For about 70 years, Shirley Hipple has been a NASCAR expert the same way millions of fans do: from the comfort of her living room, watching the cars race around the track on television.
But at 99 years old, with his 100th birthday approaching, Hipple is finally experiencing something that he has been looking at for decades.
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He climbed into the car log at the Michigan International Airport and went for a ride.
The experience, organized by a major lifestyle community hospital program, gave NASCAR a long-awaited opportunity to hear the engines, feel the speed and see the track from a perspective it had only imagined.
And after the next seven decades, it was quite fun to celebrate a milestone birthday.
A NASCAR Dream Almost 70 Years in the Making
Hipple’s love for running dates back to the 1950s, when he took his children to the dirt track next to Groesbeck Road and eight miles in Detroit.
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What began was the family’s exit into perpetual suffering. NASCAR has been followed by generations of drivers, championship battles and game changes, rarely has a race been missing on television.
His favorite driver became seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, whose jacket he proudly wore as part of his career collection.
According to the affinity group, Hipple also turned his bedroom at Waltonwood Park in Canton, Michigan into a tribute to the smile he loved.
But there was one experience that never crossed his list: actually riding in a stock car.
that changed in September.
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A program through Adventure Waltonwood, which helps residents fulfill long-held wishes, Hipple went on a trip to Michigan International Underwater to race NASCAR.
At the races, outfitted in armor and secured inside the car, he experienced the speed and reliability of two-mile ovals first-hand.
For someone who had spent nearly 70 years watching NASCAR on television, it was a completely different way of getting to know the game.
Michigan Underwater Tour Gives NASCAR Superfan an Unforgettable Birthday Gift
Ride didn’t just visit Hipple in the light.
He also took a behind-the-scenes tour of the tour, giving him an up-close look at the part NASCAR fans typically only experience through television coverage.
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The trip was especially significant because it combined Hipple’s early career memories in Detroit with one of Michigan’s most recognizable motorsport venues.
Sara Bailey, vice president of sales for Waltonwood, said the experience brought back the purpose of Adventure Community.
“At Waltonwood, we believe that age does not fade,” says Bailey. “Seeing Shirley’s dream come true is what our Adventure program is all about.”
Hipple’s story is a reminder of something NASCAR fans understand particularly well: A connection to racing can last a lifetime.
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Leaders retire, teams change and vehicles evolve, but the excitement that first draws someone to laughter can remain remarkably familiar.
At Hipple, that local movement started in the dirt tracks of the 1950s, and eventually took it all the way to Michigan International Underwater.
Now, as he approaches his 100th birthday, he has a new career record to add to his collection of nearly seven decades in the making.
This time it was not to be watched on television.