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Steven Blakesley / Placer
Herald
 Like
Father, like son.
18 year-old Joe Draper of
Rocklin will carry a family tradition of motorsports into the summer, as
he begins a campaign in the Westcar Late Model Series, the top stockcar
racing series in Northern California.
Draper will be driving a car
formerly driven by his father Al, who has raced for more than 20 years in
Northern California.
“He’s raced with some of the
best names. Basically, if you mention anybody that’s good he’s ran with
them,” Joe Draper said. “It’s a huge honor that he put me in the seat of
this Late Model and basically let me put together a team and my own deal.
I’m pretty honored about the whole situation.”
Draper graduated from
Rocklin High School on Friday night. This move into the Late Model Series
also marks his graduation from the Modifieds, a high-powered open-wheeled
division that races at Roseville’s All American Speedway.
“It’s definitely a step-up
from anything I’ve done,” Draper said. “I’ll be running a tour series with
many different tracks and a lot stiffer competition.”
The Modifieds are known for
furious racing action where bumping and banging are key. But in a Late
Model Stockcar, drivers have to show much more patience and finesse
because the cars are much heavier and harder to handle.
Late Model Stockcars weigh
about 3000 pounds and reach speeds over 125 miles per hour at their
biggest tracks. Unlike NASCAR racing, these races are held solely on
short-tracks. The biggest facility the series competes at is a half-mile
paved oval in Tracy.
“The driving styles are
definitely toned down a few notches but I think we will be fine. It will
take a few laps but we’ll definitely be a contender.”
Draper will join
half-a-dozen other young drivers who compete in the series each week. The
tour travels all over the state, with dates in Shasta, Lakeport, Tracy,
and Stockton. Draper will run the final four races of the series and two
big open competition events.
Draper’s first race will be
at the 60 year-old Stockton 99 Speedway July 1st, with a crowd
of more than 3000 expected to watch the drivers compete in a 100 lap
event.
 “A
lot of people respect racing and what we do -- go out there and run and
put our lives on the line,” Draper said. “This is a professional operation
and not just your local boys building a car in their front yard basically.
It’s a real deal.”
With the tour being on a
high and professional level, Draper will be faced with the task of
maintaining an expensive race vehicle. Draper estimates it costs $900 to
run each event. This year alone Draper will compete in at least six races
and next year he may race as many as 20 races.
Some of the costs involved
with the car includes a new set of tires each week, fuel for both the race
car and the race hauler, pit entry for the pit crew, and various wear and
tear costs after each race.
Most teams in the Westcar
Late Model Series have a different set of shocks for each track. A set of
shocks alone can run upwards of $800.
Sponsorship support can make
or break a team’s chances at victory. Draper has already inked deals with
the NAPA Autocare Center on North Antelope and JM Environmental, but is
still short of what he needs to be competitive.
“Sponsorship in a division
like Westcar is crucial,” Draper said. “Basically if not for the sponsors
the cars cannot be on the track.”
As much as Draper will learn
on the track with the racing, Draper has spent the last few months
learning the business aspect of America’s fastest growing sport.
“We have to run it like a
business,” Draper said. “It’s a sport to some extent but a lot of young
drivers want to make it into a career and a future.”
The 18 year-old driver will
have his chance to prove that he can be the future of racing starting July
1st at Stockton 99 Speedway.
“You have to have some
dedicated people behind you,” Draper said. “I want to thank my father for
being so dedicated and having us have something together. You always have
people saying you’re not going to make it. You have to rise above it.” |
