When is too young too race?

My wife told me not to cover this topic because she is afraid of the Bubba factor.
I would be a hypocrite if i did not give my 2 cents. This show is about being real and taking on controversial topics in racing.
When is it too young to race? Call in or log in to the chat when it opens and let your voice be heard.
Last week I asked "what kind of morons schedule big late model races just down the road from one another on the same night?" I called the promoters and one of them answered... I will tell ya what he said. I am waiting on the other party to call me back. I will be waiting.
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[egspeedway]

Your subject title, when is to young to race is what I wish to address. One can argue as to the skill, maturity and experience level of a youthful driver all you want. My concern is if a youthful driver was killed due to the questionable act of an adult driver or if the youthful driver was involved in an accident that took the life of a spectator or multiple victims I fear the first thing we might hear of is some congressman calling for a full investigation and some manner of legislation to regulate this sport from egregious irresponsible practices. While Nascar can and does push the rules envelope I for one would not want any politician other than perhaps Bill Posey looking at my sport.

[TheTunnelTurn]

I think it depends on what they're racing.They start them off pretty young in Go-Karts

[Tommy King]

Go karts is fine.

[Ocala Camper]

To Young???

I am not sure that there is an age that anyone can say it is To Young to Race. We have seen an influx of young drivers come up since the inception of the Bandolero and Legend Car Series started in the early 1990's. These series have been a great boost for drivers some wanting to make a name for themselves (mommy and daddy wanting to make a name). Sometimes I think that it is the parents that actually are the ones that are the pushing factor behind the young age. The brackets that the Legends have (Young Lions, Semi-Pro, Pro, Masters) is the way to keep the ages apart. The problem is that not many tracks can get enough cars to keep these age brackets racing against themselves and now you have a 14 year old racing against a 50 year old.

Don't stop there progress to the top, just slow it down a little bit.

[Rob00]

I know I can't win on this agreement but I will put in my 2 cents. It would seem that you guys would be okay with me at 53 climing into a late model and go racing, and I have never turned a lap in my life. I would not like to see anyone get injured or killed but I have seen some adults that I wouldn't even get a street car with. My son has been racing since he was 5 in quarter midget and then we moved up to Mini Cups(1/2 scale) then to Pro Challange cars(3/4 scale) and now he has been in a late model for the past to years and I would trust him over most adults. "Oh" he's 15 year old. I think no matter what age a driver is they should be tested for what ever class he is going race in, untill they pass they can't race. That's my 2 cents worth...lol

Rob

[BVS40FL]

No Driver's License... No Race Cars

Race go karts , race bandoleros , race mini cups , or quarter midgets .
With so many preliminary classes available there is no reason to allow a "KID" under 16 years old to race a full sized car . PERIOD. End of story.
Don't try to convince me otherwise . You won't.

[racin24dev]

I think waiting until 16 is pushing it a bit, especially when you can be in cup at what...18?

I could understand like 14 or so being allowed, but not any younger...

[Southern Outlaw]

I know I can't win on this agreement but I will put in my 2 cents. It would seem that you guys would be okay with me at 53 climing into a late model and go racing, and I have never turned a lap in my life. I would not like to see anyone get injured or killed but I have seen some adults that I wouldn't even get a street car with. My son has been racing since he was 5 in quarter midget and then we moved up to Mini Cups(1/2 scale) then to Pro Challange cars(3/4 scale) and now he has been in a late model for the past to years and I would trust him over most adults. "Oh" he's 15 year old. I think no matter what age a driver is they should be tested for what ever class he is going race in, untill they pass they can't race. That's my 2 cents worth...lol

Rob

Rob....look at the progression with your son...this is the way it should be...the 9 year old is what's in question...would you have put your son in a latemodel or full blown UMP Mod. at 9 years of age?...I think that is the whole deal here NOT EVEN A TEENAGER yet!!!

[Frasson118]

Two thumbs up for BVS40FL..... great way to put it into words...!

[Don Nerone]

Age old problem for promoters..
For years it was they had to have a valid drivers lisense from the state. Let the state say weather they can drive. Ended the insurance proublem.
Then a minor sued a track and won saying rhat his parents didnt have the right to sign there liabilety away and won in cort.
Now its whatever the Ins co will cover is the age..,
What we think doesent count.
My opinon is when they show us that they are good enough to compete.
some adults should not be on the track but thats short track raceing..
Don62

[dave41]

to young

no one in the pits under 15.{ NO ONE } 14 year on golf cart , run your butt over

[Rob00]

Rob....look at the progression with your son...this is the way it should be...the 9 year old is what's in question...would you have put your son in a latemodel or full blown UMP Mod. at 9 years of age?...I think that is the whole deal here NOT EVEN A TEENAGER yet!!!

Thank you...yes 9 is bit young

[Jimmy McKinley]

The first "kid" I can remember seeing: Sport Allen in a full-blown winged Sprint car at what, 13, 14 years old? Then Toby Grynewicz and John Gertsner was tearin' 'em up in Mini Stocks at St. Pete - at 12 years old. Just a coupla years later, in dirt winged Sprints, comes this kid out of Califor - excuse me, *Indiana* - named Jeff Gordon. Didn't quite set the world on fire that first go-'round - if I recall, he got fired from that first ride tearin' up too much stuff.

