Little guys enjoy big-time racing

ON THE FAST TRACK- Seven-year-old Nick Velasquez, left, and his 9-year-old brother, Tommy Velasquez III, race their Mini Dwarf Sprint Cars during a recent event at Ventura Raceway. The Camarillo residents are both in the top five in points in their division, with Tommy in second place and Nick in fifth in the standings. Camarillo resident Tommy Velasquez III is only 9 years old, but he already drives better than Lindsay Lohan.

Velasquez is one of many kids ages 5 through 12 that are currently racing Mini Dwarf Sprint Cars in the Ventura Raceway Association (VRA). The league started two years ago and is headed by VRA Director of Kids Competition Mike Sweeney. It has been growing ever since.

"I had been bugging the VRA promoter, Jim Naylor, for about five years to start some kind of league for kids," Sweeney said.

"Finally he relented and we now have two different divisions for the kids, with the Midget Dwarfs for kids aged 5-9, while the Junior Midget League has cars with a little more horsepower- you have to be 10 years old to drive those. It's been really fun to watch, and it's grown a lot faster than I imagined it would."

Courtesy of Grey Wolf Photos The Miniature Dwarf Cars are small versions of Sprint Cars and go up to 40 miles per hour. Velasquez was one of the kids that caught on to the sport rather quickly after watching his father, Tommy II, drive the regular sized Sprint Cars for years.

Velasquez used to play soccer, but said he found his true calling behind the wheel.

"It (the Mini Dwarf) was pretty easy to get used to driving," Velasquez said. "I really like racing, and it's something I want to do for a long time."

Sweeney said that his favorite part of watching the Mini Dwarf Cars is seeing how much the kids improve over time.

"You have to remember, some of these kids are 5 years old, so they have pretty short attention spans," Sweeney said with a laugh. "When the kid's first start learning we teach them some drills that include learning what flags mean what, how to line up your car, where you start and how to have good sportsmanship.

Courtesy of www.vradwarfs.com TWO OF A KIND- Nick, left, and Tommy Velasquez III are thirdgeneration drivers who compete at Ventura Raceway. "They are pretty much scared at first, but it doesn't take long for them to get the hang of it. When I see how much they've improved and how much fun they are having, that's what makes it all worth it to me."

Velasquez, who loves watching NASCAR racers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, is currently in second place in points in the Mini Dwarf League. His 7year-old brother, Nick, is in fifth place.

"My brother learned how to race from watching me," Tommy Velasquez III said. "I didn't tell him anything though; he just watched and figured it out fast."

According to Sweeney, with the Mini Dwarf Car racers being so young and the senior division racers being as old as 80, it's not unusual to see three generations of one family racing in a day.

Tami Velasquez, the coopperator of the league's website, said it's been a joy to watch her husband and two sons race.

"It's like one big family and we are all cheering everyone on," Tami Velasquez said. "The stands will be packed because of the regular sprint car races later in the night and all the fans will be cracking up watching the Midget Dwarf races earlier in the day. It's a great atmosphere."

The good times almost didn't happen as the Ventura Raceway was almost turned into an amphitheatre. Nearby residents also complained about the noise of the cars echoing off the ocean late into the night. Luckily for Sweeney and the racers, a compromise was reached.

"Naylor had a contract with the Ventura County Fairgrounds and we were told we had to do a few things to keep the league going," Sweeney said. "We now have a curfew of 10 p.m., and we had to find a way to have the mufflers of the cars not be as loud," Sweeney said.

Tami Velasquez said that on average there are about 30 kids in both the mini dwarfs and junior midget leagues. She would, however, still like to get more people out to the track.

"A lot of people are still not even aware there are events going on here because of all the old talk of the raceway closing," Tami Velasquez said.

"We're looking to get more people out here because it really is fun. A lot of kids will pass by the tents of the mini dwarfs on their way in to watch the sprint cars and they will get curious and then want to try it themselves."

The mini dwarfs, junior midgets and sprint cars will all be competing next on Oct. 27 at the Ventura Raceway. For more information, visit the website www.vradwarfs.com.