Stock Car Racing

"If you're not focused, you're probably in the wall."
Joey Logano

"When I get in that race car everything kind of clears out of my mind."
Trevor Bayne

Drag Racing

"Whatever you want to do, just stick with it and never give up."
J.R. Todd

"This is just more of a brutal beast."
Steve Torrence

"As the car changes, you've got to change."
Dave Connolly

Young Rockets

They have been called young guns but they are more like young rockets. Some so young they could be called baby rockets.

These young rockets strap in, fire up and roar out in NASCAR and NHRA guiding 700 hp to 8000 hp race cars at speeds of 90 mph to 335 mph in short track to straight track rides. In NHRA drag racing the goal is to go fast and straight against a single competitor on the track. In NASCAR stock car racing it's essential to go fast among 43 cars in traffic on the track. If you turn in drag racing it's trouble. If you don't turn in stock car racing it's trouble.

Drivers start young to get experience crucial to advancement into the pro ranks. They call them rookies their first year in any sanction and in stock car racing they must display a bright rookie stripe on their rear bumper. But these rookies are not novices. They must acquire skills to get a license to race. Then they must hone those skills so they can win. Wins and top finishes boost advancement. A lack of wins or top finishes is a road block that even abundant resources will not remove.

It's tough road to the top and those who start young and develop fast get the chances to advance. Their words tell it all.

STOCK CAR RACING

Joey Logano    Hooters Pro Cup Series Stock Car

Veterans in this series say young drivers here already know what they are doing. Do you feel like you know what you are doing?
"There's a lot of younger kids in this series now, it's not like they never did it. They have a lot of experience even if they are rookies. A lot of these drivers here are good drivers even though they are rookies."

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Trevor Bayne   Hooters Pro Cup Series Stock Car

What advice would you give a young person wanting to be a driver?
"I just think you have to stay with it. There's times when it gets rough and you don't run as good as you would like to, but you can't get down on yourself and get in a bad mood, because it's hard to work with people when you are like that. You always have to have a good attitude about you and your work with everybody that you can and just listen. That's the biggest thing is just to listen to people. Don't think you know it all and take in any information that you can."

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DRAG RACING

J. R. Todd    NHRA POWERade Top Fuel Dragster

Steve Torrence   NHRA POWERade Top Fuel Dragster

Do race car drivers ever stop learning?
"No you never stop learning. I drove the alcohol car last year, an A fuel car, it was very similar to this car. I learned a lot of things and I've been able to use them in the fuel car. I was having a conversation with Mark Oswald last night. The alcohol car was more of a finesse type car where you had to finesse it and get it down through there. This is just more of a brutal beast. You've got to drive through tire shake instead of peddling it way early. That was on of the problems we had last night, I went out and peddled it. That was one of those things you know you did it. You're thinking the whole time you're doing it; I'm not supposed to do this. But I went ahead because that was what I was used to. I think I have less than 10 full passes in a fuel car ever, so I'm having to reprogram how I think in the car and realize that this thing will drive through way more tire shake than what I've ever been used to. I'm still learning and I don't think you ever quit learning as a driver."

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Dave Connolly    NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Car

Do you have something others don't that helped you get over learning curves?
"You know what I really think helped. I started out in the sportsman category so the driving part and hitting the tree that kind of came second nature when I got in the Pro Stock Car. I had good trainers jumping into the Pro Stock Car. Hopefully I didn't get into bad habits early in my career. There are certain things you can do like short-shift in low gear something like that. I tried not to get into any bad habits. There are still a lot of things you can learn, like how to get a consistent burnout. There are so many things to these cars that will make you run a few hundredths quicker."