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Spring 2009, Kar Kids
Car Kids: From Playrooms to Pace Cars
A look at Car Kids.
True story. A former female colleague, and dear friend, upon giving birth to her first child, a girl, returned to work and shared with me that she wasn’t going to allow her daughter to fall into traditional stereotypes. About three years later, we were talking about her effort to avert typical sex roles and she very hesitantly shared the following story. She had given her daughter an incredible fire truck with all the bells, whistles, and sirens. Her daughter was left to play on her own and my friend returned about 20 minutes later. When she entered the room, her daughter put her hand to her own lips and said, “SSSHhhhhhh!” to her mother. Very taken aback, my friend asked her sweet little three year-old, why the need for such quiet?” To which her daughter responded, “The fire engine was crying so I put her down for a nap!”
So sure, we brainwash our kids just a bit to sway their likes and interests to our own. After all, we’re going to be hanging out with them for a long time, right?! But there are reasons far beyond our understanding as to why kids are wired a certain way. Moreover, the craziest part is the pre-wiring, or what we call genetics. Some “Car Kids” probably develop an interest in cars over time, through friends, from a book or T.V. show, but more often, it would seem they are pre-wired. We don’t have to look too far to see four generations of Petty drivers, three generations of Andrettis, and countless others from all walks of the automotive world--Unsers, Chitwoods, Buschs, and Fords.
Some car kids are made, some are truly just born that way.
Among the car kids of today, we find a most unusual generation gap. Back in the day, those of us in our 30’s-50’s might be found arguing the virtues of Elvis Presley versus Led Zeppelin with our dads, but we would never disagree about the greatest car era in history, if you can even call 1965-1970 an “Era.” Sure we’d argue a 440 Six-Pack against a four-barrel 455 Stage 1, or a 454 against a bored out 302, but there was no gap in the underlying understanding of the greatest days Detroit has ever seen or ever will see again.
Today’s car kids aspire to the likes of Subaru WRX STi’s, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo’s, and Volkswagen R32’s. They are in awe of the absurd sport of “Drifting.” When did it become cool to do a burn-out longer than a few seconds, forget making an entire race out of it!
The truth is, we are seeing kids grow up faster than ever (pun intended). When I was a kid, there were a fairly limited number of ways to express your car passion. Who can forget the occasional Wide World of Sports coverage of a “Stock Car” race--you remember those days when the cars in the showroom were the ones on the track! As kids we were enamored and awestruck by the heroes of the day, Foyt, Allison, Yarborough, Waltrip, Baker. Then we had either Matchbox or Hot Wheels--and actually played with them for hours on end. And, if we were lucky, some of us lived near racetracks or at least had an annual county fair with a stunt show or short track race. These days, if a kid wants to race or just go see cars, there are a multitude of options--some listed below. On T.V. we see many young men AND women venturing onto the track, some in single digit ages! We see a new generation of racing role models including teenagers on the brink of qualifying for Indy and serious next generation racers like Ashley Force--and these “kids” are not just PR window-dressing, they are serious and very competitive drivers.
Not all car kids are about the race scene, but they sure love their cars.
There is one car kid I happen to know quite well, he’s got the bug, and he’s got it bad. He calls out the same question from the backseat about once a week, “Is it time for Barrett-Jackson yet?” It isn’t that he has such a bad sense of time or lacks a calendar, it’s just that he’s seven-years-old. His name is Jed Kaufman, and he’s a true car nut.
What constitutes a “Car Kid” can vary greatly as some are hands-on racers, some are right there with their moms or dads restoring that 58’ Plymouth in the garage, some spend weekend after weekend at some car event--shows, NASCAR, F1, drag strips, and auctions. It’s fair to say that most are a conglomeration of these things and more. So is the case with Jed Kaufman.
You walk into Jed’s room and you feel at once consumed by all things automotive. The first thing that grabs your attention is the ‘crown moulding' which is in fact not crown moulding at all, but Jed’s license plate collection representing all 50 states. To the right, we find a small chest of drawers in metallic paint, each drawer pulled open by a different shift knob. To the left, we find an array of shelves painted to resemble a checkered flag.
These shelves are home to Jed’s Hot Wheels collection--which now numbers around 300 cars. Above those, we find several dozen larger scale cars--some NASCAR replicas, some custom rods, classic muscle, and a few ‘import tuners.’ Then there’s quite a variety of posters and prints, some of which are signed and some clearly added from dad’s collection.
But Jed knows the ones he’s met and shares with us the time he met Arie Luyendyk and the other time he met Chip Foose, “He’s that guy on T.V. His show is Overhaulin’” Other pieces have been signed by Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Sr., Bobby Unser, Kevin Harvick, Jay Leno, and Reggie Jackson.
And there’s probably enough Hot Wheels track in his playroom to run it parallel to Route 66!
Jed tells us that his favorite car on the track these days is the M&M car, but his favorite driver...none other than Danica Patrick. Perhaps his dad had some influence on that choice? He definitely wants to race when he gets a little bit older, and he’s thinking probably “open-wheel.” We wish him luck and have a feeling he’ll be finding sponsors sooner than later!
For those interested, there are many opportunities for kids bitten by the car bug to express their inner, “Need for Speed.” We thought we’d give you a few to help start the quest:
Junior Drag Racing Schools
Indoor Kart Racing
Check your local listings as these are found in most major cities
Junior Stock Car Racing
www.urbanyouthracingschool.com
Most well-known performance driving schools offer special programs for new teenage drivers, some called, “Drive Safe and Arrive,” others are simply youth-oriented defensive driving programs. These will not only prepare your potential race car driver for high-performance driving, but more importantly will make them into significantly more careful, observant, and skilled drivers on everyday roads. This can be among the most important educational opportunity you will ever provide to your kids. It is a true investment in their safety and security. Some schools that offer these programs include Bob Bondurant and Skip Barber. Check with your local listings for other options.
This is also a great opportunity to get your kids off the Nintendo DS and into a book or magazine. Kids get excited about reading material that is fun and intriguing to them; that makes car books an excellent choice for early readers. Early reader biographies of car people are also a wonderful way of getting your kids to learn, read, and get motivated. You can be sure to find such books about Henry Ford, Lee Iacocca, Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher, Phil Hill, and dozens of others.
Above all, please nurture that “Car Kid” living in your house! There are abundant opportunities for them to safely express their love of cars or racing. There are car events of every shape and size across the country, and in fact, across the world. You might just be developing the next great race car driver, collector, race mechanic, pit chief, automotive journalist, inventor, dealership owner/manager, and all out certifiable, unequivocal, passionate, and sometimes crazy...car nut!