Racing fans don't need to travel far or watch television to see those who have a need for speed.
There are a number of local drivers who leave the road to be on a fast track of racing.
Who are these legal speeders and how did they find their way to the track?
The ages, genders, start-up stories and modes of racing have little in common, but the genetics of chariot racers must be in their blood.
The lack of local racetracks makes the sport of car racing a bit invisible here, but the number of people who travel to tracks at Saratoga, Utica, Kirkwood, Fonda, Kingston and beyond are larger than might be expected.
Dustin Purdy of Delhi is relatively new to the sport but has already made a name for himself in racing circles.
He started off with go-kart racing, and with his dad's support and encouragement he has stepped up to modified racing, first at the Afton race track, then Fonda and now typically at Glen Ridge.
The drive to these tracks is not too bad, and whether you are a spectator or a driver, the travel is worth it.
Car racing websites credit the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 with the start of car racing, even though it would be about 100 years before the automobile was invented.
The excessive federal tax placed on whiskey at this time started a rebellion and the business of fast transport to outsmart and out-distance the law was a race.
If the lack of an automobile is not an issue, might the charioteer of Rome be the founding fathers of race car driving?
The chariot racers held court on a track and commanded speed from literal horse power and the dependability of a chassis that was able to handle the speed with the competition of other drivers who all have the same goal in mind, winning!
NASCAR, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, began in 1947. and many of the early competitors were former bootleg whiskey-runners who learned about speed and maneuverability during or after the Prohibition Era.
To be a race-car driver, it takes quite a bit more than a fast, highly customized, extreme maintenance car and nerves of steel. Drivers exhibit a vast knowledge of the car and its mechanics and handling in addition to absolute familiarity with the track. A race driver must have an awareness and quick reaction time to handle the events and other drivers on the track, as well as their own car.
Pro Stock driver Bill Knapp of Milford states that the driver must be athletic to handle the adrenaline rush and have the upper body strength for constant shifting and steering. Knapp drives a car that his brother Don owns and has been racing for more than 10 years, currently on a half-mile dirt track in Vernon. The main trait that a driver must develop is an acute awareness of the car and all the cars around him while paying attention to the track, Knapp emphasized. He said that it is very important for drivers to know their competitors to predict some of the track action in advance.
There is an accurate assumption made about racing cars; that it is expensive. Local drivers will all vouch for that. All of the local drivers explained that they are the mechanics and/or have very close friends or relatives that are mechanics. These non-driver team members act as the pit crew during races.
Purdy emphasized that he would be nowhere if it were not for his dad's help. Having the support of unpaid workers makes it possible for most drivers to compete.
Don Harvey Jr. of Milford is a member of the Central New York Mini Sprints and said he has been racing for about nine or 10 years. Harvey said that the cost of a good used mini sprint car is around $8,000 to $10,000, and a new car would cost more than $20,000.
The list of needs does not stop with the car: safety helmets run about $400; a racing suit is priced around $1,000; a set of gloves and shoes are each at least $100. Fuel costs are going up at the track pumps just as they are at station pumps. Harvey said he races about 16 or 17 times a year during the summer. To get to the race costs about $30, and registration usually is $30, which adds up to about $1,000 per season.
The costs are all part of a passionate hobby that is a social gathering and educational experience as well.
For a driver to move up to more racing than once a week during the summer and into higher level competitions and possibly the realm of NASCAR, a driver will need sponsors. When they are not racing, many drivers are working jobs to pay for track fees, car parts, labor, travel expenses and fuel.
Purdy said he is on the track one day a week with hopes to transition to three days a week of racing when he attracts more sponsors. Most drivers join with others to form a team and create marketing packages to entice sponsors. The sponsors get advertising labels directly on the vehicles in addition to names on jackets, banners and race brochures, which is a tremendous amount of visibility. This type of advertising is especially useful for construction companies, automotive parts dealers, contractors and manufacturers.
Most drivers do body work, engine repair and mechanical modifications during the winter months and race on the weekends from May through September. With the rush of racing in their blood, many ride snowmobiles during the winter and make plans for better race results in the coming year.
Part of the learning and knowledge that comes with racing is the off-track experience of mechanics and maintenance. Many of the well-known race-car drivers started their careers with go-karts, dirt tracks and snowmobiles in winter. Dustin Purdy said that NASCAR star Richard Petty used to race at Fonda. Most of today's stars, such as Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, got their start on small tracks.
The competition on the track is not a race of setting land speed records but maneuvering on turns and picking up speed on the straightaways, while jockeying for position in front with other cars.
Knapp drives a 2005 V8 Ford Taurus that he says might look just like a regular street car at first glance. The actual miles per hour is difficult to gauge because there is no speedometer in the car. Knapp says that the engine's RPMs, or revolutions per minute, are what he watches.
With Danica Patrick's historic win in the Indy Japan 300 last month (she was the first female to win an IndyCar race), much has been made about women in racing. Local racers agree there is a gender gap on the track, but without much explanation.
Knapp said that he has seen women racing and often they are very good, some even continuing on to pro racing and NASCAR. At the level that he is familiar with, female drivers are outnumbered but are treated the same as male drivers, and there is no difference, he said. It is not an issue at all. Good drivers are good drivers, he said.
There are many ways to find out more about local racing and the tracks that it all happens on.
The NASCAR website, www.nascar.com, is a great place to learn about racing at a professional level. But
www.purdyracing.com, www.cnyms.com,
www.bretskiracing.com, www.billknapp21.com and www.jeremyvunk32v.com are all local sites that can help with information about cars, drivers and where the flags will start engines roaring.
Let the racing season begin.
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