While the days of a few guys at the local gas station fielding a competitive entry in NASCAR are long over, there is still some elements of small town America left in the sport. Local short tracks, both dirt and asphalt across the country are still the primary feeder system for the professional ranks.
We said primary because obviously there are other methods to gain entry. Some, like Jeff Gordon have been racing go karts and other vehicles since childhood, and others like Juan Pablo Montoya came in as professionals from other series.
The two professional drivers profiled in this great piece from the Kansas City Star, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards are profiled against the backdrop of local dirt track action. The two men were scrappy and talented amateur racers and managed to work their way to the top eschelon of the sport. There are thousands trying to do the same thing each weekend around America.
We never knew the backstory on Carl Edwards, this story does a nice job of flushing it out. The dream to go from dirt track to super speedway is a long shot, but thie story is proof that it ain’t dead yet.
