THE ROOTS OF RACING BY TOM NASH Each year, new stars emerge in . They weren’t born in the roll cage of a Nextel Cup car or the cockpit of an IRL racer. So, where do those young driving stars come from?

an has always sought over salt flats and jungle and swamp ter- to prove his individ- rain. As long as there are powered vehi- ual superiority over cles, humans will continue to try to others of his species. prove the superiority of “man and ma- In prehistoric times, chine.” The next generation of racers is the benefits of being currently training to outdo the last. But the clan’s “alpha male” included getting where are they? Mthe best food and females. These con- In football and basketball, young ath- tests of territorial domination, like those letes work their way through the com- in the animal kingdom, included physi- petitive leagues of high school and col- cal battles, which left the loser tending lege. Baseball and hockey players also to his battered body and crushed ego. emerge via junior and minor league sys- NASCAR courtesy Photo Later, as man domesticated horses tems. But few of us know much about motocross, motorcycle, boat and drag and camels to carry him, the natural in- the “minor leagues” of auto racing. racing. Eventually, like salmon swim- clination to prove whose beast was bet- It so happens that most every major ming upstream to spawn, the few that ter evolved into racing to settle the mat- racing series has a “grass roots” devel- the fates don’t sort out will make it to ter. The invention and development of opmental program to tutor, guide and the top and become stars. the wheel then gave us the chariot races protect youngsters. Racing organiza- So, if you’re wondering where the that thrilled spectators in ancient Rome. tions know that the future of their Earnhardts, Andrettis and Unsers of to- A century ago, automobiles had beloved sport lies in the youth who will morrow will come from, rest assured barely been invented before the be the racing heroes of the next gener- they’re out there. You just have to know builders and owners sought to prove ation. To ensure the survival and quali- where to look. the superiority of their machines. ty of their sport, these groups have set Thus was born auto racing, a sport up structured programs to help devel- NASCAR: Weekly Series that’s a lot more fun to watch—and op these young drivers. The Dodge Weekly Series is NASCAR’s participate in—than our early forefa- For every big-name driver in one (www..com) championship pro- thers’ contests for dominance. of the major racing series today there gram for weekly short-track competi- Today there are over 50 types of au- are a thousand other youthful racers tors. Drivers compete at their home tomobile racing around the globe, rang- plying their craft on small regional tracks for local awards, as well as region- ing from rallies to valleys, from hill tracks, working their way up to the al and national championships. Eight climbs to superspeedways, on surfaces Big Time. Today, those young men geographic regions are represented: At- of cement, dirt, sand, mud and ice, and and women are involved in karting, lantic, Heartland, Midwest, New Eng-

24 March 2004 land, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast- Stock Car division at Old Dominion McMurray, , Robert Press- ern Coastal and Sunbelt. The regional Speedway in Manassas, . Mc- ley, , , Jack champions’ racing records are com- Farland’s bonus awards pushed his Sprague and Mike Wallace. pared using a competition performance winnings to $213,500, the largest point index point formula to determine a na- fund award ever won by a single driver Indy Racing League: tional champion. in the 21-year history of the NASCAR Menards Pro Series How big is it? Well, in 2003, approxi- Dodge Weekly Series. The Indy Racing League (www.indy mately 8000 drivers in 30 states com- The series was founded in 1982 racingleague.com) created the Infiniti peted in over 1600 events on 75 asphalt and includes eight divisions: Late Pro Series in 2002 to serve as a step- and dirt oval tracks, ranging in size from Model, Asphalt Modified, Sportsman, ping stone for young drivers with a quarter-mile to .646-mile in length. , Super , Dirt dreams of driving in the IndyCar Se- They vied for part of $1.7 million in Late Model, Dirt Modifieds and Su- ries. The series provides an ideal point fund money. per Stock. training ground for the rising talent Mark McFarland of Winchester, The NASCAR Dodge Weekly Se- of IRL’s open-wheel racing. Virginia, won the 2003 NASCAR ries all-star alumni include some The Menards Infiniti Pro Series Dodge Weekly Series National Cham- huge names—Jeff and , schedule for 2004 consists of 12 100- pionship. The 25-year-old won the se- , Terry Cook, Dale mile races to be held at selected IRL ries’ Atlantic Region championship af- Earnhardt, Jr., Ron Hornaday, Bobby venues, and includes the Freedom ter recording 16 wins and 18 top-five Labonte, , Mike 100 Mile Race at the finishes in 18 starts in the Late Model McLaughlin, , Jamie Motor Speedway.

