In an effort to promote and encourage young people to enter and stay in our sport, Circle Track and Stock Car Racing magazines feel it is critical to bring attention to the younger participants in auto racing and to give them the opportunity to be recognized in a national spotlight.
To do this, the Young Racers Club (YRC) was established starting in the June 2005 issues of both Circle Track and Stock Car Racingmagazines and Web sites. This club is open to any racing participant (driver, crew,etc.) from the ages of 16-23. Entry is FREE and each month a winner is selected at random and will have their picture published in the magazines and online along with a picture of the car they are involved with and a short bio of their racing participation and future plans. They will also receive a $250 gift certificate from the Sponsor of the Month.
Click here for the Young Racers Club entry form and either mail it to Young Racers Club, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619 or submit via e-mail at yrc@primedia.com. Please include a picture of the car and a picture of yourself when sending the entry form. Pictures cannot be returned. See the sidebar below for the complete rules.
Summer Tessneer
Mill Springs, NC
Sixteen-year-old Summer Tessneer is this month's Young Racers Club winner. The Mill Springs, North Carolina, resident comes from a racing family and actually has two cars that she races: a Mustang and a Pinto. "My whole family raced, so I wanted to carry it on," says the teen.
Although Summer has only been racing for two years, she has consistently placed in the Top 5 in races at Harris, Thunder Valley, and Cherokee Speedways. In 2005 she finished Third in points in the Young Guns division. She followed that up with a Second-Place points finish the next year.
Summer recently had some bad luck on the track when she flipped her Mustang. She was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital. Luckily, all the X-rays were negative and she came away with nothing more than a small bruise on her arm. In fact, this hard-core racer was back at the track the following day.
Summer credits her dad with giving her the support and drive to excel behind the wheel, and points to fellow racer Blake Kirby as her racing hero. "He helps me out a lot and we have become very good friends." While she would like to someday get a shot at racing in NASCAR, she is very content racing at her home track. "I just love the speed of the car and the adrenalin rush when I'm on the mud," she says.
Well, Summer, those of us here at the magazine have wrecked our share of race cars (and even some passenger cars) over the years, so we know how hard it can be to get back to the track, especially when you're on a budget. Hopefully, the $250 gift certificate from RHS that's coming your way will help take the sting out of that wreck. Glad you're OK!
Kyle Ebersole
Hummelstown, PA
July's Young Racers Club winner hails from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. Sixteen-year-old Kyle Ebersole started racing go-karts at age 10 at Path Valley Speedway and Shippensburg Speedway in Central Pennsylvania. He raced weekly for a few years before making the move to the Pennsylvania Dirt Karting Association (PDKA) in 2004. He raced there for two years and finished Fourth and Fifth in two separate classes during the '05 season. While racing in the PDKA, Kyle also took a spin in six WKA National events, where he posted two podium finishes and one fast-time award.
In 2005, he also started racing Tobias Slingshots at Linda's Speedway in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Ebersole's first year in a Slingshot was pretty good, with one win in 12 starts and a 12th-Place points finish. But he really shined in 2006. "We decided to not only run weekly at Linda's Speedway, but run the Slingshot by Tobias Southern Tour and National Tour," said Ebersole. "By the end of the year, I competed in 34 races and had 4 wins, 21 Top 5's, and 31 Top 10's." Those numbers translated into two championships: Linda's Speedway Track and Slingshot by Tobias Southern Tour. In addition, he finished Second in the National Tour Series.
In 2007, Kyle is making the jump to asphalt Modifieds. He'll race weekly at Mountain Speedway in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The 10th grader at Lower Dauphin High School says he will also be racing in some dirt Modified races and hopes to continue to race in more Slingshot events. That's a full schedule for a teenager who also enjoys skiing, music, golf, and hunting.
Kyle has proven his abilities behind the wheel of a Slingshot, and he says that if he is successful in the weekly Modifieds, he has his sights set on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Look out, Mike Stefanik-Kyle Ebersole is headed your way. A $250 gift certificate from Day Motorsports will, no doubt, help this young Pennsylvania driver outfit his new Modified for the '07 season. Good luck, Kyle, and keep us posted on how you do!