Quarter Midgets

I had a loverly post on here about revisiting my past that centered around my racing days and my friends and what I learned.
Then I got sidetracked looking up the insane crashes some of these kids have had.
Quarter midgets are...well. This.

Hi. I've done that. It's fun. It's scary. I raced mainly on pavement on tracks about 1/20th of a mile. Yeah. That small. And the slow classes hit about 30 mph whereas the quicker ones, well, we were about 55. Outside of a top fuel dragster, I bet these are the most Gs you will ever feel in racing. You can start at 5 years old. You stop at 16. Most stop the year they turn 13. They're called quarter midgets because they're roughly one quarter the size of a full midget. Those look like this.

Can you tell the size difference? Good. Now then. To make sure you know the size of a midget race car...my brother who is 6ft 2in, about 180lbs has a very difficult time fitting into a midget. His knees hit the steering wheel and, even after adjusting the seat to be as low as possible, his helmet will curve over the top.
Anyway, I guess I just wanted to explain to you how intense it was to be a girl in this sport. But when I found those videos, it linked me to another I'd love for you guys to watch.



I know it's a promotion for a movie, but I've been through these moments. I watched my brother chew on his glove before a race. I know what it's like to look into someone's eyes and see this completely different person who is just totally focused on the upcoming race. My parents have lectured me and my brother about working together. My dad would hang on to those chain link fences and circle around with us. My mom dropped the video camera when she was filming my brother's first flip. I could have made this documentary.
And I can explain what it was like, growing up a girl in this world. And that is what we're going to focus on the rest of this week.