Yeah and he probably had to sign a release.
Next up, lawsuit, followed by the end of this type of entertainment.
Although I've never done the Richard Petty driving experience (and this is something that I hope to do someday), I have participated in riding schools on motorcycle, including Keith Code's California Superbike School and Reg Pridmore's CLASS. In both cases, the release I had to sign was rather frightening. Seriously, it was a very sobering document to read and sign. It wasn't so much "if you die" but "when you are dismembered and dead on the track" sort of wording.
Mark