It's never too late to realize your dreams. Just ask Bindy Gralow, a woman who just realized her lifelong dream of getting into a car and taking a lap around a NASCAR track. Did we mention she’s 102 years young?
The ride she hitched was on Richmond Raceway in Virginia. Rest assured, the centenarian was not behind the wheel, but sitting in the passenger seat of a lead car used for the series, a Toyota Camry.
“Go as fast as you like, because I like speed," she tells the driver. Unfortunately for her, the driver was not allowed to exceed 103 km/h (65 mph).
Bindy Gralow has always loved speed. Born during the Roaring Twenties, she’s described by one of her daughters as cheerful and always full of vitality.
After the half-dozen laps she completed, the lady still wanted more. When asked if she'd like to do it again, she replied, “I hope so.”
The centenarian is not about to forget her experience. She arrived at the track with two of her five daughters, as well as her caregiver. She was given the royal treatment, right down to a red carpet rolled out for her as she made her way to the track. In the video, as she settles into the car, we see her face light up. And it's even brighter when she gets out of the car at the end of it.
After her laps, the Gralow family and the caregiver were invited to sign their names on the start/finish line. But it doesn't look like this will be the last racing adventure for Bindy Garlow, who plans to return to the Richmond circuit in April to attend a NASCAR race - and celebrate her 103rd birthday in the process.
“Fans like Bindy are what make Richmond Raceway such a special place for our community,” said Lori Colier Waran, president of Richmond Raceway. “We’re extremely humbled to help make her wishes come true as she fulfilled her need for speed!”
