NASCAR simulator speeds into Tinker Base Exchange Published July 3, 2008 By John E. Banks Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- The roaring sights and sounds of NASCAR came speeding to the Tinker Exchange on June 27 to the amazement and delight of 250 fans. The simulator car is part of an ongoing campaign to provide the service members of Team Tinker an outlet for their hard work and dedication. The simulator on display was the No. 18 car of reigning points leader Kyle Busch. Fans of all ages were present to test their skills on the simulator. Everyone from active duty members to small children got a thrill as they were able to sit behind the wheel and attempt to master the simulator. "This is awesome. It is hard, but it is fun," said Hayden Strait. "I really love this. It was exciting and very difficult," said Marlene Armstrong, an exchange employee. The purpose of bringing the simulator to Tinker is to give back and say thank you to all the Team Tinker personnel. "The hard work, dedication, perservsance, and commitment to excellence these people demonstrate on a daily basis to protect our freedoms is our reason for doing this", said Kenny Babbart, display manager of the NASCAR car. The uniqueness of this simulator car is that it is an actual race car that has been driven in competition. It also has a live race engine and it was started when the individuals participated in the simulation. The roar of the engine brought a standing ovation and cheers from all the individuals in attendance. "Wow this is awesome, I love it," said Strait. "This program provides three minutes of fantasy and it is as realistic as possible. It creates a lot of excitement and it adds to our commitment to providing extra things for all of Team Tinker," said Catherine Jones, store manager at the Tinker main exchange.