Are we putting kids in the public eye way to soon ? Are we asking them to carry the family future up the ladder of success at an age when they should be worrying about the science test on Friday . I have been wondering you put a kid that's 13-15 yrs old in a sprint car because he or she has had so much early success that people say man that kid is good you gotta move them to Indiana right now if they want a shot at the big time. Then things don't work out like you had planed the 13-15 yr old is now 18-20 still running sprint cars and old news cause well now there is a new hot shoe and she is only 13. Then 18-20 yr old kid feels like man I let my whole family down mom and dad spent thousands of dollars and I'm a nobody cause I'm still in sprint cars!!!!! Then he or she cracks under the pressure and does something stupid and everyone says how could they do that they have the world by ass !!!!! How many of these kids are out there and turn to drugs,alcohol, domestic violence???? It's going to give our sport a very bad reputation and we all pay the price

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I never raced a day in my life. Nor have I ever competed in any competition in my life. I started doing drugs when I was 11... it took me a long time to change (about 16 years). I never got arrested and I graduated from high school and college. Everyone's life circumstances are different (even the ungodly wealthy people who have everything handed to them), so I don't think it's such a black and white issue.

I often look through older (7-8 years old) photos of the next greatest racer who hasn't accomplished anything and often wonder where they are now.

My point is that I wasn't too busy racing to worry about a science test, I found other things that were much worse.

The pros are: They are usually around their family all the time, which in my opinion is great.

The cons are: They miss out on a lot of the things other kids get to do on the weekend.

It's a complicated issue that I hope some of us can have our eyes opened to all sides. I can see from last weekends events that some handle the hardships better then others. As soon as you assume someone will/should act a certain way they can prove you wrong.

I'm going to use one positive example of a kid starting early and doing well...

Bryan Clauson

I'm not sure when he started racing but I know he was racing before age 16.

Bryan is a CLASS ACT! Any pressure he feels from family or "racing community" is nothing compared to what he expects from himself. I think he uses that pressure as fuel to get better. That is a sign of a great person.

I think the bottom line is parenting. When parents do a good job... the children benefit.

I agree 100% he is the star that shines very bright. But for the very very few that are like Brian we all know of at least 10 that are on the other end of the spectrum . I'm not saying don't let kids race I'm saying should we start looking at age limits on national levels 13-17 limited sprints 18+ 410 national sprints as an example.

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I get what you're saying sc96 - I've wondered lots of times that it must be tough to be raised to race. You spend your whole childhood racing and being told you're great and how much potential you have and this is how Tony Stewart got his start. You skip birthday parties and all your spare time is spent at the track. None of this is a bad thing but it must be a real kick in the teeth to realize you're 20 and you aren't the next Tony and this is all you've ever known so now what? I mean USAC has no pension plan and there's no 401k - you can't support a family off the payouts.....but this is all you've ever done and everyone has told you your whole life that you're meant to do this and you never had a backup plan for life.....it's got to screw with your head. The Bryan Clausons are few and far between - he's a stand up guy for his age but he's also gotten a lot more opportunities come his way than some of these other 20 something's ever will (Ganassi, Indy 500, etc).

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I think that will only happen if we fail to see the errors we are making in pushing kids to hard to get into this car or that race and we have more incidents then we have already had. Putting that kind of pressure on anyone isn't right. We have had drug incidents before : Tyler Walker, Shane Hmiel, and Aaron Fike. Those incidents have been our wake up call to stop putting so much pressure on young drivers to succeed as it only caused them to look for an "out" that allows them an escape from the pressure. That's doing them no good and it only hurts them in the moment and potentially for the rest of their lives. Yes I want to see people achieve their dreams but not at the expense of their childhood, future or (God forbid) their life.

How many parents have sent their kid to college and spent thousands of dollars and had the same kind of result? Pressure comes to kids in many different ways. Some ascend and some don't or find other callings in life.

I'm spending enough on my sons’ music right now that I could easily put him in a 305 Sprint Car. Will he make it to the Boston Pops or the New York Philharmonic? Heck if I know, but we're gonna support him and try to give him every chance he needs to get there. He's 12 and puts in 18 to 20 hours a week playing, there's a lot of work and pressure but he loves it. Comparing racing to music is a bit of a stretch, but both require resources, time and a lot of dedication. Some will reach the top and many won't, but you won’t know unless you try and give it a shot.

BTW SC96 I think this is a great question and one that should be talked about.

Actually I think comparing music to racing is a great example!! They are very similar. Many musicians try and make it big. They all love music and it's in their blood, and they're all talented in their own way...but like racing, there's hundreds, maybe thousands of others trying to do the same thing. It doesnt mean you're bad, it just means there's someone who's either better or has better luck getting noticed by the right people...or both.

If you dedicate yourself to ANYTHING, and never give up, and always try to be better...I don't think you should ever feel that you've failed or let anyone down...as long ad you know you gave it 100%. Sometimes people need to accept the fact that there's always someone better. Even the best fall down sometimes...

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Absolute lame ass excuse....Everyone has pressure, it relates to your specific situation.... On some scale it is searching for your next meal, on another it is how to pass a test, on another it is how to get a prom dress for $100. One kid this weekend is trying to get a used tire for a street stock, while another is wishing he had a bigger motor-coach... Good kids make good choices, good men do good things. Everthing else is just an excuse for not being man enough to handle your ****!!

im guessing this thread is referring to forced negative pressure put on kids. Not everyday life pressure we all have to deal with. Or the positive pressures that fuel that fuel desire.

i went racing with my kid at the age of 8 from carts to 600 mini sprints til he was 19. Sprint cars was always the goal but the last couple of years of racing i noticed his heart was quite in it. i could see it in his eyes even though he wouldnt say anything. So i gave him a convenient out one day so he could walk away without feeling like he let anyone down. He took it. He then followed his real passion as it turned out and is now a drummer for a band. He cant get enough of music. And I can definitely see that in his eyes. So what im trying to say here is pay attention to the kid. Open doors for him or her if ya can, but dont push them through it. He or she has to walk through it.

Rory