered last year for the
first public display of the two-wheeled, technological wonder.  Guests may see
demonstrations at Innoventions in Epcot.
    For more information, guests may call 407/824-4321 or visit
http://www.disneyworld.com.