Edmonton International Raceway Stock Car Test Drive

Edmonton International Raceway runs its own stock car test drive on its paved oval near Wetaskiwin, south of Edmonton. You drive a full race car yourself, chasing an instructor in the pace car. The raceway bills it as the only NASCAR stock car test drive in Canada, at a track that started as a clay oval called Sunset Speedway in 1967 and now races under NASCAR sanction.

For anyone who would rather sit in, the Race Car Ride puts you in the passenger seat beside an experienced race driver. The third option brings your own street car onto the oval, behind the pace car first and then at your own speed. Private group sessions and corporate team building nights run on the same format.

It is built for first timers: every car is automatic and no racing background is needed. The drive is also sold as a gift. The oval runs its own Saturday night race season as well.

• The cars are purpose built race cars on a race chassis with fibreglass bodies, styled like the NASCAR Cup cars on TV. They are identical apart from seat size, and staff pick the one that fits you.
• You drive alone, because the cars have no passenger seat. An instructor leads in the pace car and sets the speed: slowing if you hit cones or drop back through the corners, lifting the pace when you sit about two car lengths behind cleanly.
• Nobody races anyone. Drivers go out one at a time, warm up behind the pace car, then run laps at speed.
• There is no speedometer in the car, so the speed is whatever you can comfortably control, and the instructor builds it with you lap by lap.
• Instruction is a walk around the oval with the instructor before you suit up in the raceway's driver suit and helmet.
• Getting in is through the driver's window like a race driver. A car with a fold over door is there for anyone who cannot climb through, and staff add seat backing for shorter drivers.
• On the Race Car Ride an experienced race driver takes the wheel and you ride beside them at speed. The own car session puts your street car on the oval behind the pace car, then lets you lap at your own pace with lap times recorded by staff.
• Friends and family watch every lap from the grandstands.

• Sessions run from the first weekend of June to the end of September, typically Friday evening, Saturday at 9:00 AM and Sunday at 12:00 PM. Dates are on the Bookings and Schedule page, and every listed 2026 session is shown as fully booked.
• Prices are in Canadian dollars plus 5% GST: NASCAR Stock Car Test Drive CA$180 for 15 laps (5 warm up laps, then 10 at speed); Race Car Ride CA$140 for 15 laps as a passenger; Drive Your Own Street Car CA$210 for 30 laps (5 warm up and 10 at speed behind the pace car, then 15 at your own pace).
• Every package includes two adult tickets to a regular Saturday night race (not valid for the NASCAR Canada Series NAPA 300) and a souvenir photo by email. The test drive includes the driver suit and helmet.
• Add ons: test drive T shirt in black, sizes L to XXL, CA$30 plus tax and CA$15 shipping. Hotel weekend package for two with two test drives, one hotel night, two T shirts and two museum admissions, CA$660 plus tax. Your own GoPro is allowed if you bring your own mount. Laps cannot be shared and no extra laps are sold.
• Drivers should be about 16 years of age or older, and under 18 years of age needs a parent's signed waiver, supplied by the raceway. No driver's licence is required but you must know how to drive; international licences are accepted. Younger drivers with farm driving experience are considered case by case with instructor approval. There is no upper age limit, and drivers over 90 years of age have taken part.
• Everyone signs a liability waiver accepting the activity is at their own risk. Test drive participants are responsible for damage to the cars and the repair costs, and no insurance is available to cover a race car on the track. The raceway asks anyone with a back injury to consult their physician first.
• Wear closed toe shoes. Shorts are fine in warm weather.
• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to sign in. Instruction takes about an hour, and the whole visit runs 2.5 to 3 hours depending on group size.
• Packages must be bought before a date is booked: online, by email, phone, e transfer or in person at the raceway. Dates are then booked through the online registration form, by email to speedway@syban.net or by phone on 780 467 9276. Arrival time and what to wear are emailed around the Monday before your session.
• Gift certificates are emailed and can be bought any time of year. They are non refundable but transferable, and the raceway does not enforce the suggested expiry dates.
• The cars do not run on a wet track. Rain before the start means a rebooked date; rain during the session means staff try to dry the track and carry on, otherwise the session is rebooked. No refunds are given at any point. Rain calls go out by email and on the website a few hours ahead, and anyone travelling a long way can rebook on a poor forecast.
• Private group sessions take a minimum of 10 guests on the same test drive and ride formats, with a barbecue meal available after the session. Group rates are quoted by the raceway at speedway@syban.net.
• Watching from the grandstands is free. Spectators can visit the pit area after the session, not during it. Leashed dogs are allowed at test drive sessions, and owners clean up after them.
• The raceway has a licensed food concession.
• The raceway is on Township Road 464 just west of Wetaskiwin, reached off Highway 2A south of Edmonton.

• Last verified: 18 October 2026
• Official link: https://www.edmontonraceway.com/index.php?areaid=1003&pageid=1135