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Racing’s Version of “The Sandlot”8/16/2016 There is this picture on Derek Kraus Racing’s Facebook page. The old adage, "A picture says thousand words," and this photo could have words that include future, competition, and most of all friendship.
This photo reminds some of the movie “The Sandlot.” It’s a story about a kid who moves into a new neighborhood and becomes friends with a bunch of kids at the local baseball field. They all hang out together, support one another; go through tough times and more. But when you look at this photo, they are not wearing baseball uniforms, nor have a baseball glove in their hands. These kids are wearing racing suits. Some proudly displaying their car numbers to just a basic black & white color. Each one of them has a dream. Those dreams could be anywhere from being a doctor to being the next local driver to becoming a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. But this is where those dreams start. They start at the local short tracks. Some of these kids may have started racing go-karts or quarter midgets. They then graduate to bandoleros then to Legend cars. Some will take a path to racing a 4-cylinder car while some will race a full-bodied Super Late Model. But they start at the short track. They arrive each week with their family in tow to support them from the stands. The young drivers have their responsibilities once they get to their pit stalls from helping to unloading to wiping the dust off the car. It’s during that downtime it is where friendships are developed and respect is gained for the on track competition. It is where they learn from their mistakes on the track and apologizing if they are the ones at fault, as we all hope that parents teach them the true spirit of competition rather than this what you need to do to get even with them. Today, we are all seeing the results of what friendships like what we see in the picture is having on the higher levels of the sport. Many of the young drivers competing in NASCAR’s top three series grew up racing against each other in bandoleros, legends and micro sprints. Through social media, we can still see how strong those friendships are today. Whether it’s Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney riding together from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Blaney saying he made Chase Elliott dinner after getting him involved in an accident at a recent race. Oh yes, there will be rivalries. It is part of the human nature of competition. Rivalries bring out the best in competitors, but rivals can also be friends. When you look at that photo, sure one or two may be rivals on the track, but that is where they leave it. Some of these kids may not go further in their racing career, but may find success in other professions or sports. But the lessons they learned at the short track may become a huge value later in life. In 15-20 years from now, it would be cool to know what happened with each one of these individuals in the photo and see where they are today. That will show the true success of short track racing for today’s youth, and hopefully start a trend from one generation to the next.
8 Comments
David Brinkmann
8/16/2016 12:52:57 pm
My son has gained some of the BEST friends he will have for the rest of his life through racing. They have laughed, fought and cried together. They have each others back and always encourage each other. My son is off at college while his friend Camden makes his Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Bristol. My son will be cheering the loudest for his friend. Life takes you different paths but friendships through racing always keep you on track!
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8/16/2016 03:29:25 pm
My son, Derek Kraus who is third from the left, raced against Camden in the trucks the passed two years. We also will be wishing him the best in his debut. It is great to see young drivers making their marks. Some of our closest friends are fellow race families. They understand what it takes to make it all work in racing.
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8/16/2016 03:25:21 pm
Sandlot is a must see movie and a great comparison for these drivers. I am happy that this inspired you to take the time to write this. Each and everyone of them and their families have made sacrifices to be at the track weekly. But none would change anything because racing is true where their passion is. Derek is involved in sports thru school but none of which come close to being his forever dream to participate in like racing. There are many ups and downs in racing. You hold on to the ups and look for support during the downs from family, fans and friends. Thank you again.
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Wendy-Sue Winter
8/17/2016 05:08:10 pm
My son is the one furthest to the left. Although he has decided not to continue in the sport of racing his luv for the sport and friendships he and his parents have made will last a lifetime. It's too bad that a few of the adults, and fathers crossing that grey line have ruined his luv of driving. My husband response to Kaleb when asked to cheat up his car to be competitive with the others was this "What will mean more to you, the trophies you have won legally or the one you will receive after I cheat up your car?" Kaleb's response "the ones I already have." Dad's response "that's right because you would have stolen this trophy." So even though my son no longer races, racing has taught him to be a better person.
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Kristin Van Der Geest
8/18/2016 09:40:14 pm
Thank you so much for this touching article. I took this picture and it is one of my all-time faves. These young men will all follow different paths in life, but some of their best lessons will be learned at the race track: maintaining comeraderie amidst the competition; keeping your chin up when the chips are down; helping out your competition when they need it; admitting when you make mistakes on the track; being genuinely happy for others' success; maturely dealing with conflict at the track; showing gratitude for help and advice; focusing on your own goals rather than blaming others for your downfalls; recognizing that racing is about the relationships even more than it is about winning or losing. Some of these kids will continue racing for years to come, perhaps even bringing up their own children to race. It takes a lot to keep plugging away through all the ups and downs and innate craziness of this sport, but it all starts at the short tracks.
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