A few weeks ago, I talked about my concerns about how some of the young drivers are being brought up in this sport. Last weekend, while I was working the ASA Midwest Tour event at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells, WI, I had a chance to talk to the track’s current point leader and defending champion Jeff Kendall.

Kendall is a short track veteran and also has a few ARCA starts under his belt. This year he is not only focused on his super late model efforts at DRP, he is also keeping a watchful eye on his 14-year-old son Robert who is competing in the limited late model division.

We started talking about what it likes to be a parent of a child who is racing and on top of it, trying to defend his championship. Kendall was not afraid to open up his thoughts about it, especially from the approach he took with it, an educational approach.

The first part was whether or not Robert had a serious interest in doing it and when Jeff mentioned that he was interested in welding at the age of seven and started helping dad in the shop that was a clear sign that the interest was there. Robert started asking questions and Jeff would then quiz him on what he would do.

Now, that knowledge from one generation to another is now coming full circle as Robert has gone behind the wheel and has already started to win some races in this early part of the season.

“When he comes in and tells me what the car is doing, I know what needs to be done,” Jeff Kendall stated. “But, I always give him a choice of what he should do. He has a 50/50 chance of being right or wrong. When he gives the answer, and it’s usually the right answer, I then have him explain to me what is going to happen as a result of the change.”

There are so many positives that can be taken from this. First, is the educational side of it as Robert has an expert in his father and that expert has a good racing resume as well.

The second is that it’s going to be a lot tougher for Robert to walk away and lose interest. I go back to what Jim Sauter told me last year, when a young driver gets involved in all aspects of racing from driving the car to working in the shop, its going to make that decision a lot tougher to walk away from where someone who doesn’t invest in that much time, it makes easy for them find something new.

The third and I think it’s the most important point, is the father and son bonding that grows from this. It’s a refreshing thing to have in this era. Jeff and Robert Kendall working on a race car together is just the same as a father and son going in the backyard to play catch. On top of it, Jeff saw that Robert had an interest early on and encouraged him to expand on that interest. The reward is going to go and race at the same track on the same night.

By the way, Jeff is just like any other father when it comes to watching his son on the track. He has all of the confidence in his son’s talent and hopes that his son earns the respect from the other competitors out there. Another thing he teaches his son.

This story is just an example of what is happening at many short tracks across this country. This is a prime reason why I always say that short track racing and baseball are both America’s Pastime. It’s about transferring our sport from one generation to the next and keeping this sport alive.

If you look carefully in the pits at any short track, you will see it first hand.