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Getting The OK
Being Approved To Race Differs From Series To Series
By John Clayton
Staff Writer
Prior to making his NASCAR Winston Cup debut in 1986, Brett Bodine made a phone call to longtime NASCAR official Bill Gazaway.
“I told him I was going to go race,” Bodine recalled.
With that long-distance phone call, the application and approval process was completed. As it had been for years in the NASCAR garage, what Gazaway said went.
Bodine had been successful on the modified circuit but was without significant stock-car experience. Still, Gazaway, already familiar with the Bodine name because of Brett’s older brother, Geoff, gave his stamp of approval, and Bodine went on to race for 18 Cup seasons.
“I ran a Cup race without ever driving a Busch car — I came straight from a modified car,” Bodine said. “I guarantee you that’s not going to happen now.”
| FAST LEARNER: Former Indy 500 winner and Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya earned NASCAR Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. (Autostock Photo) |
“Before they get a license, they have to get approval through our office,” said Bodine. “Once you’re approved for a series, you can purchase a driver’s license.”
While it might have been simpler in another era, NASCAR, ARCA, the Indy Racing League, the USAR Hooters Pro Cup and other racing series all share similar processes for the approval of would-be drivers. In every case, approval begins in an office rather than on a race track.
Racing Résumés
Applying for a racing license can be very much like applying for a job.
Résumés and references are required.
“We require everyone who is a first-time participant to put together some sort of resume or biographical package — most of them have something like that for sponsors anyway,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “It allows us to establish a level of experience for every driver. I try to encourage them that every lap in every form of racing means something. If you drove go-karts between the ages of 6 and 8, don’t omit that. It applies.”
The same goes for the USAR Hooters Pro Cup all the way up to NASCAR’s top series.
“We want to see what kind of racing they did,” said Tony Cox, vice-president and series director of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup. “We want to know whether they’ve raced in several different venues. Letters of reference from several competitors can help us. We want to get a good feel for the driver before going to the track.”
With résumés in hand, on-track tests are often secondary at least with the stock-car series that are deemed as developmental series independent of NASCAR.
| SHOCK JACQUES: Jacques Villeneuve made seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts and made his Nextel Cup debut at Talladega in October. (Autostock Photo) |
In the case of the Indy Racing League, most drivers come from the IRL’s own developmental series, the Indy Pro Series. So, the resumes and initial paper approval process more often occurs when drivers are attempting to join the IPS.
But when those and other drivers attempt to join the IndyCar Series, an on-track test awaits them in front of IndyCar Series Technical Director Kevin “Rocket” Blanch, who relies on his experience as a former Indy car crew chief to put prospects through their paces for a total of 40 laps, which consists of four 10-lap phases.
Blanch said he usually requires drivers to test independently to get familiar with the car prior to going through a rookie test.
“I put a headset on and tell the guy what I’m looking for,” Blanch said. “He doesn’t have to be fast, but he needs to be consistent. I want him to be able to tell me if it’s loose or if it’s pushing. I want him to be able to tell me what he thinks will help fix the car.”
After the résumés are reviewed, other series require a few laps of open testing. ARCA usually approves drivers in stages — first on short tracks, then on mile ovals and finally on superspeedways.
In most cases, Drager said new drivers must participate in an open test before racing on any superspeedway.
“Something we’ve done is making it a gradual process — first on the half-mile and then approval for the larger tracks,” he said. “Then, we require an open test for all superspeedways. It’s really for two things — A, they can get experience, and B, we can observe them and their progress.”
New drivers also participate in pre-race tests in Hooters Pro Cup, which is predominantly a short-track series. But passing the test doesn’t necessarily mean a driver will stay in the race.
| JUMPING RIDES: Dario Franchitti won the 2007 Indy 500 and the IndyCar title, then moved to Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team. (Autostock Photo) |
“We’ve had situations where a guy looked fine riding around by himself out there but then had trouble when he got in traffic,” Cox said. “We try to get those guys to drop back and ride around a little while at the back of the pack until they get comfortable. If they’re still having trouble, we’re not afraid to park them.”
In some cases, drivers are either in or out of a given series. In the case of NASCAR, the approval committee has the additional task of slotting approved drivers into one of its series.
