Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

To answer your question.  That is a personal decision based on if you're alone or have somebody along to share the work.  Every one of my kids was different, what works for one might not work for the others.  Some kids get bored with racing and some decide it's not their thing.  All my kids went with me but only my son goes now, the girls don't care for it. 

Stan Meissner

Really! Hosheads for parental advice. 

Two years ago I rode with my nephew to Carlisle, Pa to pick up his 5 year old at a cudesty exchange. It was Friday evening with a plan to stop on the way home at Williams Grove for the young one.

The parking lot was wet and empty from a downpour. Both father and son were dejected. I asked do you really want to see a race. Yes were the answers. Down US 15 we went to TrailWays getting there as hot laps were completing. Parking, getting hot dogs and fries plus a checkered flag for the little guy we got seat mid way in the bleachers.

Unknowing several race drivers walked to the stands joining their families until their heats were called. One showed Iasiah how to wait and wave the flag for the finish. They left to compete in their heats coming back afterward. They had brought back fan pictures not only of their racers but others from the pits, all signed. One even brought his helmet along letting the young one wear it for a while.

Does not need to be Outlaw status, entry level, Grass Roots racing made a night we still talk about.

Pushtruck

Daughter was there in the womb. True story here....24 years ago this coming July we had to pick a Birthday for our daughter as she was a planned C section due to expected birthing difficulties that doctors were concerned with. They wanted a early July birth and I worked on a pit crew and our team raced mostly at Lake County Speedway and Husets Speedway. Looked at the calendar and our Division was the undercard for the mid week July 5th WoO race at Husets. Well, wifey was in pits with us and she scraped mud on car that night at the WoO, after the races we loaded up, team travelled home and wife and I stayed at hotel in Sioux Falls and went in to have our first born in the morning!  Our girl was at races in mommy’s tummy up until then.  Daughter was in shop with me that winter preparing cars all winter, even hung a baby swing in the shop. Two years later, due to jobs we moved away. Had a son 7 years later and, to this day even though my boy is a motor head, our girl gets way more jacked up for a dirt track race than he does. 

My dad introduced me when I was 2 or 3. Haven’t looked back since. I’ve been taking my two kids since they were two. I wanted to wait until they could comprehend the sound aspect because it’s alot for little ears. They wear their ear protection while the cars are running so I’d say they’ve figured it out and love it as much as I do.

Hey Super.....are those youngun's taller than the Mrs & I yet?  Yrs ago we went to Vegas from Ohio....left the adult daughters there & took the 3 yr old grandson to Perris....He had a ball entertaining the crowd before the show, palying with his cars and all.  The 1st heat came out & he was sound asleep on granma's lap.  Stayed there the whole show & woke up at the end.  He heard us talking to folks & when we got back to Vegas, his mom asked  how he liked the races....to which he excitedly replied."Oh, it was goddamn good race mom!!!!"  We just agreed with him & listened to her rant.  She understood finally.  I will say that one thing is a must,too, is to keep an eye (leash?) on the young kids.  Yes most folks understand, but they can't be bothering some folks &/or they may just plain have an accident,too.  The main thing is fo them to have a good time!   Stubb  (soon to be in Ocala, topless!)

Better question, is the Grandson taller than the Stubbs these days?  I got me one of them to Sir Stubb, 5 months ago.  I see the youngin has the Stub vocab down already, chip off the old/small block.  Enjoy FLA.....

I was 1 month old when Mom and Dad took me to my first race at the long defunct Capitol Beach Raceway. Our 2 boys were both at the races inutero and then went for the first time at approximately 6 months old.

Looking back now, I would give almost anything to be able to go to the IMCA races at the Nebraska State Fair just one more time with my folks. I hope to never forget those huge rooster tails, the fabulously shiny race cars and those fearless men who raced without cages!

My boys still remember and talk today about playing in the dirt under the wooden bleachers at Midwest Speedway.

As has been said numerous times already, prepare well!! Hopefully you will be starting a life-long mutual love of racing.

I am lucky enough to work at one of the best tracks 
anywhere.

was in 1st or 2nd grade ........ still going today

dttfowtm ...  
Proud Member of Sprntlover's Babysitting Service
Pa Posse Says Race or Shut Your Pie Hole!
Work hard & become a leader. Be lazy & end up a slave.
I Challenge anyone to give an example of a program that
the government has managed efficiently and/or cheaper
than the private sector. Please no enactments, laws or
statutes.

You raised yourself a fine young gentleman. What a great share.. To many more good race stories

Hey Mikey. Have fun with that one!  5 mos. ?.....should be at the track this summer,eh?   Oh,our little guy? He passed us when he was 13.  He's 6'2" now and can still speak the Stubb's English.  Hope too see some Hosers in fl.  my bruins lost their 18 game point streak...kinda bummed. Just gotta keep  the Leafs behind & maybe catch Tampa.   Panthers/Capiols are in fl when we are...may go see them play. Won' t belong & the best time of the year will be here......walleye fishing in the river,hockey on tv when not at a spring race,morels in late April, WoO & USAC at Eldora for 2 in May!!!   Getting the cabin at the lake open & sliding down to Fremont for a sat nite show.    It's just around the last lap turn 4 of winter!    Have fun!

took my son to the Grove and other tracks starting age 5. He went to see a few of my sprint car races but wife didn't like to go much. He started quarter midget at 9, won National USAC.25 feature at Eldora 4 Crown among many others and is now racing 600 microsprints. I stopped racing 2 years ago to focus on his racing. We still go to a few sprint car races when our racing schedule permits. The best part is we went to some races with my father who passed away a few years ago but we have those memories of the races. Dad helped me on my car but that was before my son was born. Dad loved the USAC sprints when they came east every year and now my son and I have those memories. 

