Children, Start Your Engines

But the sport also requires substantial investments of time and money, especially for young drivers participating in national series. Fathers can spend up to 35 or 40 hours a week breaking down karts and cleaning parts, and hours more tinkering at the track, thus considering themselves as much a part of the competition as their children.

As Will McMillan began winning national and regional races, his parents bought a 38-foot trailer with living quarters that takes them to 30 race weekends a year and has logged more than 15,000 miles since January. His younger brother, Wyatt, recently reached the WKA age minimum of 5 and also began racing, although points-paying races don't begin until age 8. The McMillan family has considered relocating to North Carolina -- like southern Virginia, a hotbed of dirt and pavement oval tracks -- to be closer to more racing. Last year he won a national karting title, and by next year he plans to move into more expensive micro sprint cars and start heading to tracks where NASCAR stars were discovered.

Improving technology has also led to skyrocketing equipment costs. Depending on the type of racing, a competitive starting setup can cost from $3,500 to more than $6,000. Engine rebuilds can cost up to $1,000, replacement tires cost a couple hundred dollars a set, optional radio systems for on-track communication are around $1,500, and every race weekend has entry fees. Serious juniors spend at least $6,000 or $7,000 a year; those who compete nationally estimate their annual costs at between $20,000 and $30,000.

And success, veterans of the sport say, is directly linked to having top-flight equipment, making it difficult for poorly funded juniors to compete. Finding both sponsors and professional opportunities is often related to "who you know, your bling-bling connections," said Floridian Matt Michel, 16, during a recent national WKA event in Summit Point, W. Va.

"I'm just convinced that there are a lot of really talented drivers out there whose parents can't afford to put them in the equipment that their talent would deserve," said Dan Davis, the director of Ford Racing Technology. "That's just a fact of life right now."

Which is why teenagers with professional ambitions work on more than just hitting their lines, keeping their bodies in shape and fine-tuning their setups. Some take speech classes at school to help with their public relations skills, imperative in attracting sponsors that can provide racing gear or equipment or help defray costs. Others prepare résumés and DVDs to send to pro racing teams and potential sponsors. Jessica Brannam, a two-time WKA champion whose mother spends 25 hours a week dealing with her daughter's nearly two dozen sponsors and attempting to attract more, recently sent out 140 letters to race teams.

"She got three responses, and one of 'em was, 'If you don't have any money, quit now,' " her father, Phil Brannam, said.

If anything, though, Jessica might be helped by her gender. Patrick's popularity has invigorated the Indy Racing League, and racing teams in all series continue to search for talented young women and minorities. Hendrick Motorsports last year signed a developmental deal with Chase Austin, 15, a black driver who started racing go-karts in elementary school. This week, Ford announced an agreement with Clorox to provide midget car sponsorship for two young female drivers, with a sponsored Busch Series car waiting whenever one of the women is ready to advance.

Still, the odds are discouraging even for young drivers who win national titles -- "there's hundreds of kids trying to get that one seat," said Steve DeSouza, vice president of Busch operations and special projects at Joe Gibbs Racing. Forty-three cars start every NASCAR race, fewer in the open-wheel series, and local young drivers who fantasize about such a ride recognize that their chances are "slim to none, probably," as Jason Shultz, 15, of Manassas put it.

"You have to be at the national events, run good and hope somebody sees you, you know?" Christopher Hammett said. "That's pretty much all you can hope for."