Xtreme Xperience Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Ride-Along
- Kimi's Travel Thoughts
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
November 2025 Monthly Adventure
When I was growing up, one of my favorite Disney Channel Original Movies was Right on Track (2003) which was a movie centered now professional NHRA drag racer Erica Enders' childhood where she got her start as a junior drag racer in Houston, TX. Having always wanted to be behind the wheel of a vehicle for as long as I can remember (I even had a Barbie Jeep as a kid), watching that movie made me realize that I needed to drive a fast car one day. While I didn't drive one of the supercars with Xtreme Xperience this time around, I did get a chance to do a ride-along in a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by a pro driver!
Background
While on the way to my grandma's house to get ready for her birthday tea party in Houston, a Ferrari sped past us on the highway. I got so excited and told my mom that I really wanted to drive a supercar to experience how fast it could go. She mentioned that there was something going on in Houston that weekend that she saw on Instagram. A couple of days later, she sent me a screenshot for the Xtreme Xperience ad that she saw. I went directly to their website and saw that they would be in Austin for three days just two weeks later and made plans to check it out. I was determined to get one step closer to living out my childhood dream of driving a really fast car!
Booking my Xtreme Xperience
Booking online was very simple. Once I selected Austin as my city, I was able to select from any of their upcoming event dates which included November 2025, August 2026, and November 2026. After choosing an event date, I got to select from the range of available cars and driving experiences. Xtreme Xperience was going to be at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and, while I have driven on that track before, it was in my personal vehicle going a maximum of 20 MPH. I know how tight those turns can be and realized I'm not ready to do that on my own in a fast car yet. Plus it would've cost at minimum $500 to get behind the wheel of a supercar and I wasn't trying to spend that much money on something like this -- yet. Instead, I opted for the ride-along in a Dodge Charger Hellcat which was about $100 to enjoy 2 laps around the track. I selected my specific date and time before paying to complete my booking.
Leading up to my booked time, I received emails with information about waivers to sign along with directions for getting to the track and checking in.
Xtreme Xperience Parking and Check-in
When arriving to COTA, I went to Tunnel 2 and showed security with my completed COTA waiver and was given a wristband to wear while at the track. I drove to the paddock and parked in the lot that had ample parking available. The signs were easy to follow to get to the check-in table inside where I received a wristband and my event pass lanyard that made it easy for the Xtreme Xperience team to keep people organized in lines as they were arriving for their rides. As I walked to the paddock after checking in, I took a couple of photos by the orange Lamborghini on display and was warmly greeted by the Xtreme Xperience staff as I walked into the paddock.
My lanyard had my name on it and everyone made an effort to know my name and quickly assist me. Everyone placed their bags on a table with a dedicated staff member keeping an eye on things as head socks were passed out for participants to put on. Then, I was sent to another line to wait for the next Hellcat to arrive for my ride-along. As I waited, a team member responsible for handling helmets came by and secured one on my head. A Hellcat arrived a few moments later and I was instructed to walk over to begin my ride-along Xtreme Xperience.
Xtreme Xperience Dodge Charger Hellcat Ride-Along
The adrenaline had been rushing through my veins the entire day and increased exponentially once I was in my car on my way to COTA. I can't even put into words how excited I was when I got to walk up to the Hellcat and open the door to sit inside and begin the ride-along! Once I got in the car, I was greeted by Brian, the professional driver that would be taking me around the track at COTA that sunny, Thursday afternoon. He explained that we would be the "pace car" for all the other cars behind us and I told him as long as we're going faster than 20 MPH then that would be okay with me. Back in May 2020, I drove my personal vehicle on the track at COTA as part of a fundraiser for Central Texas Food Bank and the fastest we could go was 20 MPH. Things were different this time around though because I was in a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by a professional driver!
As Brian drove around the track the first time, we went a bit slower to start as he explained how the cones they set out are used to help guide everyone through the turns on the track because Xtreme Xperience allows non-professional drivers to get behind the wheels of the supercars. At at track like Circuit of the Americas, that guidance is a necessity for the difficult turns. We picked up speed as we continued through the first lap and then Brian showed of the skills of a true professional as he made the turns at much faster speeds, highlighted how great the breaks are on this type of vehicle, and got us up to 131 MPH on the straightaway! It was exhilarating and I was beaming from a second wave in my adrenaline rush!
Want to see video from my Hellcat ride-along? Be sure to follow Kimi's Travel Thoughts on Instagram to check out the Reel that I will post!
On the way to back to pit at the paddock, we talked about how Xtreme Xperience would be returning to Austin next year in August and November along with Brian's recommendations for cars that I should consider booking next year when I decide to get behind the wheel of a supercar. Brian suggest driving a:
Ferrari (a classic)
Porsche (Brian's favorite)
Corvette (a nice surprise)
After getting out of the car, I walked back to return my helmet and head sock before making my way to checkout (I had nothing to purchase because I got to take video and photos with my own phone) where I received a coupon for their current promotion and returned to my car to head back home. In all, the entire experience was about 30-40 minutes and made for a fantastic Thursday afternoon!
Wrap-Up
I made it one step closer to living out my childhood dream of driving a race car! Now that I know how much it will cost to get behind the wheel of a supercar when Xtreme Xperience is back in Austin next year, I'm going to have my funds (and my confidence) together to be able to drive at least one of the supercars. I'm leaning towards a Corvette, but I do love a Ferrari. Though still not a true race car, it will be a car that goes very fast and that will be good enough for me. Catch part two of this blog post in 2026!
On to the next adventure!