Immediately after conception!

So you're saying he should schedule his sex life just before hot laps????

I started going to races when I was a toddler to SJ Speedway and Baylands and start remember them about 1985 when I was about 5 years old. I still remember how much I loved going to races even soo much so that I would rather go to the races than anything else on a Saturday night! I remember going to Baylands on one of last races before they were going to shut down the track and I was just soo sad why they would close down something I loved to go to. Everytime I go by the area the track used to be I get really sad and same goes for SJ Speedway which closed in 1999 I believe. My greatests memories were watching the races, getting dirty,  hearing the noise of the racecars, smell of the methanol, yummy track food, talking to drivers in the pits, getting to sit in the cars, and just spending time with my dad. I am a total tom -boy and even to this day I really do love going to races and also football, much more so that shopping or getting my nails done. I started taking my kids when they were very young and my boys love racing much more so that my daughter,  but she will go to our local track at least. Winter is a hard time for me because I miss going to races. Sure, I can still watch them on Youtube, but there is just nothing like watching them in person and just the atmosphere of being at the track is something special. Our kids are the future of racing and keeping to keep our tracks open and I like how tracks will make kids free or $5. I always invite my friends and their kids to go,but only a few of them have taken me up on my offer and they had a great time! 

So yes anytime is a good time to take your kids to the races. Just make sure to have them wear ear protection, eye protection, snacks, and enough warm clothes   

Looking forward to the new Golden State King of the 
West series schedule! 

Winged sprintcars = the fastest and most exciting 
racecars on dirt! 

Take him as soon as possible. As others have said, make sure to have good earmuffs for him. Also snacks are a must. My son likes to move a lot and at his age (5) I don't let him have the run of the spectator area so I end up missing some of the racing while he collects mud and plays with his toy sprint cars and I follow along to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.

My parents took me to a midget race in Tucson in '67 when I was less than a year old. I spent most of the Saturday nights during my childhood at Ascot and I am grateful to my parents for that. After Ascot closed my dad and I would travel to Manzanita, Tulare, Hanford, Bakersfield and Ventura for the SCRA and USAC/CRA races. We were also regulars at Perris until I finally moved out of state in 2008. Sprint car racing was a special bond that we had and provided me with many of the cherished memories of my life. My dad is gone now, but I still have those memories which will last me all my life. Don't wait to start having fun with him at the races and building that bond and your own memories. My son and I mostly go to Modified and Dwarf Car races becuase the local track doesn't have many sprint car dates, but plan on taking him to the Outlaws when he can sit still long enough to justify spending $50 on a ticket for him.

My dad first took me to a race when I was five years old. I was hooked from that day forward. I took my son for the first time when he was five years old, and the same was true. He was instantly by race "bud". And as where my favorite drivers as a kid were the same as my dad's, my son had a mind of his own when it came time to picking favorites. That added a little spice to our racing experiences, until he was old enough to see the light and agree that my favorites were the "right favorites"    Along with many, many racing events as he grew up and became an adult, we enjoyed a run of 30 consecutive Knoxville Nationals together. There was about an eight year run after my father retired, that we convinced him to beome a fan again and join us at the Nationals for our annual vacation. My dad's last trip with us was when he was around 75 years af age, we lost him at age 84 in 2013. My son and I had our last trip to the Nationals together in 2011. He passed away just three months later from a recurring  brain tumor that he fought and defeated once earlier in his life at age 16. I don't intend for this post to be a downer, or a plea for sympathy. Rather, it's meant to be a shared life's experience that is filled with more shared passionate memories of sprint car racing than can be imagined. My daughter also became a big fan, but wasn't as "stuck" on it as her brother was., although she did make many trips to Knoxville with us. She has a family of her own, now, and does still make a race now and then with me. The beauty in that is that I have gotten her daughter hooked on the racing. So several friday nights a summer now, I have my granddaugter in tow to the Jackson Motorplex for a night of racing. She turned 12 last November. She has her own favorites, and I've started her with her own t-shirt collection. I think she has a racing bug that will stick. She is all smiles at the race track. Little did I know of course, at age five, just how much that first trip to a local race with my dad would impact my life. Only a race fan can begin to understand what it is that hooks us to such an exciting sport. 

We have 3 kids took them around 6 mos wife got a seat that had a seat belt deal that went around the seat or bleachers a tray that hooked to it some cookies or food and never looked back today 23,18,16 all lived to tell about it big thing is your going to start them off right.sport needs young fans.

Hi Guys. Great topic! I started taking my kids to Western Springs Speedway in Auckland, New Zealand in 1986 when they were aged 1, 3, & 5. (I had started going with my Dad when aged 5 in 1962). It has resulted in all three kids sharing my lifelong passion for sprintcars and midgets. We have moved cities now (we are in Wellington) and my two Sons and their families live locally - allowing us to make 2 or 3 shows together a season as there are no SC or M tracks within two hours of us . My Daughter lives 500 miles away in Dunedin the South Island. The two us a spend one weekend a year away together at the NZ Nationals. Ain't life great! .  WHENEVER you decide the time is right for him to join you, a lifetime of joy awaits you both!

brought my son to the go cart races when he was 3 days old(sunday) then the following saturday at jackson he was with me in the booth every week