Q: To apply for race car driving, is it necessary to go to Racing School? Is this a technical college? Is it available to anyone who wants to attend? Or can I just use experience from local street racing and street mechanics? Are there many job offers?
A: NASCAR usually looks at the new up-and-coming drivers from the short tracks around the country. Just about every driver in NASCAR has worked there way up through the different classes of racing, but they were already racing to be noticed. A racing school will give you the knowledge and educate you about the sport, but after the schooling you need to get out onto the local short tracks that race on Saturday nights. You do here about stories that a guy just walked in a well known shop off the street and started sweeping the floors and worked his way up to becoming part of the crew that you see on pit road, but I doubt you can all of a sudden become a race car driver. Now, you could do all of this on your own if you want to go short track racing. You have to build a car, tow it to the local track and show what you got as far as talent behind the wheel. To follow your dream you have to start somewhere and the Saturday night short track racing is an excellent training ground. (Not to mention allot of fun) Good luck.