Amateur Race Car Drivers - Chasing the Spotlight

Branden Lindberg
Lindberg couldn't wait to go racing. So when the folks at Evergreen Speedway told him he was too young to race at the paved oval practically in his own neighborhood, his father found a track that was more interested in his ability than his birthday.

It meant a six-hour tow from his home north of Seattle to the tiny Madras Speedway in eastern Oregon, where he could race in the track's junior division. He showed promise, talent, and determination.

Over the winter, his parents invested in a Dirt Late Model and transporter to move the young star up the ladder.

The team also switched from Madras to Sunset Speedway near Portland. The track is home to some of the best Late Model drivers on the West Coast, and Branden is considered a threat to win anytime the team unloads.

"He's got a lot of talent," says Greg Walters, who has dominated the track over the past couple of seasons. "He makes some mistakes from time to time and gets into situations a more seasoned driver might not get into, but he's young and he's still learning."

Malcolm Lindberg, his father, is a former racer who says he is spending his child's college fund on schooling him in a race car.

"There's not much I can teach him," he says. "At 16 he is already better than I ever was."

Branden says he wants a career in NASCAR and hopes someday to be going wheel to wheel with Dale Jr. He and his father are already laying out plans to move into a pavement touring series in the next year or two.

But right now he's just having fun.

"It's a real family thing for us," he says. "It's like having a weekend picnic, and for entertainment, I get to race."
-J.F.B.

Travis Cope
Cope, 17, is competing in Late Models, just as his dad, Mike, before him. Starting at age 12, he loved to race motorcycles.

"I suffered several broken bones and finally, when I broke my leg, my parents said 'that's it,'" Cope recalls.

Mike Cope is the owner of Florida's Bronson Speedway, the subject of last year's story in Stock Car Racing, "A Racer's Race Track." The senior Cope was two-time All Pro Champion and also raced Craftsman Trucks and Busch cars.

Travis drives the black No. 26 Grubbs Emergency Service Monte Carlo and is already a winner in FASCAR's Goodyear Late Model Challenge. He began his career in earnest last season and started in the Goodyear series.

This year, he has already entered the winner's circle at his dad's high-banked 11/43-mile track. He also qualified in the Top 5 in 8 of his 13 starts in the first part of this season, including a pole at 11/42-mile Columbia Motorsports Park in Lake City, Florida.

"I guess because I'm pretty calm and I don't get ruffled, my family and friends have sort of nicknamed me 'The Emerging Ice Man,'" Cope says with a grin. "I'm really not afraid, and I guess I am cool on the track because of my motorcycle experience, and we have a Hans Device and all the other safety features in the car."

So what's next? "My biggest goal for 2006 is already accomplished, but my goals now are to maybe get into some kind of 'Gong Show' or, if we get some good sponsorship, maybe move up into Hooter's Pro Cup or the ASA Late Model Series.

"Long term, like many young racers, I want to one day be a contender in the most prestigious racing organization in the nation, NASCAR." His proud dad, who serves as his crew chief, would love to make that happen.
-N.F.

Bud Keading
Keading, from Campbell, California, is a third-generation open-wheel driver, with his dad Brent and grandfather Howard competing before him. At 26, he's been running Sprint Cars for a decade, and the results have been impressive with some 50 wins. Like many open wheelers, though, Bud is also looking toward the fendered cars.

His first major accomplishment came in 1999 when he won the USAC Western Sprint Car Series title with seven wins and three Second-Place finishes. He was also the series Rookie of the Year.