Fourteen-year-old Long Island native Chris Young is ready to
get his long-awaited opportunity behind the wheel of a racecar.
Chris and his family recently joined the Mooresville, North
Carolina-based Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development
Program and are now anticipating six INEX legends car races this
winter divided between the Winter Heat Series at Lowe’s (N.C.)
Motor Speedway and events at Orlando (Fla.) Speedworld.
The son of accomplished (N.Y.) Riverhead Raceway asphalt
modified driver Chris Young, the junior Young took it upon
himself to research the INEX legends cars as well as the TFT
development program. He brought the information to his parents,
who agreed it was time to give their son a shot at driving.
“Chris did all the research,” said Chris’ mother, Ann. “He’s
a straight-A student, works very hard, and is a very personable
young man. It’s hard to say ‘no’ to your child when he works so
hard at everything he does and comes to you knowing exactly what
he wants to do. Chris showed us the Team Full Throttle Web site
and we saw Mike Calinoff was the president of the company. We
knew Mike from Long Island racing and contacted him about the
program. He and Tom Baker organized the legends test with Kyle
Beattie Racing at Concord (Motorsport Park).”
Calinoff attended the test at Concord and was impressed with
what he saw in Chris’ untapped abilities.
“What impressed me the most about Chris was the manner in
which approached the test,” said Calinoff, who is also the
spotter for Tony Stewart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. “He
displayed realistic confidence and was very open to learning. He
adapted to the speed and handling characteristics of the legends
car and was turning great lap times almost immediately. For a
young man who has no racing experience, to perform the way he
did was amazing. I think with the testing schedule we have
engineered along with my personal coaching, he will develop into
a really competitive racer.”
Another legends car test for Chris is scheduled next week at
Concord when the Young family returns to North Carolina for the
annual TFT Week in Mooresville. The Youngs then plan to enter
Chris in the aforementioned races this winter.
“We decided to go this route with Team Full Throttle and we
believe this is the right way,” Ann added. “They’re taking a
chance with a kid with no experience and we appreciate that.
We’re looking at this season as a training year for Chris. With
TFT and his father’s coaching, we’ll see how he does. He’s
serious about what he wants to do, and we’re going to support
that.”
Team Full Throttle is a Mooresville, N.C., based driver
development program that specializes in all areas of personal
and professional development, including leadership, teamwork,
and communications as well as marketing, promotion, and on-track
driving skills. TFT currently comprises over 30 racers who
reside and race in all regions of the country.
For more information on Chris Young or Team Full Throttle,
visit
www.goteamfullthrottle.com or contact 704-664-1755.
Source: Team Full
Throttle PR
Posted:
November 2, 2008
