Elderly Colorado Woman's Dream: A Thrilling Race Car Experience

Bobbi Oxford had to wait 66 years to get her hands on the steering wheel of a race car.

It was worth it.

As a 17-year-old, Oxford watched with a certain amount of envy as her brother, Marshall, drove race cars on the local oval. A day at the track was fun. She enjoyed watching Marshall try to figure out the intricacies of fast cars and competition. On a deeper level, though, she wanted more.

She wanted to drive.

The opportunity arrived. Like many other neighborhood tracks, the speedway had scheduled what most called “Powerpuff Derbies,” or women-only races. Marshall handed the wheel of his car to his sister, and she was set.

Then it rained. There was no race.

“I said, ‘Oh, no!’ ” Oxford remembered. “It was my chance to get on track.”

Then life got in the way. School and marriage and children came along, and her dream of sitting behind the pounding engine of a race car faded into nothing. She became a NASCAR fan, but the idea of ever driving a race car dissolved.

Then late last year, a friend of Oxford’s had an idea. “We had been talking about things we always wanted to do but had never done—like a bucket list thing,” said Oxford, now 83. “I mentioned my wanting to drive a race car. She knew about Wish of a Lifetime, and she said, ‘Why don’t you put in an application?’ ”

Wish of a Lifetime, an AARP affiliate based in Boulder, Colorado, is similar to the Make-A-Wish program for children in that it grants wishes to older adults.

“I sent in the application, and I got a call in December that my wish had been granted,” Oxford said. “I couldn’t believe it. I was ecstatic.”

Fast forward to March 13, and Oxford is buckled into a black NASCAR-type race car at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado. The engine and her heart are racing.

Watching were several of her friends from their senior complex in Littleton, Colorado. “Even the bus driver coming over was impressed that I still wanted to drive a race car,” Oxford said.

“I thought that this was the most fantastic thing I’ve seen in my life,” she said. “I’m thinking, ‘I made it. When can we go?’ I grabbed the steering wheel and I thought, ‘God, help me make it through this day.’

I began cautiously to understand the car’s handling and completed three laps before stopping. Once I gained confidence, I pressed harder on the accelerator to test my top speed, which made me tremble. I believe I reached around 90 mph; at that point, I felt quite at ease. There wasn't any fear involved—I had long desired this experience and approached it with assurance despite feeling some nerves.

It was amazing, simply wonderful. Nothing can surpass it for me unless maybe the birth of my sons. I wouldn’t repeat it as nothing could match that day—full of thrill and adrenaline.

The journey was quick but had been anticipated for a long while.

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