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.
Andrew Broucher
Somerset, PA
His motive is clear. Andrew Broucher wants to be a racer. At 18 monthsold, he was at a race at Pocono, where his family worked with Bud MooreEngineering. In his early teen years, Andrew used his savings and boughta used Go-Kart. He loved it from the moment he first sat in the seat.Under the guidance of his father, Randy, a former dirt track racer,Andrew was advised to start in the rear of the field. In doing so, helearned quickly by watching and passing others. He was pushed off thetrack and his Kart was beaten on, but he never quit. He started rackingup feature wins in the Junior divisions, finished second in points in2004, and moved to Senior Light in 2005. The goal at the start of theyear was to win one feature and score some Top 5s. As of August 27,there were 5 feature wins and 12 Top 5s. He held a 100-point lead atPennsylvania's Acme Speedway, having led the division from the firstweek.
His experience hasn't been confined to just ovals. He has raced the roadcourse at Beaver Run and several other area tracks. At the age of 16, hecompeted in a Hobby car at the esteemed Jennerstown Speedway, a trackthat appears to be part of his destiny. The family hopes to move Andrewinto a Late Model so that he can compete with the top talent in thearea.
Andrew's goal is to move into the major leagues of racing, but he isbacking his bet with a sense of purpose. This is not a driver who onlycarries a gear bag. As an 11th grader, he is enrolled in mechanicscourses at the vocational technical school. Each week, the Kart engineis torn apart and Andrew puts the Kart back together for the week'scompetition.
For Kart racers, there are no big sponsors, and every bit of support ishelpful. Andrew has received backing from local businesses and familymembers, including Advance Auto Parts, John Howard's, Hair.com, andFrank's Pizza. Tom and Cody Hardesty in Maryland have provided strongengines for his Karting. Andrew gets strong support from his parents,Randy and Amy.
As our December 2005 winner, Andrew will receive a $250 certificate from DayMotor Sports, a one-stop shop for all racing needs.
Brandon Dean
Huntersville, NC
Getting experience at places like Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway, MotorMile (VA) Speedway, and Myrtle Beach (SC) Speedway means you areconstantly racing against tough competition. It's been said that if youwant to be the best, you have to compete with the best. Brandon Dean ison that path.
No matter where he races his Late Model Super Truck, Brandon goes withthe idea of winning. The family-backed effort works without the luxuryof major sponsorship dollars, but the 18-year-old driver puts the truckinto contention time and time again. He's rapidly becoming known in anarea where racing is clearly king.
Brandon started racing at the age of 5 in a go-kart. His dad was racingdirt Late Models, and Brandon caught the fever honestly. "I fell in lovewith it," he said of his early racing. He won numerous WKA state andnational titles, culminating in 2000 with the triple crown and nationalchampionship, dominating North Carolina and South Carolina. He'd reachedone pinnacle.
The next step brought him to the dirt of Lancaster (SC) Speedway, wherehe competed in the Four-Cylinder class. He won a few races. The dirtstint was short, though, because the road to the top is usually paved."I liked asphalt racing the first time I drove," Brandon said. At theage of 15, he couldn't run in a NASCAR-sanctioned class, so hisexperience came in the Pro Cup cars and he started drawing attention,becoming Rookie of the Year at Hickory in 2003. He's had the chance totravel some and compete. There are plans for a Late Model or, if theright situation develops, some USAR Hooters Pro Cup or NASCAR SoutheastSeries races soon.
Brandon graduated with honors and will continue his education at theUniversity of South Carolina, possibly attending UNCC in the future. Hisplans are directed toward mechanical engineering, a discipline that willhelp his eventual goal, driving a race car.
"If I could make a living driving a race car, that would suit me fine,"he states.
Brandon has dedicated his season to his grandfather, Vernon "Poppaw"Dean, who passed away recently.
Brett Korves is facing tough competition in the '05 season, but he's notbacking away from the challenge. He's a rookie in the UMP Modifieddivision, racing at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Illinois.
The 16-year-old racer started in Go-Karts at the age of 12, winning theJunior Division championship in his second year. He moved intofull-bodied stock cars, climbing before the wheel of his grandfather'sSportsman car for a few races at the age of 14, running at Highland (IL)Speedway. At Belle-Clair, his age prevented him from going intoModifieds, so Brett raced a Pure Stock. He won a feature event, severalheat races, and was named Rookie of the Year.
