NASCAR for kids

“We are very proud of our safety record,” Krentz of INEX said. “Compare it to Pop Warner football or even baseball with all the broken arms, and it could be potentially safer.”

8 Years Old, Going on 60 Miles Per Hour

By BILL KONIGSBERG
New York Times

CONCORD, N.C. — Macy Causey tested Concord Speedway’s quarter-mile track for the first time, flooring the gas pedal in her black-and-pink 30-horsepower racecar and reaching 60 miles per hour on the straightaways.

Her instructor timed the laps and shouted into Macy’s headset: “You’re braking too soon. Stay on the gas longer.”

Minutes later, 8-year-old Macy pulled off the track. Her parents, Rette and Dee Causey, opened the hatch, and Macy’s small, gloved hands grabbed the upper bars of the cage as if the car were a jungle gym. She pulled herself into her father’s arms.

“Great job, honey,” he said.

Macy removed her helmet and pulled her black fire suit down to her waist. Sweating and frowning, she uttered only yeses and nos.

“She’s a girl of few words,” Rette said. “Especially on racing day.”

But her love for the sport became clear moments later.

“I want to drive again,” Macy said, tugging on her father’s sleeve. “Now.”

(More here.)