Velocity Driving lets you drive hot wheels at Nassau Coliseum event

Philip Policastro, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority supervisor who lives in Patchogue, ordinarily drives a Tesla Model 3. But on a recent windy morning, he slipped into the driver’s seat to experience the power of driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

Policastro said his wife has been diagnosed with cancer, making him painfully aware of the precariousness and preciousness of each moment. He took some time to get the feel of speed behind the wheel, before returning to the rhythms of a more serious reality.

“I’ve always loved Porsches,” Policastro, 51, said after finishing his drive. “I felt it was time to finally drive one.”

Policastro was traversing an off-road course set up with cones in the oversize Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum parking lot through Velocity Driving. That day the company offered drivers and passengers a chance to experience a McLaren, Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini at one of their periodic exotic car driving events.

People pay a fee to drive, or be a passenger with a professional driver, in an exotic car, experiencing the excitement of a brief voyage. Colby Christensen, Velocity Driving’s event manager, said people celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and more at events up and down the East Coast, including about four annually on Long Island.

The next Long Island event is set for June 14-15.

“It’s a good memory,” Christensen said, noting participants can purchase photos and video. “You can tell people you drove the car and they’ll believe you.”

Drivers can hit the gas on the straightaway, braking before turns on a roughly quarter-mile track for four laps or more. The experience costs about $70 and up. The events accommodate 120 to 150 people per day, he said.

“It’s kind of like a roller coaster,” Christensen said, noting eight laps can take 15 minutes. “You get in, go and get out.”

Bill Cardinale, of Massapequa, traded his black Cadillac for a Porsche. “It felt like I was 17 again, illegally turning in a parking lot,” said Cardinale, 69, before young family members  a ride with a Velocity Driving instructor.

Policastro said the shiny vehicles were well-maintained and ramp up quickly, letting you race before returning to the real world. “It really can’t be compared to anything until you actually start driving the vehicles,” he said.

“They give you an exhilaration that you don’t get in many other ways.”