KIDS SEE NASCAR'S FUTURE IN THE AIR AND UNDERWATER (NASCAR explores the next generation of the sport via its new millennium celebration -- NASCAR 2000)

"I think NASCAR will be like a giant air show, with giant poles extending into the air to mark the track. The flying cars will have lasers to knock other cars off the track, and the people in the stands will have automatic food and souvenir service. Just type in what you want -- boom -- someone is there with whatever you want." -- Kimberly B.

"I think the cars will be able to fly and hover over the track. If a car was damaged, all you would have to do was push a button and it would repair the damage. There would be paint ball guns attached to the mufflers, so that you could shoot anyone close to your bumper. You could fly over the car in front of you pulling back on a stick, and at night, the face shield on your helmet would turn from clear to infrared so you could see the cars by the heat they give off. There would also be sensors in the helmet that were connected to the dashboard that could read your thoughts. If you say 'turn right' in your mind, the car will turn right. I also think there would be other challenges on the track
besides hard turns." -- Eric A.

"The winners will get a trip to Neptune, a (recreational vehicle) that can travel through the air and 1,000 gold coins. I also think drivers will be able to push a button to put a shield around the car, so that no one is injured and nothing is damaged." -- Elizabeth H.

"I think NASCAR cars will run in the air like the Jetsons, and they will have to go around obstacle courses. If they miss an obstacle, they will be taken off the course by a big machine hand." -- Megan M.

"I think mechanical arms will come out if a driver is injured so the car can be driven by remote control and I think the cars will be powered by the sun." -- Matt R.

"I think drivers (like Jeff Gordon) would be beside other drivers in a building with an opening facing the race track, but they will not be inside the car. They will drive the car with 3D virtual reality. In the head mask, they will see exactly what they see now. There will be a steering wheel and virtual racing gloves. It is not a video game, because the cars are actually on the track and moving." -- Charlotte K.

"I think that 50 years from now, the cars will be in the ocean. They will be like hovercrafts that hover over the water. The track will be made of a special tube of very hot, clear plastic. If your car hits the tube, it melts. To let the announcers know that someone hit the tube, a loud buzzing noise is heard. Then a high-speed hovercraft comes to get the driver. The driver sits in a metal box so he doesn't burn. When the outer shell of the car is lost, the metal box sinks and makes a beeping sound so that it can be found. On pit stops, they would have to fill air tanks, not gas tanks. I will definitely watch and go to the races when I am 61 years old!" -- Kyle A.

"The cars will be allowed to turn invisible for 30 seconds, but if they stay invisible longer, they will be disqualified." -- Daniel M.

"NASCAR cars will have a special button so that if you are hungry or thirsty, a food or drink will appear. I also think that there will be a special hologram machine that will let you have whoever you want in the car with you ... The cars will be able to do tricks in the air and you can add to your score if you do really good tricks. The cars will have special TVs so that you can see how far behind you are like a video game."-- Megan W.

"I think that NASCAR in the future would have laser beams that could cancel out the other drivers' engines. The cars would be hovercrafts that could go over land, water and air. There could also be a master remote control that could control the gears and the steering wheel." -- Brad H.

"I believe that in 50 years, that the cars will be driven from outside the car on much bigger tracks so more cars can participate. I think the cars will be faster and smaller and be able to attach to one another. They will be able to glide and go underwater." -- Cameron A.