As plans for the '05 season rolled around, there were some decisionsthat had to be made. Brett's car was part of a three-car team, whichspanned three generations. Rather than spread themselves so thin, thedecision came to make Brett the driver. Dennis Tribout Sr., hisgrandfather and owner of the Modified, stepped away from his race car.So did his uncle, Dennis Tribout Jr., who gave up his Modified racingafter also competing in Sportsman cars. A new chassis from a new company(Razor) was purchased with engine work done by Belleville Automotive. Inmid-June, Brett stood a strong Sixth in the point standings and has beendrawing plenty of attention for his results. He has been named HardCharger by www.stlracing.com,which covers the entire area's short-track racing. It's reallyimpressive when you consider how many tracks and drivers are in the area.
Brett would like to keep the racing momentum going. He met and competedwith Kenny Wallace during a mid-week race. His aspirations are to moveup the racing ladder.
Brett is backed by a solid core of supporters. In addition to hisgrandfather and uncle, other family members are active with the team.Mom Shelly handles the notes and makes sure they have the right setupinformation. Dad Jack serves as the car chief. Brett has a brother,Todd, and a sister, Kayla. Others helping on the team include crewchiefSteve Krakowiecki, John Krakowiecki, Scott Vielweber, Brian McGuire,Rich Schobert, Mike Causey, Mike Harris, Dan Dudek, and Abbey Fritz.Sponsors of the effort are led by the family business, Tribout Bingo &Carnival Supplies. Weil Trailer Sales, Steve Schmitt of Highland, DairyQueen, Vinyl Visions, Belleville Wholesale, Causey Excavating, PioneerSteins, Mid America Web Solutions, JSK, T.R's Place, Print Master, andDutch Hollow Janitorial Supply are also backers.
As our latest winner, Brett Korves will receive a $250 certificate fromTCI.
Alison Quick has a competitive drive within her that is starting toleave the competition in its wake. Her drive is to excel in everythingin which she is involved, and that's a pretty lengthy list. In additionto racing a NASCAR-sanctioned Modified in 2005, she was concurrentlyplaying summer softball and running track for her school. She hadqualified for the state finals in the 4x800m relay at the time of thiswriting.
Alison didn't come from a racing family, though her uncle was a tractorpuller and father had competed in demolition derbies. Watching theDaytona 500 and then seeing the Indianapolis 500 put the idea squarelyinto her head. Family friends raced Go-Karts, so that became the firststep. From there, she moved to Super Mini Cup and won the nationalchampionship in her first year. The next step was a Legends Car, but thetrack was four hours away and changed nights to Friday. The distance andschool obligations made it impractical, and when Alison turned 16, shegot her NASCAR license to run Modifieds at Adams County (Iowa) Speedwayand Lakeside (Kansas) Speedway.
Alison met NASCAR's Don Hawk, who suggested getting in touch with LynSt. James. Alison completed Lyn's Driver Development Program and becamethe recipient of the Kara Hendrick Scholarship. She was also selected tobe a part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity combine.
At the end of the '04 season, Alison was honored with the Adams CountySpeedway 2004 Citizenship Award. A 9-year-old fan suffering from a braintumor had selected Alison as his favorite driver, and on July 4, shegave the young fan a ride around the racetrack in her Modified. Thatnight, she won her feature.
The 2005 Alison Quick racing effort is supported by Kelly Tire &Exhaust, Longfellow Drilling, RMI, Davidson Construction, Advanced Ag,Glendenning Motor Company, SWBS, Campbell Trucking, Ironman Racing, RHR,Newton's Sporting Goods, Frank's Body Shop, Ricker AC Heating &Plumbing, Quick Charolais, and Quick Contracting. To learn more aboutAlison Quick racing, visit Alisonquick.com.
As winner of the Young Racer's Club, Alison will receive a $250certificate from Comp Cams.
Austin Matthews
Dexter, MO
The success of Carl Edwards on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit hasawakened the racing world to understand that there is plenty of talentthat competes weekly in Missouri. It's a fact that Show-Me state racefans have known for generations.
