Years ago, a young sprint car driver in California had to be at least 18 years old to compete.
Later, the law was changed to age 16, allowing Andy Forsberg and others to get their starts. Thirty-three years later, Forsberg is still competitive and has four wins this year and 28 championships over his career.
That is quite an accomplishment for a driver who did not win his first main event until six years of racing.
After some years following the age-16 rule, the age limit was changed to 14. Fourteen seems young but these teenagers were becoming skillful racers via outlaw karts and micro sprints.
One driver who wanted to race but was not yet 14, went to Nevada and competed at age 11. Michael “Buddy” Kofoid raced at the track outside of Fernley, Nev., and won his first main event in a sprint car at age 11. He has since become one of the most talented and successful sprint car drivers in the country.
This season there seems to be a wealth of 14-year-old sprint car drivers in the state, and they are showing their level of skill with success.
Visalia, Calif., driver Jett Barnes, has shown his skills in a sprint car at age 14 with three nights at Watsonville Speedway this year delivering a pair of thirds and a victory in his most recent run at the quarter-mile coastal track. But that is not his first win, he won last August 2 at Placerville Speedway.
Visalia, Calif., is the home of a micro sprint track, Plaza Park Raceway, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure how Barnes developed such skill at age 14.
Mike Henry was the Placerville Speedway champion in 2002 and won the Civil War title, the series replaced by the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, in 2002 and 2003. Mike’s older son, Kalib, won the All Star Circuit of Champions title last year and is a regular in Midwest sprint car competition.
Mike Henry’s 14-year-old son, Landon Henry, is showing his skills with a podium finish for the recent SCCT race at Placerville. A 41-car field represented a challenge for a young driver to even make the main event, but Landon was impressive by finishing third with the loaded field on the quarter mile. He was also third quickest in qualifying while Barnes was fourth on the clock.
The examples of the two 14-year-old drivers aren’t all that are racing and changing the future in California, but ones who have made an impression already this season. As the season continues, the idea of an all 14-year-old podium may not be far-fetched.
Forsberg is probably the oldest Placerville Speedway sprint car driver at age 49 but he doesn’t think that old. He doesn’t drive a sprint car like he is that old. Thinking young probably makes him faster.
“It was Kyle Larson who opened the door for age 14 drivers,” recalled Forsberg. “He showed so much talent at age 14 that it led to changing the age minimum to drive a sprint car. It used to be most were not very good at first and took time to get there. Now they are ready at age 14.”
