Drifting Ride Along Experience

A professional drift racer takes the wheel of a supercharged Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and hurls it sideways through the corners of the road course at SpeedVegas Motorsports Park — you're buckled into the passenger seat, trying to keep your head level. The program is run by Exotics Racing, which operates the supercar track at the complex, and the car choice is deliberate: 707 horsepower is far more than the rear tires can hold, so every corner arrives in a wall of engine noise and tire smoke, with lateral g-forces that barely ease between turns. No driving skill or license is needed to ride.

Go in with clear expectations. Seat time is only a few minutes inside a visit of about an hour with check-in and a safety briefing, and the on-board video costs extra. Sustained sideways loads are harder on the stomach than straight-line speed, so eat light if car sickness ever finds you. The track sits at the far south end of Las Vegas Boulevard, roughly 15 to 20 minutes from the center Strip, which means a rideshare in each direction unless you drive. It works unusually well for groups, though — the four-door body lets friends ride the same laps together and split the screaming.