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NASCAR driver Carl Edwards appreciates high
speeds.

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He stopped by NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
in Florida just a few days before racing in

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the 2016 Daytona 500.

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During his visit, Edwards pointed out the
similarities between racing on the track . . . and

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racing into space.

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I drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs
Racing but there are 500 people back in the

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shop who build that car and test everything
and have a plan in place for every contingency.

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And it appears from my time here today at
NASA, it’s very similar.

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There’s the launch, and there are the folks
that ride the shuttle, but there are so many

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things that go into that and so much happening
behind the scenes.

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It’s neat to see the parallels.

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Edwards went behind the scenes inside the
massive Vehicle Assembly Building and historic

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Launch Pad 39B.

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NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations
Program is preparing both facilities for the

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assembly and launch of the agency’s next-generation,
heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System.

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I mean this is the stuff, as a kid, I read
about, I watched on television, saw all these

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things.

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But to see it in person is really a treat.

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Edwards also got behind the wheel of a Mine-resistant
Ambush-protected vehicle, or MRAP.

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The armored vehicle will be used to help astronauts
evacuate from the launch pad in the event

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of an emergency.

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But . . . would he ever be interested in riding
a rocket?

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Yeah, of course!