March 2004 25 THE ROOTS OF RACING

Dodge are eligible to move up the lad- der to the next step. After four years of developing young drivers, financial difficulties have put the future of the Formula Dodge Series in doubt. The bottom rung of the CART lad- der is also the top rung in karting. Only three years old, the Stars of Tomorrow Series showcases drivers 8 years old and up, in both gearbox (shifter) and nongearbox classes. Eight to ten races are held in various geographic regions, leading to a cham- pionship race. The system is sanctioned by the World Karting Association (WKA) and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The top talent is ex- pected to move up the ladder in Photo courtesy NASCAR courtesy Photo NASCAR’s Dodge Weekly Series awards points to nearly 8000 amateur drivers CART’s developmental system. in eight divisions, while they compete in races at their home tracks. Point Such was the case for 12-year-old standings are compared to determine local, regional and national champions. John Edwards of Little Rock, Arkansas. Last year, the young karter All cars in the series are equipped many groups and individuals. In exis- moved up the ladder from the Stars of with a 3.5L V8 Infiniti Q45 racing en- tence for 18 years, the series counts Tomorrow series. Competing in the gine that produces 450 hp, tucked in- , , Kenny Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series, he to a chassis, and shod with Brack and Juan Montoya as alumni. took in qualifying Satur- Firestone tires. Unfortunately, CART will not host the day morning on Daytona’s infield road About 30 drivers participated in the Barber Dodge Series for 2004. course, then led the 13-car field from series last year. The top finishers are Next down the CART ladder is the flag-to-flag for his first auto racing vic- considered to be prime choices for fill- Formula Dodge National Champi- tory. John then doubled up with a win ing seats in the IndyCar Series. onship Series. Young drivers with on Sunday, posting a 25-second margin proven talent and track experience are of victory over the second place finish- CART: Ladder Series invited to compete in this 13-race ama- er—during a downpour! For all its recent financial troubles (loss- teur series. The big prize is being desig- Karts have been the career starting es from competing against IRL), CART nated as CART’s National Amateur point for other racing luminaries, (www.cart.com) has had a very good Champion. The top drivers in Formula among them , Patrick developmental “ladder” system to bring along young racers. The top series, the Atlantic Championship Series, is considered one of the best preparatory programs in auto racing. It’s run at the same venues as the Champ Cars, prior to the big races. Over the last 30 years, the Atlantic Series has seen the likes of such drivers as , , , , Michael An- dretti and . If CART sur- vives this year, and it looks as though it may, this series will be critical to the fu- ture of the organization. Just below Toyota Atlantic is the Bar- ber Dodge Series, considered to be the

official entry level of professional CART League Indy Racing courtesy Photo racing. The cost to field and run the The Menards Infiniti Pro Series is the Indy Racing League’s training ground smaller, less expensive cars in the Bar- for young drivers. After two years of spirited competition, the series has ber Dodge Series made it attractive to proven to be a fan favorite. Twelve 100-mile races are scheduled for 2004.

26 March 2004 THE ROOTS OF RACING Photo courtesy R. Dole, Skip Barber Racing courtesy Photo John Edwards, a 12-year-old from Lit- tle Rock, Arkansas, became the

