BRISTOL, TN – Before hitting the courts at the IHG Hotels & Resorts Bristol Open presented by Deep Eddy Vodka, a group of pros visited the historic Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday.

Brothers Hunter Johnson and Yates Johnson were among the players fortunate enough to enjoy a lap around the track as a professional driver took them for a spin.

“I said that I wanted to go fast and that’s exactly what we did. It was cool to actually be on the track in this amazing arena,” said Hunter. “We went about 100 mph, so we got to feel the Gs of the car and the track. I think we all have respect for these race car drivers who go this fast for this long.”

Like the Johnsons, Andrei Daescu appreciated the unique experience.

“The driver wasn't taking it too easy on us. We were leaning pretty heavily going about 90 mph” he shared. “We got to feel the Gs over there, and I was a little shaken up when I got out of the car.”

Quang Duong, AJ Koller, Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti were also on-site.

It was Zilveti's first time on a race track, and she even got behind the wheel with Ignatowich as a passenger.

“I hit a quick 30 mph, so I might be leaving the PPA soon to become a professional race car driver,” she said with a laugh.

“I wasn’t scared at all,” joked Ignatowich. 

Bottom line, everyone enjoyed a special welcome to East Tennessee. 

“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” concluded Hunter.