[speed kills]

I am 15 years old and turn 16 in about 2 months. I have watched NASCAR with my dad since i can remember and i love it. Lately since i have been driving with my learners permit and am about to get my liscense i have been thinking about trying to start on my path to becoming a NASCAR driver. I own a 350cc go-cart and have the skills to start out on the local track, but i was wondering if anybody has any experiance with racing stock cars and knows how to work my way up the ladder to becoming a NASCAR driver. this has been my dream for many years and i want to take ahold of it. Thanks for your help.

[BiscuitMan]

Speed:

Go-karts are where Tony Stewart started racing. Many of the open wheel drivers in IRL and Formula-1 practice with go-karts. It is a good format for honing your skills as a driver.

Moving up to bigger (and heavier) vehicles usually cost a lot of money. Having someone bankroll you in a venture is the easiest way to get into the higher levels at your local track. Getting noticed sometimes can happen when a car owner sees your talents and wants to take a chance to develop you further.

And, naturally, you have to make opportunities for yourself. There are driving schools available to test your abilities in these cars. Instructors are continually looking for exceptional talents and will call a team to let them know they have just seen the next Jeff Gordon at their school.

Good luck.

[wingkey1]

Not sure how or if your 350cc go-cart fits within any of the various classes, but it is real easy to determine by simply getting engaged with persons, tracks, or associations involved in karting. Here are some links to activities in the AZ area.

The way anyone ever starts is to go out and compete within an organized association. "Pick up" racing is not even close and tends to give many a sense that they are "ready".

Karting is a real nice and "affordable" means to find out if desire is enough and real enjoyment can be found. I ran novice/rookie schools for a number of years working with drivers ages 5 - 16 and their teams/owners/parents (QMA). Near all came out for training with enthusiasm and desire. A number went home after the first competitive event and never came back. So go affordably in to organized competition. You will likely be required to "join" if for no other reason than insurance purposes, and you will likely be required to receive training before your first real competition.

Be patient with yourself. Everyone develops at different rates and times in their lives. As good as anyone thinks they are, near all get their butts handed to them at some early point in their endeavor. For the ones that get up and carry on, there is hope. Many stay down. Oh they "race" again, but ----

HAVE FUN. And when you feel for whatever reason you can or are not, take a time out.

Now go out and DO SOMETHING with your desire. TODAY.

Phoenix Kart Racing Association

P1 Kart Circuit - Home

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Arizona Karting Association - Arizona Karting Asspciation