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Ryan is not
the only teenager at the speedway either. Drivers as young as 14 are allowed in
the Four Cylinder Stock division, and you only have to be 16 to race in the
Thunder and Lightning division.
Most Saturday
nights from 7:30 until about 10, you'll find Ryan at the speedway, along with
his 16-year-old brother, Robby. Both seem determined to outdo the adults,
bumping and skidding their way around the turns as they push their way through
the pack. Earlier this month, Ryan got wiped out on a turn after holding a
strong third.
"You've
just got to hold on," he says, describing his spinout.
While Ryan
claims that his wipeouts aren't that painful, each driver wears a helmet,
seatbelt, fire protection suit and sometimes even a neck brace. It takes a lot
of guts to weigh all the risks and go all-out on the racetrack. After being
knocked back to last place, Ryan managed to catch back up to fourth place in
just a few laps.
When asked
what makes him so good at what he does, Ryan simply answers, "Me." It
seems he's a born racer, plus he comes from a big racing family.
His brother
Robby, a junior at Stratford High, drives in the Pro Four Modified division, a
step up from the regular Four Cylinder group. Robby placed first in a
championship last year. The Moore brothers seem fearless on the track, keeping
their cool even when they're zooming around sharp turns within inches of
veteran drivers.
The Moores
aren't the only racing family dynasty at the speedway. Miranda Grainger, one of
the few female drivers, comes from a long line of stock-car drivers, including
her grandpa, dad, uncle and cousin. Miranda, a senior at Summerville High,
drives No. 53 (in honor of Herbie the Love Bug) in the Thunder and Lightning
division. "GRITS Racing" (Girls Raised In The South) adorns her car,
and at 17, she is not ashamed of being one of the only girls behind a wheel.
She proves
she can hang in there with the men by "whupping them at their own
sport."
Last year,
she finished the season with an overall second place in Four Cylinder, so she
moved up to the more powerful Thunder and Lightning division. On Aug. 2, she
finished seventh after spinning out on the third turn. Eleven drivers started
in that race, but only eight survived until the finish.
There were no
huge crashes, but a few cars were too damaged to keep going. Miranda managed to
turn her car around and stick it out to the finish.
Miranda is
not alone as a girl at the Speedway. Betty Roberson, 15, a freshman at
Summerville High, also is out there most Saturdays competing against the guys.
Betty's brothers, Clay and Robby, race at the speedway, so she figured she
could do it, too. While she hasn't done too well yet, she may prove to be a
worthy competitor in a season or two.
Before her
first race this year, Betty said she thought, "Oh, I can do it" and
just went out there thinking she would win. She got lapped that race. Now she
practices at the speedway on Wednesdays and tries a little harder. She says
she's doing it "just for fun" until she gets older and more serious.
Still, she stays focused and does her best.
To the
layman, this racing business might seem like a bunch of people in old cars
making left turns and sometimes crashing for the crowd's enjoyment. But there
is plenty more to stock-car racing, according to the racers. "There's no
way to explain it until you get out there and try it yourself," Miranda
says. "It's mentally and physically challenging."
"You
have to control (the car), and it has to be perfect," says Ryan Moore.
So what is it
that makes these young drivers go out to the speedway every Saturday and race?
It's not the money. The first-place prize is $125. Betty Roberson spent $183 in
a week fixing up her car, so the racers are lucky to break even.
Maybe it's
tradition. After all, most of them come from racing families and have hung out
in the pits since they were little kids. Maybe the exhaust fumes got to their
heads. Or maybe it's just fun.
Brandon
Brown, an 18-year-old senior at Fort Dorchester High, says when you're behind
the wheel, "You're sweating, and it's real hot, and adrenaline starts
rushing real bad."
This is a
sport unlike any other (if you consider it a sport). It's about man and machine
duking it out on the asphalt, it's about keeping focused no matter what, and
it's about having a good time with friends and family.
Even if you
don't understand stock-car racing, you have to admire these teenagers' courage
and determination. While others are worried about passing the driver's test,
these guys and girls are concerned about holding on to their positions without
crashing into a wall.
While they
may not make it to NASCAR or race like "The Fast and the Furious,"
these teenagers give it their all. And they're going to have fun.