Saturday November 29th

Matt at the highest seating point at LMS and the view behind.

The crew posing for a picture at the highest point on LMS.

Everyone posing for a picture in front of the car that took Matt around the track at 165 mph.

Matt and the driver, Andy Thurman.

Everyone listening intently during the tour of Michael Waltrip's garage.

Matt and Casey taking a break to pose for the camera during the tour.

Matt getting competitive during a laser tag game.

Matt feeding Casey strawberries during dinner at the Speedway Club.

A picture of the group during dinner at the Speedway Club overlooking the track.

Even mom got the chance to sit in a race car!

Nate in front of a race car.

Bret and Matt in front of a race car.

Jen in front of a race car.

Ryan in front of a race car.

On Saturday, Matt had another fun-filled day! In the morning, at 9 o'clock Matt was able to ride along with a driver during the Richard Petty Experience. His driver was Andy Thurman, a retired professional race car driver. They hit speeds of 165 mph and he told Matt that they were driving around real race lap times. Matt had so much fun and was able to get the real experience that racers feel behind the wheel of a race car. We also got the opportunity to walk up the seating to the highest seat in the race track. We could see a majority of the city but it was quite a steep way down. :) After that, we went to Michael Waltrip's garage, called Race World USA. We got a VIP tour of the garage, not just walking on the cat walk but actually being able to go in to everyone room and get up close with the cars and machinery. Matt was able to take home a real race car tire and a splitter, which he would have to explain to you what it does. Also they gave Matt autographed memorabilia and left him with a HUGE smile on his face. After that, we headed to NASCAR Speedpark at the local mall. There we had a unlimited day pass to drive the go-carts, play laser tag, and play arcade games. We had a lot of fun there. It was fun being able to race the go-carts even though it was freezing out. Then as a family we went to the Speedway Club for dinner. It was an amazing dining experience for us. The restaurant is usually only open for speedway club members and it overlooks the race track. We had a very delicious and elegant dinner. They servers were very nice and welcoming to our family! Lindsey, manager of guest services and logistics who help organize this trip, even came to dinner with us!!! Then we headed to the car garage to get a couple more picture before we headed home to pack our things and go to bed. It was a very long day and night for everyone and we were exhausted. Thank you to everyone that has helped Matt to make his dream come true! We have nothing but compliments for Lowe's Motor Speedway and many others, including Lyle Wuestenberg and Helayne Kirchoff, who have made this possible. It has been a blessing.