3rd Generation Racer

[Josh42]

Well it all starts now, We picked up a quarter midget yesterday while we were in Austin. We are going to go through the car completely and he will be able to start practicing legally this time next year in the mean time once its ready it will be parking lot time.  He is going to race up here in the Tulsa Quarter Midget Association.

[JamesHigdon]

 

Started the same journey in April of this year with my son. We've had a lot of fun with it, I think helping him race is more fun than any of what I've done. It's also been great for our family, should hopefully make Tulsa a few times next year! 

[ron.brown11]

That's Great Josh & James!! If they have the drive and abilities to want to race, by the time they're 10, racing will be second nature to them. Then the real fun will begin for them. If they decide that they don't want to pursue racing long term, you won't be mortgaged to the hilt, and you will still have been able to share a lot of time together doing it as a family. Still a win/win for you all. Oh how I wish I could have started that young.

When I was 16, I owned a 1970 Torino GT convertible. It was a beautiful car with a custom paint job, I had a friend that could paint really good. All I had to do was supply all supplies and a lot of grunt work. It was also pretty fast too. A guy that I knew that ran what were called hobby stocks (Novas, Camaros, Mustangs, Darts etc, with inline 6 cylinder engines), had a Maverick HS. He offered to trade his car, trailer, & all of his spares for my street Torino even up. I was all for it, but I had a couple of problems. First I didn't have anything to pull the trailer. He'd decided to go sprint car racing, and wanted everything gone. So I asked my dad if I could put a trailer hitch on the back of his 6 year old Lincoln suicide door Continental. He didn't quite answer that before he said that wouldn't be the problem. So I asked "well what's the problem then"? He said that he wouldn't sigh the required "Underage Release" that was required by the track. This was the same person that got me into stockcar racing, he just didn't want me participating. So I went into the Air Force when I graduated, and did a career there. At the ripe old age of 42, I ran my first race. That was a 600 hp modified that weighed 2400lbs, and we raced on 8" wide slicks. Talk about a steep learning curve!! I had a lot of fun, won some, but it was anything but a family affair. By that time my dad had passed away, and never saw me race. My mom saw me race 3 times, as she lived in Ohio, and I lived in Tucson. My son absolutely HATED that race car. You would have thought that I was shoving bamboo under his nails, by just asking he to help push the car into the trailer. My wife's reaction wasn't as bad as my son's, but it was in the same ballpark. Unfortunately my brother lived in Cincinnati, so he was only able to come out a couple times a year. So the majority of my racing was done with the help of friends in Tucson. Plus, when truly just starting at the age of 42, some of that youth invincibility we have when we're young isn't there anymore. So I'm certain that a would have been a better driver if I could have started much younger. That's why I'm happy for you both, and of course your kids. I hope that it works out well for all involved. Please keep this site posted with how they're doing. Good Luck!!