Michael Aulenti, a resident of Nashua Post Acute Care, had the opportunity, on Aug. 24, to experience the thrill of NASCAR at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Courtesy photo/Nashua Post Acute Care

NASHUA – Captivated by the thrill and speed of NASCAR since he was 10 years old, Michael Aulenti recently achieved his boyhood dream of being inside one of those racecars.

“I have always enjoyed the speed and excitement of watching the cars go around the track and seeing how the drivers handle them at such high speeds,” said Aulenti, a 74-year-old resident at Nashua Post Acute Care.

He said his two favorite drivers are Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Petty competed from 1958 to 1992 and won 200 races including the Daytona 500 a record seven times. Earnhardt raced from 1975 to 2001. He won the Winston Cup 76 times and was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

Aulenti said he was not nervous climbing into the passenger seat at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Louden.

“I realized how different the experience was from anything I had ever done before; it was a thrill that I had never experienced in my life,” he said.

Aulenti and a professional driver zipped around the Magic Mile three times, reaching speeds of up to 175 miles per hour.

“Watching a race on television is one thing but being in the car and feeling how fast you are moving around the track is completely different,” said Aulenti.

He also explained how the experience is so much different than driving a regular vehicle.

“You are sitting so low to the ground that you can feel every vibration and every bump in the track,” he said. “You also get a much better sense of just how powerful and fast the car is when you are inside of it.”

Following his thrill ride, Aulenti said he was “so glad” to have had this opportunity.

“It was such a special experience and a drive of a lifetime,” he said. “If I ever had the chance to do it again, I absolutely would. I am grateful to the team at Nashua Post Acute for making this possible.”

The event was part of the facility’s Bucket List Series, designed to fulfill residents’ lifetime goals.