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Sunday, April 13, 2003

By Chris Dolack

How does a local-level racer drive into the upper ranks of NASCAR? Pack your bags, according to four-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

"I think you should get behind the wheel of any and every race car that you possibly can," he said. "I think you should race small tracks, big tracks, dirt tracks, pavement tracks, flat tracks, high-banked tracks. I think the more experience you can get in every type of car and on every type of track, you should definitely do it. I think that sometimes the biggest [problem] that people [have] is they race in an area and they stay in that localized area. You have to know how to get out of that area and grow and be around different competitors and different areas."

That's the track three recent young alumni of Motordrome Speedway have decided to follow.

While Ryan Hemphill raced locally only on occasion the past couple of years, Travis Geisler and Logan Dernoshek made 2002 one of the most competitive seasons the half-mile NASCAR oval in Smithton has seen. None of the three plans to race weekly at Motordrome this season.

Hemphill, 22, already has found success in various NASCAR touring series as well as in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. An Apollo native, Hemphill is focused this season on winning the American Speed Association title for Milwaukee-based Go Go Motorsports. His lessons on local tracks provided the foundation for a career behind the wheel.

"When I first started in the late models in 1999, I think, on average, there were more than 20 late models and 12 really tough guys and something like three region champions," Hemphill said. "Learning to race with them, there was no better way to learn than at Motordrome and Jennerstown. The majority of racing basics that I've learned have come from racing at Motordrome and Jennerstown."

Geisler, 22, of Cranberry, missed winning the Motordrome late model title by only four points last season, but he believes the time is right to shift into the NASCAR All-Pro Series after he graduates from Vanderbilt next month. He plans to compete on larger speedways to gain experience and exposure.

"Four years ago when I started out [at Motordrome], I certainly struggled a lot," said Geisler, who has tested a NASCAR Busch Series car from Brewco Motorsports. "I wanted to have success locally before I moved on. I think there's a lot of people who spend a year or two and have the resources to go touring so they go touring. I didn't have the resources so I stayed but looking back I'm glad that I did."

Canonsburg native Dernoshek, 23, finished fifth in points at Motordrome, finally establishing himself as a threat to win every Friday night. But he sold his late model in the off-season and plans to race several USAR Hooters ProCup events this season.

"I just didn't feel it was beneficial to run local any more," he said. "For the amount of money you've got to spend to be competitive, I might as well go do something that has some significance. I look in the NASCAR magazine and at the end of the year you see the guys who win the regional championships and they're old guys who are career local racers. So does it really mean that much? No, because you look through the past list of winners and how many of those guys have made it to the big leagues? Not many. As far as I was concerned, it wasn't worthwhile."

All three said a chance to drive in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series would be the crowning achievement in a career that featured Friday nights behind the wheel at Motordrome as a major building block.

"It's definitely a goal because you know that you made it as far as you can go; you're among the best," Hemphill said.

Don't be late

Lernerville Speedway races Fridays beginning at 7:30 p.m. Motordrome Speedway also races Fridays beginning at 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway races Saturdays at 7 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m at all three tracks.

Chris Dolack is the senior writer for Auto Racing Digest magazine. He can be reached at cdolack@chrisdolack.com.