Dirt Racing For Teens - A Family Pursuit

The dashboard carries a sticker that says "Built . . . Not Bought." That reminds Jesse of the effort that went into his ride.

Racing is a reward for Jesse doing well in school.

"If he doesn't have at least a 3.0 in school, he doesn't get to race," says Chaz. "Those are the house rules."

There are other things Jesse is learning at the track.

"Chaz is the first guy to grab a wrench when something goes wrong on a car," says Adams. "It doesn't make any difference if it is his car or a competitor's car. If someone need help, he's always the first one there. That's a great lesson for a kid to learn."

BondingMost of the Juniors grew up at the track, but for Chrystail and her dad, the season was their first in a car.

"I've got five girls at home," says Danny Murasko, her father. "I know they are going to grow up fast, so this is really a fun thing to do together before she goes on to other things."

He drove the Camaro home and began converting it to a race car.

"I asked her about running in the Junior class, and she was kind of enthused about the idea. I already had the car," he says. "All I had to do was build her a booster seat."

Chrystail suffers from asthma, so there aren't many traditional high school sports open to her.

"I remember my first race," she says. "I wasn't so much scared as nervous. Then I spun off the track. I was really shook up. But when I got back on, I could hear the crowd cheering for me. Now that was neat."

And she brags about her dad bringing the car to class for show and tell.

"I actually drove it down the hall," he says. "What a noise!"

Devyn Kilby began when she was 12 years old and now shares a ride in her dad's car.

"She jumped into my car, and now I can't get her out of it," Mike Kilby says, grinning.

Devyn recalls her first race, when she finished Third.

"I was in Third most of the race," she says. "Then, on the last lap I spun the Second-Place car and I ended up pushing him across the finish line. He was sideways at the time."

She says racing has made her more patient, more willing to work for things she wants.

"The kids at school who know me can hardly believe this is what I do on weekends," she says.

No one wonders what Holli does on weekends. The track is in her hometown, and she's become a bit of a celebrity.

"I'll go to the store to buy something," she says, "and when I write my name they'll ask if I'm 'Hurricane Holli.' That's pretty cool."

Holli is a high school honor student who wants to become a pediatrician.

So, 20 years from now when she has her own practice, will she still feel OK being called "Hurricane?"

"Sure," she says. "I plan to still be racing."

Joe Hughes wears a bright pink shirt to the track that says "Hurricane Holli's Dad" on the back. After 14 years racing, she may become his legacy.

"I wish more parents could do something like this," he says. "There are so many parents out there who really don't care what their kids are doing."

Holli was in the grandstands when a friend of her dad's-driving a '55 Chevrolet her father built-asked if anyone in the stands wanted to drive the car in the Junior race.

"I finished Third in my first race," she says.

She did well enough in the old Chevy that fans would come into the pits later on to talk to the driver.

"They didn't believe a girl could drive that way," she says.

So when her dad built her a new car, he painted it pink.

"Now they know it's a girl's car," she says.

Jerry F. Boone can be reached at jfboone@aol.com.