Then we had guys like Choquette and McLeod. Nasse comes along - and whoops up on the veterans.

I dunno. I wouldn't want to see a 12yo wheelin' a full-blown Super Late Model. But then again, without these young'uns comin' up, we wouldn't have "the next generation" of short track stars. :-/

[Winger]

I'm really torn on this issue. I really don't have a problem with kids racing as an age issue. although I'm jealous. I wasn't even allowed in the pits when I was a kid. My primary concern are health and safety related. Kids bodies are still growing and developing. Bones, tendons, muscles, cartilage, etc. are still developing, growing, fusing, etc. Brain injuries and concussions suffered by athletes have recently become recognized as a cause of problems later in life. Concussions in younger athletes are now recognized as being much more dangerous than it was once thought. Second impact syndrome is very dangerous and often fatal and, if not killed, the person will almost certainly have severe disabilities. Young athletes have been found to be both more susceptible to concussions and more likely to get second-impact syndrome than their older counterparts. Wearing a helmet is not going to prevent a concussion. A kids head is large proportionally to his body and a kids skull is thinner than an adults. They are more susceptible to concussions than adults. Now put a helmet on the head and it adds stress to the spinal column and neck muscles. A kids neck muscles — which they use to hold up their large heads — are less developed. While an adult’s strong neck may act as a barrier to a concussion or to whiplash, as the neck can absorb some force before it reaches the brain, a child’s large head and weak neck allow more force to reach the brain. The helmet actually adds weight and stress to the neck muscles and makes a kid more prone to concussion.
When I coached high school soccer, we had younger kids with great skills who wanted to move up to jv or varsity.They were required to meet certain criteria in order to be allowed to do this. Some of the tests are ability related but much of it had to do with physical and mental development. I had some great players that couldn't meet the standards to move up. These standards were developed for the kids safety and nothing else. A kids body is not just a smaller version of an adults. It is different, reacts differently to injuries, and those injuries are treated differently. Recently there have been articles on the rising increase of stress fractures in adolescent female athletes. It's likely the many physical activities these girls are now participating in is the cause of these. There are many more joint and knee problems developing in young and middle age adults that are linked to physical activities these people participated in as youths. Previous generations did not have these type of activities available to them. I think of these things and wonder what type of problems might arise in a young driver from the forces caused by an accident. How about the g-forces from the constant turns on a kids neck? I doubt there has been any research on how racing affects a kids health, either present or future. I've never seen it discussed before. There is research on how other activities affect adolescents. Pre-pubescent and post pubescent adolescents are affected differently also. That's why schools are required to have younger athletes take these "maturity" tests before they are allowed to move up. (A different issue, but kids that are of the proper age are allowed to play, even if they are late developers. That doesn't make sense.) Anyways, my major issue with young kids racing, has to do with the health risks and mental maturity or decision making skills a driver has. Should kids be cleared by a physician? Should minimum standards be set? Should the size of the car being raced matter? How about the speeds the car may reach? How about the g-forces created by a type of car? There are many variable that should be considered but I don't believe any of them have been addressed. They should be but who's going to do it. Nascar has minimum standards for it's cup series and they don't allow anyone under 18 to race in that series. There is no other single governing body or organization to set standards. Racing is unlike any other organized sport which do have uniform requirements and minimum standards. So it's left up to each individual track. And, every few years we have this same discussion on this board, although I have never seen the issues I'm talking about discussed before.
I know Tyler a little and I've seen him run some practice laps. I've seen him run hot laps at speed with Dillon Wood running in front and behind him. He did very well. I'm pretty well convinced he's physically able to drive the car and he has the skills to race. I can't attest to his mental abilities. I would assume he's a typical kid and does not have any superhuman mental abilities that would make him wise beyond his years. So I'm not convinced he wouldn't spontaneously do something stupid, just like any other 9 year old (and many adults). He's a developmental driver for Stewart-Haas and has won a couple national championships in the quarter midgets already. He has as much ability and more experience than most anyone that age can have. He has a great future ahead of him. As I said somewhere else, I'd hate to see it ruined because of a career ending injury suffered in a minor accident that might not have injured an older driver.
So until minimum standards are set and required by everyone in the racing industry, I think each individual needs to be evaluated separately. I think tracks and parents should think of some of the things I've mentioned and determine if a car or class is potentially too dangerous for the child's level of development. The G-forces and stress in a modified, late model, or sprint car are much greater than they are in a go kart, mini-cup car, quarter midget, champ cart, etc. Someone mentioned the Pro Challenge cars and they reach some pretty fast speeds. Which category should they be placed in? Things to ponder. Sorry it's so long but I decided to go into a little detail rather than just make some short arbitrary statements. BTW, if you see I have used the word "him" or "he" and you have a girl, I'm sorry. Just substitute her or she.