Photo by Laurie Edwards | The Roanoke Times

Robert Kuczmaraki has been racing Minicup cars since 2002.

See Robert Kuczmarski race

• What: Mini Cup season closer, 50 laps
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29
• Where: Franklin County Speedway
• Cost: $10, adults; $5, children 6-12
• To sponsor Robert, e-mail rkay24@aol.com.

Robert Kuczmarski is having a hard time with his driving lessons. The 15-year-old Staunton River High School student has to spend 40 hours driving with his parents as part of his formal driver's education.

But unlike most teens, it's not the fear of driving too fast and losing control that makes it difficult for Robert. It's not being able to drive fast enough.

"When you're driving behind somebody, it's difficult not to pass them," Robert said. "At first, it was hard not to floor it. I've gotten better."

That's because Robert races Mini Cups, a one-seater designed like a go-kart-race car hybrid.

"It's about one-third the size of the Nextel Cup car," Robert said. "It's basically more of an advanced go-kart. They can go up to 100 miles an hour. The fastest I've ever been is, like, 96."

But he doesn't just drive fast. He wins races and has collected dozens of trophies in the past few years.

"I'm rookie of the year in the MMRA [Miniature Motorsports Racing Association] open division," Robert said. "I won it on the first try."

He has won so many races this year, he could come in last place Saturday at the last race of the season for the open division at Franklin County Speedway and still win the championship.

"It doesn't matter how I finish," Robert said. "But I want to win."

Robert showed an interest in racing in 2001, when he watched the Daytona 500. Two years later, he went to Motor Mile Speedway with his parents on fan-appreciation day. Cars were lined on the track for fans to check out and talk about. The Kuczmarskis were impressed with the Mini Cups.

"It's a safe little car," said Robert Kuczmarski Jr., Robert's father. "That's why we liked them. We've seen kids, adults even, flip them on their roofs, slide a few feet, roll back over and keep racing."

Robert, too, has had his racing wrecks. There's the occasional crash, but on Aug. 3 he wrecked one of the family's three Mini Cup cars at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., putting it out of commission.

"I spun out backwards into the wall," Robert said. "It bent the frame, crunched the body up. ... The next day, I was back [at Motor Mile] with another car and I won."

The cost of purchasing and maintaining Mini Cups also helped influence the Kuczmarskis' decision.

"Mini Cups are a lot more affordable than getting into stock cars," said Linda Kuczmarski, Robert's mother, a real estate agent for Re/Max Lakefront Realty. "As long as the interest is there, you can keep going."

Robert's father, who does most of the repair work on the Mini Cups, said a new one retails for about $8,500, with a new engine costing about $1,500. But the younger Kuczmarski is getting ready to start racing a more expensive vehicle this winter -- the Legends.

New Legends cars, which are designed to resemble smaller versions of antique cars, retail for about $13,000. New engines cost about $6,000. The Kuczmarskis purchased a 1937 Chevy Sedan-style Legends in May. Robert's first race in the Legends car will be Dec. 1.

It's another step toward his dream of being a NASCAR driver like Jeff Gordon.

"I want to get all the way to the top," Robert said. "I want to go all the way one day."

As he moves closer to his dream, Robert will continue racing Mini Cups and Legends cars. After college, he hopes to hit the big time. When he does, he plans to buy his dream car -- a Ferrari.