DRIVER DEVELOPMENT
Question Quest Story by Dwight Drum
© 2008 Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen & Drum
Chase Austin, Dexter Bean, Patrick Sheltra, Trevor Bayne, Bryan Clauson, Michael Annett, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
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Young and Charging
Most drivers who aren't champions like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson or owners like Kyle Petty will admit frequently that they have to produce to keep their jobs. They are quick to say there is someone else just waiting for their seat.
Petty maintains that there is no youth movement in NASCAR Sprint Cup, that it's just normal attrition. "It's just natural." Petty said. "The younger guys just get better cars to race in and that's how they bring it to your attention more than anything else. If you go back 15 years those 20-year-olds would be running at the back of the pack because nobody at the front of the pack would give them a shot. Now because of the way the sport is they're getting a shot."
Petty has a point but some disagree and say that seeking youths, the "phenom" search to snatch up another Kyle Busch is frantic and active.
The demographics among NASCAR drivers have a consistent pattern over the years, but the extensive developmental programs in place are a more recent approach. Unless a driver is an exceptional open-wheel driver the quest now is for young and skilled.
Most hopeful youths start racing before age 10 so that by the time they surpass age limits they have also hurdled many experience bars. It could be said there are no real rookies at the top levels of racing because all drivers started in go-karts, midgets, sprint cars and late models. They all had super training wheels in their past.
But the young have to fit in and produce almost as fast as a few laps around Talladega.
Different levels of development persist among the secondary series that feed NASCAR with seasoned rookies. Top development series, ARCA RE/MAX Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide East and West Series are entertainment organizations with active schedules. These series have shows at diverse tracks on scattered geography with keen competition for lucrative purses compared to local dirt tracks across the USA.
Freshman drivers advance to sophomore levels when deemed ready so that by the time they have a rookie stripe on a Cup car they are well prepared to learn at the top level.
Two-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson agrees, "I think that as a young up-and-coming driver, "Johnson said. "You have more opportunities in today's world than even when I started a few short six years ago so it's exciting to see these guys come along and have a shot to come in and run the big times."
A prime example of grooming is Rusty Wallace's team featuring his 20-year-old son Steven in the Nationwide Series during 2007. This year Wallace has added 18-year-old Chase Austin and veteran driver David Stremme in another car for that team. This question quest starts with Chase Austin and proceeds with six other eager youths in training.
Reporter Dwight Drum asked the questions at Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Lakeland International Speedway.
Chase Austin (Rusty Wallace Inc)
Hometown: Eudora, Kan. DOB: 10-3-89
Can you compare the challenges now to challenges past?
"Besides the expense of it increases - people with money are going to afford better things. It all equals out the higher up you get. When we were racing go-karts, you had kids that were really good and kids that were really slow. I was thankful that I had my parents with a lot of information when I was crew chief in go-karts coming up. I always had a good go-kart car. But once you get to these levels you have engineers. Everything is just so close. The competition level has really stepped up."
What's do you like best about your job?
"Best about my job? There are so many good things. I get to drive race cars. Tat's all I can say. It's one of the best jobs out there. You know you have a good job when you have a bad day and you can still smile about it."
Dexter Bean (Spraker Enterprises/Glock)
Hometown: Westby, Wis. DOB: 1-5-87
Can you compare the challenges now to challenges past?
"Definitely. It's a great opportunity for myself to have the backing behind me. Last year it was a family-owned team and we ended up finishing third in the points. Now this year we've got some good backing behind us, running for a good strong team, Spraker Racing Enterprises. I'm real excited for this year. I think we got a shot at the championship."
Like all young drivers at this level, do you have your eyes on a Cup seat?
"Definitely. That's the biggest goal in this game."
Patrick Sheltra (Sheltra Motorsports)
Hometown: Indiantown, Fla. DOB: 5-14-86
What would you say to fans that can't get the opportunity to do what you do?
"Yeah. It's really a blessing for me to be doing this. There are a lot of people who would love to be doing this right now. The next Dale Earnhardt could be sitting in the stands out there, but he's not going to have the opportunity to be here where we are at. If they want to do it, just keep their heads high and just try as hard as they can."
How do you prepare for challenges in a very competitive world?
"It's a big challenge for me. I go to tracks every weekend and it's a challenge just to go around the track, to make one lap is challenge for me. Every lap is as hard as you can do it."
Trevor Bayne (Dale Earnhardt Inc.)
Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn. DOB: February 19, 1991
When will you be eligible to drive in NASCAR?
"I'll be 17 in February so starting in February I'll have year. I'm going to run Nationwide East and hopefully the next year I'll run the Nationwide Series. I think we'll run a year or two in that and hopefully step into a Cup car. We're going to go ahead now and start testing in the COTs. I got in one already in South Boston and they are a different venture but I enjoy it. I know in 2009 the Nationwide Series is going to the same COTs so I got to get a feel for that now.
Along the way did it occur to you that you were born to race?
"I don't know. I was three-years-old getting on a dirt bike with training wheels. It starts coming natural to you when you start that young but I definitely think it's my calling in life to be in this race car. That's what I'm going to be doing."
Bryan Clauson (Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates)
Hometown: Carmichael, Calif. DOB: June 15, 1989
Can you talk about the strong field, the veterans, the open-wheel guys, you're running against in ARCA now?
"Oh Yeah. These guys are really, really tough. The competition level in the last few years in ARCA has definitely raised. It's great competition. Any time you can mix young guys with the people we have to learn from and take that with some of the veterans Frank Kimmel and those guys race them and follow them for a lot of laps. Just trying to learn what they do in different places can make yourself better. It definitely strengthens everything and you have two or three years of good development."
Is staying active imprtant and you're how old?
Eighteen. It never fails though the first time you get back in the car you make a few simple mistakes, nothing big, just little ones. Running against all the Cup guys it will matter. You just make little mistakes when you haven't been in the car for a while. You haven't been doing it every week and staying sharp. It will build on you."
Michael Annett (Bill Davis Racing)
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa DOB: 6-23-86
Is there a way to sharpen your focus?
"I don't know if there is a way to sharpen your focus but you've got to have determination before the race and get focused before the race. Try to run laps through your head as to what you are going to do. There are certain things you concentrate on every lap and you keep focusing on that every lap. You should stay focused pretty much the whole race."
Do you feel you have an advantage over some of the other development drivers?
"All the development drivers have really good resources at their hands. It's no different with me being at Bill Davis Tracing. I'm with really good people and this team really suits me so it's just we'll have a lot of fun and a lot of success as well."
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Racing)
Hometown: Olive Branch, Miss. DOB: 10-2-87
Do you have something special that the average fan does not have?
"I don't know. I've been doing it since I was six, so that helps out quite a bit. I started racing go-karts when I was six and I've been around it my whole life. My dad raced. This is all I've ever wanted to do. Most of the fans just start watching a little later, so I don't know."
If you could put a fan in the car what could they sense that they couldn't in the stands watching?
"Probably just how much you move the steering wheel, especially in the sprint cars, you move the steering wheel a lot. In stock cars I've noticed, like around Daytona here, you move the steering wheel a lot more than I thought. Like how rough it is out here, you could probably feel that and see that more form the car than you could from the stands"
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