Are you thinking about starting racing, or starting your child in racing? Are you wondering if you might be too old, or if your son or daughter might be too young, or what might be the age that’s just right? You’re definitely not alone. 

Ultimately, it depends on what your goals are for yourself or your children, and what you hope to achieve, just like with any acquired skill in life. 

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If you’re hoping to make a career out of driving a race car, you probably should have started by now, if we’re being honest. Much like any sport, starting younger affords you or your child the best chance to “make it” as a professional, because there’s more years of experience that one can gain.

Most of the best race car drivers in the world started when they were still in single-digits. Kyle Larson, Tony Stewart, and Lewis Hamilton are just a few examples of drivers that started racing before they turned 10. Larson started in Outlaw Karts at seven years old. Stewart started in go karts at eight years old, and Hamilton started in go karts when he was just six years old.  

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That’s the case for drivers in other disciplines that aren’t at the very highest levels, too. Three-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore got his start in go karts on Long Island when he was around eight years old, and CARS Tour competitor Brenden Queen started racing go karts on dirt in Virginia at six years old. World of Outlaws driver and 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion David Gravel started racing quarter midgets in Connecticut when he was six also.

Now, even to make it to the highest levels you don’t have to start super young. It’s still possible to start later in age and make it, though it is much rarer to do that now. 

When Did William Byron Start Racing?

Let’s take a look at William Byron. At 25 years old, Byron has just 10 years of racing experience under his belt, and he is one of those rare examples of someone starting later in life and making it to the big leagues. 

He didn’t sit behind the wheel of a car until he was 15 years old when he got started in Legends cars. Before that, Byron was a standout sim racer on iRacing just hoping to get the chance behind the wheel in real life. Byron won 33 races in his very first season in Legends racing in 2012. By 2018 Byron was already in the NASCAR Cup Series, and now he’s scored a handful of wins at that level too.

When Did Martin Truex, Jr. Start Racing?

Another story similar to Byron is that of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. Now, Truex’s story, while similar, is still different. While Truex did start racing younger than Byron, he wasn’t allowed to run a full-sized race car until he turned 18 years old. It is a state law in New Jersey where Truex is from, that no one under the age of 18 can run a full sized race car like a Modified or Late Model. Truex eventually did get into a Modified at Wall Stadium on the Jersey Shore when he turned 18 in 1998. By 2004, Truex was racing full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series) for Chance 2 Motorsports where he’d win back-to-back series championships in 2004 and 2005. 

So, What Is A Good Age To Start Racing?

If you’re looking to make it in racing as a driver, or hoping your son or daughter can make it, it’s best to start as young as possible. 

But if you’re looking to just have some fun? Well, that’s completely different. You’re never too old to learn a new hobby, a new skill, or trying something new to have fun. There’s plenty of Saturday night street stock and hobby stock racers out there that are rookies right now. And you can be one of them too. 

Racing is for everybody, no matter how young or how old.