“The driver’s experience level decides where you get slotted,” Bodine said. “There are so many ways to gain experience in motorsports, we have to be able to critique every résumé and treat it individually.
“Based on the data we have, we either slot them in a series or say, no, go back and get more experience.”
Building Fences
Over the course of the 2007 ARCA season, some 175 drivers drove in sanctioned events, whether in the ARCA RE/MAX, Trucks or a sanctioned regional series.
“We have a pretty good-sized melting pot,” said Drager. “It’s our responsibility and obligation to bring people into the sport at the level we’re operating at without building fences so high that an individual can’t get in.”
Saying no is difficult, but representatives from every series interviewed said they must do it frequently.
Bodine estimated that one out of five drivers’ applications is denied by NASCAR, while others may not be slotted exactly where they want, when they want to be there.
Other more notable drivers are “no-brainers,” said Bodine, alluding to the quick approvals and rapid ascents of Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve and Dario Franchitti over the past two years.
“It’s not about the kind of car (they’ve race in) or how fast it’s gone,” Bodine said. “Those drivers are used to extremely high speeds on very fast ovals. They’ve won Indy 500s. They’ve won Formula One championships. They have the experience.”
With lower fences in series beyond NASCAR’s elite, most series have a minimum age requirement of 16, though the Hooters Pro Cup occasionally has allowed a 15-year-old behind the wheel.
“We’ve had a few cases — (DEI developmental talent) Trevor Bayne or (Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver) Joey Logano and guys who were going to turn 16 during the middle of the season,” said Cox. “It’s on a case-by-case basis.”
The rebirth of the NASCAR Grand National Series as well as the NASCAR-sanctioning of the Whelen Modified Tours has given more — and younger — drivers the opportunity to compete under the NASCAR umbrella. Other series, such as Champ Car, ISMA and the SCCA require first an FIA license before it will consider issuing its own competition license.
At NASCAR’s top rungs — Cup, Busch and NASCAR Craftsman Trucks — the minimum age is 18, but the Grand National and Modified series both require drivers to be 16 — the same as IndyCar, ARCA, Hooters Pro Cup and Champ Car.
Drager said his organization sticks steadfastly to its age limits, which are 16 for short and intermediate tracks and 18 for the superspeedways.
“There are no exceptions,” Drager said. “It’s something that we’ve developed after consulting with everyone from our insurance company to veteran drivers in our series. It’s something we’ve established ourselves and we’re comfortable with it.”
GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL
NASCAR
Minimum age: 18 (16 for regional series)
First step: Résumé including biographical, references and racing experience, information sent to officials for review. Physical exam.
Testing: Only official NASCAR open tests are considered, but none are scheduled for individual drivers.
After approval: NASCAR officials slot drivers in appropriate series after applications are approved.
ARCA
Minimum age: 16 (18 for superspeedway competition)
First step: Résumé including biographical, references and racing experience, information sent to officials for review. Physical exam.
Testing: Open testing required for superspeedways. Other evaluations after short-track and intermediate-track races. Feedback from trusted team sources during private testing evaluated.
After approval: ARCA officials can slot drivers in series they deem appropriate.
INDYCAR
Minimum age: 16
First step: Résumé including biographical, references and racing experience, information sent to officials for review. Physical exam.
Testing: Each new driver goes through a 40-lap session consisting of four 10-lap phases.
After approval: Go racing.
USAR HOOTERS PRO CUP
Minimum age: 16
First step: Résumé including biographical, references and racing experience, information sent to officials for review.
Testing: Pre-race tests are required before first race.
After approval: Go racing, but officials are monitoring progress.
CHAMP CAR
Minimum age: 16
First step: FIA License is required before sending resume including biographical, references and racing experience, information sent to officials for review. Physical exam.
Testing: License needed to participate in open tests.
After approval: Go racing.
USAC
Minimum age: 18 (with rare exceptions)
First step: Résumé including biographical, references and racing experience, information sent to director of competition for review. Physical exam.
Testing: No organized testing for rookies unless otherwise specified.
After approval: Approvals are made by divisions for Class I licenses. Drivers may also receive temporary permits to compete in other divisions.
DIRT (World of Outlaws)
Minimum age: 16
First step: Enter the race.
Testing: None.
After approval: No licensing procedure. Go race.