Breeding Gound

USAC Racing’s future stars had their skills on display in June at the USAC Mopar® .25 Midget Nationals at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Words: Darren Jacobs

Baseball has Little League. Football has Pop Warner. Circle track racing has its own equivalent for aspiring young competitors looking to nurture and develop their talents behind the wheel—the USAC Mopar® .25 Midget Series.

The popular youth racing series invaded ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. for the USAC Mopar .25 Midget Nationals on June 16–19. More than 165 .25 midget cars, steered by drivers ranging in age from 5 to 17 years old, engaged in four days of entertaining and highly competitive racing on the “Disney D” configured track.

Champions were crowned in 15 classes of .25 midgets (so named because of the size of the race cars, about a quarter of that of an adult midget car). The skill level and intense on-track battles between the young circle track stars impressed the formidable trio of Chrysler Group LLC representatives in attendance: Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar Service, Parts and Customer Care; Ralph Gilles, President and CEO Dodge Car Brand; and Jim Sassorossi, Director – Mopar Parts, Sales and Marketing.

“Mopar is very proud to support the USAC Mopar .25 Midget Series,” said Gorlier. “It’s eye-opening to see first hand the dedication of these young racers and their families. Mopar’s involvement in the series allows us to reach out to a market that is passionate about racing and automobiles. It also enables Mopar to instill brand awareness in the next generation of car enthusiasts.

“We’re happy to support these young drivers and their families, especially the families that invest time and passion to support this sport,” Gorlier continued. “We know that behind a great driver there is always a great pit crew, and behind a boy or girl there is a great family.”

“Having Mopar on board as our title sponsor for our youth program has allowed USAC to introduce a real National Championship for our program,” said Kevin Miller, CEO and President of USAC Racing. “Featuring ten venues across the country, the series visits classic destinations such as Disney and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These are places the kids are excited to say they raced.

“Mopar has identified a new marketing niche reaching out to active families which spend a majority of the year on the road, traveling to tracks across the country. Parents have repeatedly reached out to me to ensure I pass along a ‘thanks’ to Mopar for giving their children the opportunities created in 2010.”

“We love that Mopar sponsors the series,” said Dan Bailey, who along with his son, Nicholas, took home the Mopar Best Appearing Car trophy at the event for their sleek, carbon-fiber outfitted .25 Mopar Midget. “It’s great stuff.”

“Mopar’s just been great,” said Mark Miller, an 11-year-old from Mooresville, N.C. who has been racing since he was five. “I’m glad they started coming to USAC.”

The parents of the children who compete on the USAC Mopar .25 Midget Series spare no expense, with some traveling in haulers that rival those employed by a typical NASCAR Sprint Cup team. Drivers often arrive at the track with multiple .25 midgets so they are able to compete in more than one class. The racing bug has often been passed down two or three generations to the budding young drivers.

“My grandpa wanted me to race,” said Nicholas Bailey, 11, who has been racing since he was 
6-years-old and aspires to compete in the adult USAC Midget ranks one day. “My dad bought a .25 midget on eBay® and I’ve just really enjoyed it ever since. I like going fast.”

When the young drivers and their families weren’t busy tearing around the track, they crowded the Mopar Image Center and checked out the Mopar show cars on display, including a Mopar World of Outlaws Sprint car, Moparized Chrysler Town & Country LX and 2010 Ram Laramie Crew 4x4 diesel vehicles, and a Dodge Challenger Mopar Edition. Fans also scooped up Mopar apparel and gear on sale at the Image Center.

A-Main event winners included Michael Atwell, Nicholas Bailey, Christian Bock, Tyler Clem, Kyle Compton, Nick Drake, Jared Irvan, Joshua Jackson, Kolton Jones, Stetson Lail, Caleb McGillivary and Tyler Shullick. Ross Rankine, an up-and-coming 13-year-old driver from Willard, Ohio, scored two podium finishes and sported a Mopar paint scheme on one of his .25 midgets during the event. Rankine also was very appreciative of Mopar’s support.

“I think it’s great that Mopar sponsors the USAC Mopar .25 Midget Series,” said Rankine. “I wanted to race go-karts, but then my dad found out about the .25 midgets, and they’re a lot safer, so we got into that. I have a lot of fun racing in the series, and I’d like to move up the USAC ladder.”

Although already proficient behind the wheel of his .25 midget, Rankine still has a few years before he’s a licensed driver. He already has his eye on a few Chrysler Group vehicles for when he’s of legal age to hit the streets.

“When I get older I want to drive either a Dodge Challenger or Dodge Viper,” said the young racer. 
“It would be so cool to drive one of those fast cars.”

For now, he’ll get his kicks behind the wheel in the burgeoning USAC Mopar .25 Midget Series. In just a short timeframe, according to USAC President Miller, the series has already witnessed a rapid expansion.

“The growth of the program continues to impress me,” said Miller. “In just 18 months, we have built a national series, with nearly 1,000 kids racing under the USAC Mopar .25 Midget Series banner. We are already seeing significant growth for 2011 and are excited to continue growing the series in the future with Mopar.”

The future looks bright, indeed, for the USAC Mopar .25 Midget Series—the breeding ground for tomorrow’s circle track superstars.