Catching up on some reading from SWD and read there was 12 year old in a 358 Mod.

I don't go to my local little league games so I sure as heck will not be traveling hours to watch kids drive race cars!!

I'll leave the age thing to the parents, tracks, sanctioning bodies and insurance companies....

Down here in Georgia and South Alabama there are quite a few 12, 13, 14 year old running the 602 charger (rookie) classes. I personally have enjoyed watching their progress from barely being able to keep up on the pace laps, to passing their first car to getting a top 5. Reminds me of the old days at Flemington watching the rookies run.

When they come into the grandstands to greet family and friends I have found them to be very polite and excited that someone else noticed them on the track. 

It has been good for the sport at Senoia, for example, and has help to build big fields of car each week as they graduate and move to the 602s after three wins.

- David

its been good for the sport watching them get better is neat drivers like yankowsky tanner van doren logen watt cody manmiller kyle smith they race really good there only going to get better its your lost for not going.

Though I respect your opinion, it's not my loss. Money not going to a track. I'd say it's their loss.

My opinion on this subject is kids should be a certain age before getting behind the wheel. Pre and young teens shouldn't be running high powered modifieds or 410 sprint cars. 

I agree to a point, but watching Alex Yankowski when he was 12 win a crate race at Georgetown with Kevin Bates, who helps us a lot with Stew, as his crew chief, was pretty cool. He told us "watch this kid, he's gonna be good" and we could not believe how well this young, skinny kid did. Now at 17 he's pretty much a top five driver in 358's and big blocks. Super nice kid too that works hard on his stuff.  Anyone that has senn him race I bet will agree.  That 18 year old start is waaaaay in the past Frank, get used to it!

This isn’t new. Jeff Gordon‘s step dad moved him to Indiana in the 80’s because he couldn’t race a sprint car in California at fifteen years old but you could in Indiana.

However I think the primary reason tracks are allowin* this is because so many tracks are having car count problems and need every car they can get. What I don’t understand is insurance companies allowing it.

My point being I don't really care to watch 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 year olds race Sprints, Modifieds or Late Models regardless of how great they may become in the future.

I don't go to watch kids sports unless they are mine or any future grandkids. If the BIG cars I love become dominitated by kids, I'm out.

What's the hang up with someone's age? When they put a helmet and fire suit on, how do you know how old they are ? Why does it matter ? 

My question is why do states have a min age to drive on the street, if these kids are safe to drive high powered race cars, let them drive to and from the track???

I just don't have any desire to watch kids race. Simple as that. I don't attend other kid's sports - Little League, Pop Warner, Quarter Midgets so I'm being inclusive across all sports.

I hear ya Frank. I raced with kids, it's not fun getting beat by a kid! 

I won a Sportsman race at Wall when I was 48. The next three drivers were 16, 16, and 16. =48.  

The worst is if you have a problem with them, you can't do or say anything to them and it's usually their mother yelling at ya.  LOL Believe me.

I don't have a problem with it, they aren't getting hurt porbably safer then football or baseball. This has been happening for years. My concern is they all come from racing families with the financial means to do it where are the new racers and fans going to come from? 

INTERESTING SUBJECT--

was in the pits  at mahoning with jack ely  when he ran the dirt modified a few years ago , and there was a 12 year old late model  driver  from long island who was parked next to us-nice people - sharp kid, focused--professional attitude-i'd say you can't lump all kids into onr catagory -they're like us old people--different---some mature , some never grow up !!

blessings !!

bill-----------

Don't forget 11 yr old Paulie Hartwig, probably the best of all you mentioned

It's all well and good until one gets hurt or worse, then the lawyers and the insurance companys will step in and may end the sport as we know it.

Told myself not to get involved in this one.  However, I do agree with the previous comment regarding the insurance/ legal ramifications pertaining to minors racing "big" cars (and some aren't even close to being 18).  I know its a little far fetched but could this practice lead to lowering the legal age to drive a street car.  Also, will this practice lead to Nascar lowering their minimum driving age.  Forget the superspeedways or mile & 1/2s, I don't think its a great a idea having a 12 or 15 year olds wheeling a truck, xfinity, or cup car around Bristol or Richmond.  Just my opinion.  Scott Ely   

No disrespect intended I saw 2 twelve yr olds race this year and they were both awesome.  I saw more carnage from other drivers much older.  I won't mention any of the names out of respect to everybody

Lucky a video of that incident or another one like that didn't become the lead story on Good Morning America or another TV morning show.  

I'm not challenging their abilities behind the wheel. My thought is they have years of wheel to wheel racing experience, have been well mentored along the way and many conversations had regarding readiness before driving and racing a big car.

I also purposely avoided the safety aspect.

I just don't have the desire to watch children racing big cars. Nothing more/nothing less. 

With that said, there have been quite a few interesting points made along the way!

Watched 13 year old Logan Watt lead all 50 laps in Crate race Saturday night at Port Royal.  This kid does all the work on his car, that's how his father taught him.  Nice, polite , and very humble young man.  The future looks good with the next generation coming up.

Pretty much the problem was, is the age and weight when a kid can not race a quarter midget and or get into a full size car, became a 3 year gap, especially in Jersey, with  an 18 year old rule.  In that period the kid would find the almighty "girl" or the parents would lose interest and they would move on.  No race car.   It would start the void and the younger racer dwindled. The State lowered the age by the encouragement of the parents and promoters and here came the Jeff Gordon movement at the short tracks. It's sometimes ugly because every parent thinks their kid is the next Jeff Gordon. It's been going on for some time now so I guess the State and insurance companies are ok with it. 

This is a great discussion.  I have a friend who owns a race team and would not put his son in a car until he reached 16 years old.  His feeling was that his son needed to study the sport more and work on the cars.  He also wanted his son to not just focus on racing but other sports.  

It was interesting to see how he approached the situation.  He also limited his son to only a few races in the first year.