Angier teen too young to drive, but not to race

Ricky Jones, 13, claims rookie of the year honors at Wake County Speedway

It will be about three more years before Ricky Jones can get his driver's license.

But the kid can drive.

While waiting to wheel out on the highways, Jones -- a 5-foot-2, 105-pound 13-year-old -- will just keep speeding around race tracks.

A seventh-grader at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Angier, he won rookie-of-the-year honors at Wake County Speedway, which ended its season on Sept. 26. And he did it competing with the Limited Late Model "Big Boys," mostly experienced drivers in their 20s and 30s.

In 14 starts, Jones won one race, his final event of the year, and finished in the top five six times.

"He's a driving fool,'' said Rick Jones Jr., Ricky's father and a former member of Dale Earnhardt's pit crew.

Ricky, resembling a NASCAR pilot equipped with harness, roll bars and fireproof suit, speaks in a soft, angelic voice but drives with daredevil verve.

He hits speeds of about 75 miles per hour, which keeps his mother, Debi, in a dither.

"Too fast,'' she said. "I just pray when he's racing."

Driving Go-Karts since age 4, Ricky has dodged danger for the most part. A rear-end bump by another driver sent his car careening up the wall and knocked him out of competition in one race this year.

"It wasn't that scary,'' Ricky said, coolly. "I had a comfortable seat. I didn't feel anything."

Undaunted, he climbed back in his No. 38 and sped to a first-place finish three weeks later.

There's special significance in that car number. He chose "38" because his hero, the late Earnhardt, was No. 3 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was No. 8 -- but has since switched to No. 88.

Racing is simply in Jones' genes.

His father served in multiple roles on the NASCAR circuit for 17 years, working with Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, as well as Earnhardt.

Before that, grandfather Ricky Sr. was with Holman-Moody, a big-name team in the 1960s.

Debi remembers doing a double take one day when she saw their Toyota Camry rolling around the yard with no driver in sight.

Looking again, she spotted little Ricky, who could barely see over the steering wheel.

When he was about 5, his dad built a dirt track for him in the backyard. Soon the kid was competing in Go-Kart and Sprint Car events, winding up many times in Victory Lane.

Racing remains a family function. Rick is the owner and "crew chief" who fine tunes the 10-year-old car that Ricky drives. Sister Morgan films the races, which the father and son study like football coaches analyzing game tapes. Mother Debi prays a lot.

Rick bought the car for about $20,000 and figures it costs roughly $200 to compete in area races. But he'll tell you the thrill of seeing his son enjoying life in the fast lane is worth the price.

"He's got ability, feels the car, knows the limit,'' Rick said. "He knows about racing."

Next year Ricky plans to compete at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly and run fast enough, he hopes, to secure a sponsor.

When he isn't at the track or helping his dad work on the motor, Ricky's a lot like his peers. He likes to go four-wheeling, skateboarding, and hunting.

But mostly, he enjoys getting in his Late Model Stock car, revving the engine and racing flat out against the big boys.

And what does he want to do when he grows up?

"I hope to be a NASCAR driver,'' he said.