PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. () — Instead of their foot on the pedal, two NASCAR drivers instead put their boots on the ground, going through intense military training alongside Parris Island Marines.

In advance of the 75^th Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, drill instructors with the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot led NASCAR drivers for team Penske, No. 12 Ryan Blaney, and No. 2 Austin Cindric through 11 different recruit training courses.

From the moment the team Penske stars stepped out of the van and onto the yellow footprints, they no longer were in control.

“I definitely have gotten way more adrenaline today than I have racing for a while,” said Blaney.

The two drivers were treated like fresh recruits on their journey to becoming Marines. They were yelled at, demanded and even pushed to their limits at some points.

It was a switch up from their usual laps around the track.

“Do you understand?” yelled a drill instructor in their face as their feet were planted on the yellow footprints.

“Yes sir,” the Penske team responded, but not loud enough.

 “All of you scream yes, sir,” the instructor then demanded.

At a louder level this time, the two drivers, alongside Darlington Raceway President, Josh Harris yelled back in unison, “Yes, sir!”

Cindric said the process felt like becoming a new person in those moments, even though being alongside his teammate, Blaney, made some parts more difficult not to break.

“As much as I like smile and laugh at that, like it’s easy for me to do,” said Cindric. “But, you know, it’s a very serious thing and a very real thing for all those that come here.”

Blaney added on that he knew from the first drill they went through, that he gained a massive respect for the Marine training.

“The drill instructor, I mean it’s right away. You were thrown into it and it’s something that obviously I’ve never been through. I’m not used to, but I think they set the precedent right away of this is how things are, and this is how it’s going to be,” said Blaney.

Both drivers say they had to put themselves in the first-year recruits’ shoes.

They worked through the mentally and physically tough tasks, like repelling from an eight-story rappel tower.

Both Cindric and Blaney, who are both adrenaline junkies, rappelled from the tower twice.

They also learned how to shoot military weapons and went through a day movement course which simulated a realistic recreation of a battlefield with wooded and urban terrain, high walls and barbed wire obstacles.

“In my position, I’m used to probably being more in control, or at least I try to be and there was a lot of listening that needed to happen in that moment. So, it was a bit of a flip there,” said Cindric in response to being led through the many different training courses.

The drivers said the different skills and leadership qualities they learned today, they hope to take with them into future races.

I would say that I’m a very process driven person in a lot of ways. So, I think there are a lot of parallels in running a race team and being a leader that I can take away,” said Cindric. “But this is definitely to the extreme.”

The Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will take place Labor Day weekend.