One of the young guns in Missouri racing is 17-year-old Austin Matthews.Austin is starting his rookie season in IMCA Modifieds with a Dirt Workschassis powered by a 355ci Chevrolet engine. Austin has worked throughthe ranks to get to the Modifieds. After a stellar career at thecontrols of go-carts, winning titles, and features in various divisions,Austin stepped up to the Mini Sprints. His efforts in three years ofracing found him prepared for the challenges of the heavier Modifieds.
Austin will be racing primarily at Poplar Bluff Speedway and MaldenSpeedway, but could venture to West Plains Motor speedway or even out ofstate to Arkansas' Batesville Speedway. In his early exploits in 2005,Austin had scored two heat wins in April and was making consistentprogress toward top feature finishes.
The team is a family operation. His main wrench is his father, Bryce,while his 12-year-old brother Corbin has a keen interest in themechanical side of the operation and helps where he can. Mom, Sherry,provides vital service to keep the program up and running. This is trulya racing family.
As the August winner of the Young Racer's Club, Austin Matthews willreceive a $250 certificate from G-Force. With its emphasis on safety,G-Force is the choice of many racers, young and old alike, for the bestin safety gear.
July 2005 Winner: Sean Bass, Gibsonton, FL
By the time you read about our latest winner of the Young Racer's Club,there's likely to be a driver development agreement in the works. SeanBass has been tearing up Florida short tracks with regularity during thepast few seasons, and the broader world is starting to take notice.
A good indication came on April 1. Competing in the Truck division andthe Mini Stock division at Orlando Speedworld, Sean made two stops inVictory Lane. To go back and forth between a four-cylinder car and aV-8 truck is an accomplishment in itself. To park each of them inVictory Lane is even better.
Sean started racing in the Kid's Club at Auburndale Speedway. As hiswins mounted, the desire to move up was obvious. A short stint in aSuper Stock class is on the resume, but the results really came in withthe Mini Stock and Truck. Sean captured races in his first year intrucks, including a big victory on the 3/4-mile USA InternationalSpeedway. He won an '05 Truck race during the World Series of AsphaltRacing at New Smyrna Speedway's lightning fast 1/2-mile. Altogether,there have been feature wins at many Florida tracks, and size reallydoesn't matter. Big or small, Sean has proven he can win them all.
Sean would like to take the next step into the higher levels of racing,and word has filtered through the pit areas that there have beenclandestine inquiries made about his plans. In addition to his on-trackachievements, Sean also maintains a straight-A grade point average. In2004, he won state honors in architecture competition for high schools.
As the July winner of our Young Racer's Club, Sean will receive acertificate valued at $250 from Aero Race Wheels for use on any of hisrace vehicles.
June 2005 Winner: Brian Geiszler, Boring, OR
Brian Geiszler in the NSRA...
Brian Geiszler in the NSRA Victory Lane.
Brian Geiszler has been winning races for nearly half his life. The18-year-old open-wheel standout started in Quarter Midget competition inthe Pacific Northwest at the age of 9. In that time, he raced on dirtand asphalt, including indoor winter racing. Brian finished Second oneyear by a single point with four wins on his record.
At the age of 12, Brian jumped into a 250cc Micro Sprint to run the1/8-mile and 1/4-mile tracks in Oregon and Washington. He scored winsat four of the six tracks, including three victories in Madras, Oregon.In 2002, he was named the state of Oregon champion in the 250cc class.
The '03 season saw 16-year-old Brian back on asphalt behind the wheel ofa 360 Limited Sprint. He competed in the Northwest Sprintcar RacingAssociation (NSRA) with a used car and gained valuable experienceagainst the full 360 Sprint fields. When 2004 rolled around, a betterengine and a brand-new chassis awaited. However, the new car didn'tarrive until the season was three races old, and there was the usuallearning curve. In his first race, Brian won his heat but did not finishthe main. The next event saw a flat tire diminish his hopes late in therace. The next race brought a Third Place run and the Top-10 finishesjust kept coming. He captured a feature win in Idaho, becoming theyoungest driver to win a feature in NSRA competition.
Along the way, Brian had the opportunity to experience wingless racing,and he adapted quickly. Running the big 5/8-mile at Monroe, Washington(Evergreen Speedway), Brian scored a Top-10 with the Western States USACclass and has found a new home. The 2005 plans center on running theentire USAC sanctioned slate in the Western States Series.
Young racers like Brian Geiszler are helping to keep the sport thriving.We congratulate Brian and wish him continued success.