Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg got the ride of his life recently after visiting Nascar star Dale Earnhardt Jr at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, near Charlotte in North Carolina. Thankfully he made sure that the entire experience was caught on video.
Skip to 11m20 if you only want to see the driving part - and Zuckerburg's initially nervous reactions to this 280km/h+ 'stroll' in the number-88 Chevrolet SS. The famous entrepreneur started out with phrases like "holy $h1t" and "we're a little close to the wall" but soon he couldn't keep the smile off his face and by the end of the stint he couldn't keep quiet about what an amazing experience it was. "If this is all we get to do in Charlotte, that will be enough," Zuckerberg said, after exclaiming that millions of people would die to do what he just did.
And things just got better for Zuckerberg, as he eventually got behind the wheel, as you'll see towards the end of the video.
Zuckerberg had been spending some time with the Nascar community as part of a countrywide tour aimed at getting to know the diverse groups of people that make up his home country.
"… I have this big belief with Facebook and what we're doing to help people try to build community that we all need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and certainly all the fans," Zuckerberg said. "I think you have three million fans on Facebook who follow Dale Jr. For them, Nascar's a huge part of their identity and a lot of people pin their hopes on you going out and winning."