Each Year, New Stars Emerge in Auto Racing. They Weren't Born in the Roll
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THE ROOTS OF RACING BY TOM NASH Each year, new stars emerge in auto racing. 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: Dodge 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.nascar.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, Steve Park, Robert Press- ern Coastal and Sunbelt. The regional Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. Mc- ley, Elliott Sadler, Dennis Setzer, 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 Infiniti 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. Pro Stock, Super Late Model, 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 Ward Burton, schedule for 2004 consists of 12 100- pionship. The 25-year-old won the se- Stacy Compton, 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, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike 100 Mile Race at the Indianapolis finishes in 18 starts in the Late Model McLaughlin, Sterling Marlin, 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- Robbie Buhl, Bryan Herta, Kenny Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series, he to a Dallara chassis, and shod with Brack and Juan Montoya as alumni. took pole position 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 Michael Andretti, Patrick developmental “ladder” system to bring along young racers. The top series, the Toyota 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 Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Gilles Villeneuve, Keke Rosberg, Michael An- dretti and Jimmy Vasser. 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.