www.roanoke.com

Photos courtesy of Rob Kuczmarski

Robert Kuczmarski (above) started racing his No. 21 Mini Cup car (top left) at age 12. The Mini Cup car goes up to 90 mph. Kuczmarski, who won the Mini Cup national point system in 2007, moved to a new model of car called a Legend (top right), which can go up to 130 mph.

Courtesy of Rob Kuczmarski

Robert Kuczmarski started racing his No. 21 Mini Cup car at age 12. The Mini Cup car goes up to 90 mph. Kuczmarski won the Mini Cup national point system in 2007.

This teen lives his life in the fast lane.

Robert Kuczmarski, who is a junior at Staunton River High School and also attends Roanoke Valley Governor's School, spends his free time racing cars.

"I started racing in 2004, when I was 12," Kuczmarski said. "My family and I always liked watching racing on TV, so then we decided to look at go-karts for me to race, but they seemed too dangerous, so we decided on a Mini Cup."

Mini Cup cars are half the size of a regular race car and they go up to 90 mph.

"We bought two and started racing the next year," Kuczmarski said.

A used Mini Cup car costs $5,000; a new one, $8,000. A Mini Cup driver needs a mechanic and a small crew. Kuczmarski's father, Rob, is his mechanic and crew chief. His 10-year-old brother, John, also helps.

Racing cars can be a pretty flexible sport, because participants choose which races they want to compete in.

"There are about 10 to 15 cars in each race, and it's a great opportunity to make new friends," Kuczmarski said.

Kuczmarski has traveled up and down the East Coast, attending races as far away as Florida and New Hampshire. There are some tracks close to home, too, including one in Franklin County and one in Radford.

"As I got older, I started winning almost every Mini Cup race that I was in, so I moved up to a new car last winter, where I race against 25 different guys [in each race]."

Kuczmarski, who won the Mini Cup national point system in 2007, moved to a new model of car called a Legend, which is a five-eigths-scale model of late 1930s and early 1940s sedans and coupes. They can go up to 130 mph.

The closest speedway where Kuczmarski can race Legends is Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

So what does he get for winning all these races?

"Depending on the race there is usually a $100 prize, but that's not much of a profit because you have to pay an entrance fee, and for gas for the race," said Kuczmarski, who maintains that racing is without a doubt a sport, despite what some critics might say.

Kuczmarski roots for four-time cup champion Jeff Gordon and said he hopes someday to be a NASCAR driver himself -- after college, of course.

He said he would like to go to Virginia Tech or the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, which has a Legends racing team.

Kuczmarski, who works about 20 hours a week, swims competitively for Staunton River and maintains a 4.3 grade-point average, finds his heavy schedule stressful at times.

"It's worth it though, especially if I can get into NASCAR," he said.

Kuczmarski starts racing again this month and hopes to have a successful season.

"I have the option to race anytime during the year, but it's hard with school, so I do it the most during the summer," he said.

Each year the Lowe's speedway in Charlotte hosts the summer shootout, which lasts from June to August, and is televised on the Speed Channel in the winter.

Kuczmarski also practices at the Lowe's track a few days before each race.

It costs about $40 for an infield ticket to one of these races, but admission is cheaper at the smaller tracks, such as those in Franklin County, where it's $20, and Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, where it costs $25.

Online: legendsnation.com