Everyone always sets goals with whatever they do, and this is particularly true whenever they head to a racetrack. Most people picks something specific that they want to work, like “being smooth” or “finding the right line.” These are not bad goals, but I usually think much broader than that. Pretty much I say to myself, “what is the ONE thing that ABSOLUTELY want to happen today?” My answer is always the same: I want to drive home at the end of the day.

Now this might seem petty or like a given, but I would argue that picking a goal like “driving home at the end of the day” will determine pretty much everything else about your track day. The reason is that when that is the overarching consideration, other, lesser goals will inevitably be comprimsed and reshaped.

Lets say, for example, that you want perfect your line, and have chosen that as something to work on for your track day. Well, in many corners, the fastest line can often be the most risky line. The Bowl in NHMS is a good example of this. The fastest line involves using every last inch of pavement on the outside of the bowl before you turn in to maximize the radius of your turn through the Bowl. But, every inch that you use up gives you less room for error should you mess up your entry. So now you have this tension between “finding the best line” and “driving your car home.” For me, track days are about pushing the limits of my car enough to have fun, but not so much that any errors will become catastrophic. As such, I usually give myself some extra room in The Bowl, just in case. Though sometimes I don’t, but I am aware of the risk.

Now compare this with someone racing at the Nationals who has adopted Ricky Bobby’s “first or last” outlook of their raceday. To them, that wall just beyond the Bowl is completely irrelevant - all that matters is maximizing their line and speed through that turn, so that is precisely what they will do.