Photo courtesy CART courtesy Photo youngest winner of the Skip Barber We’re not talking about go-karts here. CART’s developmental Stars of Tomor- Formula Dodge Series when he posted 1 row Series karts can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3 ⁄2 seconds, have shifted his first open-wheel victory at Day- transmissions and sophisticated disc brakes. Engines range from 80 to 125cc. tona International Speedway last year. Carpentier, Helio Castroneves, Gil de able way to establish competitive re- Ferran, , , sumes, by using an inexpensive formula while some will be run as stand-alone and Bryan Herta. Howev- for equipment and competing locally. programs. If the series proves suc- er, as in the series higher up the CART The series was founded in 2002 and cessful, the number of venues will be ladder, the future of the Stars of Tomor- quickly became popular with local fans. expanded next year. row Series is unclear. This year, ASA takes over the pro- The races will be 100-lap green flag gram. After that announcement from contests, planned without changing American Speed Association: ASA, more than 100 teams from 14 tires, adding fuel or pit stops. The cars Late Model Series states registered for the coming year’s will include makes from three major The American Speed Association competition. manufacturers—GM, Ford and (www.asaracing.com) recently added a The 2004 ASA Late Model Series Dodge—and will utilize template bod- developmental series to its menu. For- schedule will feature 14 events in Illi- ies and specified crate engines. The en- merly known as the USPRO Cup Se- nois, , Iowa, , , gines must be from the company that ries, a localized Midwest racing pro- and . Some makes the body. gram, it was designed to provide young races will be held in conjunction with drivers and racing teams with an afford- the nationally touring ASA races, NHRA: O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. League The National Association (www.nhra.com) has been operating its youth driver development program, the Jr. Drag Racing League, since 1992. Sponsored by O’Reilly Auto Parts, the program features youngsters aged 8 to 17 competing in half-scale dragsters powered by 5-hp engines that produce speeds up to 85 mph. Many of the dragsters, or kits, are made by the same commercial chassis builders who also build the larger versions. The cost to go racing at this

Photo courtesy ASA Racing courtesy Photo level may run from $3000 to $5000, The American Speed Association (ASA) has taken a great step forward toward including mandatory safety gear and developing young drivers with the establishment of the Late Model Series. The entry fees. Just like the professionals, 14-race schedule is sure to increase interest in local . most Jr. racers defray their racing

28 March 2004 THE ROOTS OF RACING

The NHRA says the fessional races and events each year. O’Reilly Auto Parts The foundation of the SCCA contin- Jr. Drag Racing ues to be club racing. It’s at these local League has ap- and regional venues that drivers are ed- proximately 4000 ucated, trained and nurtured by certi- drivers, ages 8 to 17, about 25% of fied instructors in the art and technique whom are female. of competitive driving. More than 130 On the professional side, SCCA is NHRA member best known for the Trans-Am Series. tracks in the U.S. Started in 1966 as a competition for rac- and offer ing sedans, Trans-Am has remained one races for the of the premier road racing series in youth program. . It averages more than a million fans at its races each year. In the first few years, the series saw participation by such notable drivers as future NASCAR champions A.J. Foyt and , Formula 1 standouts and , road rac- ers and , and Indy 500 stars , Sam Photo courtesy NHRA courtesy Photo Posey and . costs by securing sponsors. culminating events of the season, The Trans-Am Series now showcases Local competition is held at an each awarding $100,000 in savings some of North America’s top road rac- eighth-mile distance. NHRA national bonds every year. ers, including three-time champion events are contested over a quarter- , two-time titleholder mile. Drivers aged 8 to 9 may run as Sports Car Club of America , Michael Lewis, Johnny quick as 12.90 seconds on the eighth- The subject of training race car drivers Miller IV, Randy Ruhlman, Bob Ru- mile. Drivers 13 to 17 may do it in 7.90 would not be complete without a men- man, 2002 champion , Simon seconds. Stock Jr. Dragsters use pump tion of the Sports Car Club of America Gregg and . for fuel, but most engines are (www.scca.org). The SCCA trains more Now under the promotional guid- modified to burn alcohol (methanol), drivers—from the ground up—than ance of Gentilozzi, the series is run in for quicker times. any other racing organization. The conjunction with CART events, so the The NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. 65,000-member nonprofit organization schedule of events for the year is still Drag Racing League Eastern and of more than 100 regional chapters unconfirmed as we go to press. Western Conference Finals are the sanctions over 2000 amateur and pro- Race officiating is another important role of the SCCA. Every major U.S. road racing event is staffed by SCCA members. The organization’s 5000 trained and licensed workers provide emergency services, course communi- cations, timing and scoring, registration and marshaling for the course, pregrid, pit lane and paddock. Other racing organizations have de- velopment programs, too, but space prohibits listing them all. If you’re cu- rious about programs not mentioned here, check out their websites. There you’ll learn about the racing stars of tomorrow who are out there at the grass roots level, honing their skills to be the very best. Photo courtesy USA LAT courtesy Photo Under the sanction of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), the Grand-Am Visit www.motor.com to download road racing series has been the proving ground for many drivers who later a free copy of this article. found success in many different types of racing competition.

30 March 2004