I used to believe top-speed testing would be automotive nirvana. But that was before I started driving for a major car magazine. Instead, pushing a car to its terminal velocity is like kissing a Rottweiler—dangerous but not all that rewarding. Turning a fast lap on a road-racing course or making a pass on an oval track is much more fulfilling. When things go right during top-speed testing little driving skill is needed. However, if things go wrong at 200 mph even the skill of a top NASCAR or Indy car driver might not help.
There is no safe place to crash a car going anywhere close to 200 mph. The 5.0-mile high-banked oval that we often employed certainly wasn't. At the top of the banking was a single row of steel guardrail that started more than two feet off the pavement. If a tire failed at top speed the barrier would just shear off its roof—and the driver's head—as the car passed underneath. There were other hazards, too. During one test, a coyote wandered onto to the track. The only thing I could safely do was to slowly release pressure on the accelerator while urging the prairie wolf to hurry across. Animals that lived near this automakers' proving grounds weren't used to vehicles moving that fast.
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