16 for car racing. Anything younger than that, they can race karts. I agree with above...16 is legal driving age.

Lots of excellent thoughts. I for one think no youngster should be competing against adults in a sport such as ours. The liability issues and negative PR potential when something bad happens are enormous. Also, our sport is not like tennis, golf, etc.. I would compromise and let them compete at age 16 since they qualify for a driver's license. Often overlooked is the child's development mentally and physically at a time when they should be celebrating their youth, not how am I going to beat this 25 year old. Lastly, it is this kind of thing (12 year olds, etc.) which leave the general public and media with the impression our sport is a kind of circus/ carnival show.

I'm sorry but 12 years old is too young for someone to be driving a race car especially a sprint car!
Last year at Bubba Raceway Park a young girl (I believe 15) was killed in her first race there. You would think Bubba Clem would have looked at that situation and pulled his son off the track but many parents think it could never happen to my child. Well, yes it can and does! Young kids should not be racing in full size race cars until the age of 16 at the earliest. It's OK when things are going well on the race track but when a youngster crashes or gets hurt then it is a different story with many parents. Everyone now a days is ready to sue at the drop of a hat. Every parent believes their son or daughter is the next Jeff Gordon or Kyle Larson but as we all know they are few and far between. Enjoy just being a kid first and then if you are 16 and still want to race go for it.

Honestly I think 12 is too young but abilities IMHO are different from one to the next as well as maturity. I think it'd be a PR nightmare if something terrible happened, And in this sport, Its not if, It's when?

Personally, I say 151/2. If your legal to drive a 3500pd car your legal to race top equipment.

I say this will all due respect as I have watched many of the stars of today race from the time they were 14/15 in full up equipment. Bacon, Whitt, Armstrongs, Clauson, Windom, Schurenberg, Beuchamp, Burton and many others.

Gordon at 14 was setting track records and running top tens.

And Larson is a freak of nature don't matter what he's in, He'll get the most out of it.

This, pardon the pun, is an "age old question", I remember Billy Puterbaugh being "emancipated", so he could run karts out of the Junior age, course that's history, but as I recall then, the "draft" was still in place, and that meant he was eligible for that also, he may have been 13-14 when this occurred, however, he was no doubt able to pull it off, but it's a hard call, I watched a 10 yr old fiddle player on the PBS channel last night, he's been playing since he was 5, maybe longer, but I'd sure hate to see a "child" get hurt, or cause someone else to be hurt, at such a young age, Lord knows, people considered as adults make plenty of bone head moves, and choices, we who have raced with them know it all too well, it's a tough decision, I know in the TQ's we've lowered the age limit, but at least there is still some control, small tracks, more involvement by being close to be able to watch the actions, sometimes you don't do a youngster a favor, by letting them compete. JMHO! Bob

What is the age limit Tony Stewart has put in place to race at the Big "E"? This guy should have some idea about the age a driver should be to race at his race track.

Honest Dad himself

Off of the Eldora Speedway website:

Pit Access – Pit passes, which allow access to the pit area, are available at all Eldora racing events. A pit pass also allows for admission into the grandstand area.

Minimum Age – Only persons 14 years of age or older will be admitted to pit area. Minors 14, 15, 16 or 17 years of age submit a Parental Consent, Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, and Indemnity Agreement/Minor’s Assumption of Risk and Release and Waiver of Liability signed by a parent (or legal guardian). No exceptions. If the waiver is not signed in the presence of an Eldora Speedway official, it must be notarized.

Earl had the rule at Eldora must be 16 years old to race and Tony kept the same rule as far as I know.

lets take the cages of sprint cars and see how many parents put their babies in them.

There must have been exceptions to this rule as I was there when a 13 year old Jeff Gordon raced there. It was an ASCOC Speed Week race, maybe they allowed someone of that age to race and Earl went by their rules as they sanctioned the race. One thing I noticed about Jeff at this race and the other Speed Week races that year was that he seemed the have a tremendous awareness of what was happening around him on the track at all times.

I still think it should be 16 or older to run a 410 sprint car.