Pustay Beaven: Trust is complicated. Your tires earn it.

This was not my car—and it definitely was not my driving style.

This was an Acura NSX on a track at Atlanta Motorsports Park. And Bridgestone was asking me—Ms. Avoids Highway Driving—to push its Potenza Race tires and get an honest-to-goodness feel for the level of engineering behind them.

I'd ridden with professional drivers as they demonstrated tires' capabilities. But I'd never driven on the track.

And, yet, here I was.

For this demonstration, I wasn't alone—not entirely. A professional driver was there the whole time, in the NSX ahead of me and on the radio beside me, taking and talking me through each curve, each straightaway.

All I had to do was follow his lead.

The concept was simple enough: Drive fast. Brake hard. Turn left. Drive faster, brake harder, turn right. Then do it all over—only with more speed each time.

In practice, it was counterintuitive to everything I knew, everything I do as a driver. And what was I supposed to do when I couldn't trust my own instincts?

I gripped the steering wheel, took a deep breath and answered my own question: Trust the tires, I thought to myself.

Honestly, I do. Intrinsically.

I trust my tires every single day, so much so that I don't think about it. I picked the replacement tires I have on my vehicle for a reason: I trust the brand. I trust its engineering expertise, all of its material science and the manufacturing operations.

And every day—without thinking—I put my full faith on those tires and every person who had a hand in getting them from a concept to my car.

I take my son to school in that car. I stream music louder than I should, sing over it while I drive and keep an iced coffee within reach. I do all of that because I don't ever think about trusting my tires.

I know they'll grip the pavement, manage snow and rain, stop when I need them to and handle the winding back roads to the office.

It's a demonstration of trust on a level I'd never before considered.

But Bridgestone, during a ride and drive event that showcased the Potenza line, helped me understand exactly how deep that trust runs.

Moreover, Bridgestone proved why that level of trust is warranted.

"OK, let's open it up here on this straightaway." The lead driver's voice came crisp through the radio and over the hum of the NSX. "I mean, let's really hit the gas this time."

Trust the chemistry.

"Be thinking about that next curve. … Eyes ahead, watch for that apex … "

Trust the engineering.

"Don't be afraid to be aggressive with that brake. Be violent with it. … Good. … Hit the gas! Let's go!"

Trust the tires.

Pustay Beaven's Mario Kart instincts definitely do not translate to actual track driving. Peach is her go-to driver. Connect on LinkedIn or email [email protected].