It’s a race against time in the world of motorsports. By the time drivers reach their 20s, they’re either expected to sign national sponsorship deals or fade into obscurity after failing to make their mark at local short tracks. From driver development programs like Toyota Racing Development to simulator training at an early age, the clock keeps ticking in the world of stock car racing. Teenagers are expected to secure a full-time seat, and cutthroat competition means the pressure to succeed is always high.

But that’s beginning to change. Shane van Gisbergen made his NASCAR debut at 34, proving that age is just a number, even at the highest level. There are plenty of other examples like the Kiwi racer, a prospect that gives comfort to CARS Tour driver Landon Huffman.

Landon Huffman is optimistic about his future

Landon Huffman’s motorsports journey has been different. While others were making a name for themselves in ARCA or the Xfinity Series, the North Carolina native was rising through the ranks at the grassroots level, tearing it up on short tracks. He was also building his brand through YouTube, posting videos about his racing career and short track program. Huffman didn’t just beat the odds overnight; he carved out a name for himself by staying in the fight all along.

Huffman competes full-time in the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned CARS Tour, driving the #57 Chevrolet Camaro for Carroll Speedshop. While Late Model racing is his bread and butter at the moment, Huffman also has part-time experience driving in the Craftsman Truck Series, making his debut back in 2017. Despite being the son of former NASCAR driver and Hickory Speedway track champion, Robert Huffmman, Landon’s journey has not been one of ease. However, despite nearing 30 years of age, Huffman finds comfort in his career trajectory, taking inspiration from a Truck Series icon.

At 29, Landon Huffman isn’t exactly young, and despite his ‘underdog’ status, the racer is rising as per his timeline. An excerpt of Huffman’s post on X reads, “Jack Sprague was a successful short track racer who made a career in the truck series from age 30-46. He won 25+ races in that span and 3 championships. If you can hang on and continue racing until you can find some financial support, you can make it at any age! That’s motivation for me, I hope it is for you all too 💪🏻”

Jack Sprague is a familiar name in the NASCAR community. The Michigan native was a short-track veteran who didn’t make a name for himself until his thirties. Driving the No. 24 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports, he won three Truck Series championships from 1997 to 2001, securing more than 25 race wins in the competition. His success proved that not every driver is like Connor Zilisch, who can take the racing community by storm at the tender age of 18. However, back when Sprague was working his craft, younger drivers were never favored, and Sprague has credited Jeff Gordon for that shift in mindset.

In 2003, at the age of 38, Jack Sprague finally found a Cup Series seat, and in a conversation with the Pocono Record, Sprague revealed the team owner mindset back then. “When I was in my early 20s, they wouldn’t touch kids, they wanted veterans because the kids tore everything up,” Jack Sprague said. “Well, (Jeff) Gordon came in and kind of flopped that whole cycle around, which left guys like me in the middle.” 

Jeff Gordon entered the Cup Series as a flashy kid from California who caught Rick Hendrick’s eye. In 1992, at the age of 21, Gordon made his Cup Series debut for Hendrick Motorsports. A full-time ride beckoned in 1993, and by 1995 Gordon was a Cup Series Champion, the youngest to ever do so at 24, shaking the base of the sport, which was built on older Southern drivers who dominated. Fast forward to 2025, and NASCAR values youth more than anything, but that doesn’t mean the older guys are left without a ride, as Huffman denoted in his post.

Over the years, NASCAR has seen a shift in giving opportunities to veteran racers. Frankie Muniz got his NASCAR breakthrough in his late 30s and is now a full-time Truck Series driver for Reaume Brothers Racing. Geoff Bodine also entered the Cup Series at the age of 30 and went on to secure 18 wins, including the 1986 Daytona 500. Perhaps that’s why Landon Huffman said, “I think that landscape is changing,” and if recent trends are anything to go by, he’s not wrong.

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Dale Jr. is working on making the CARS Tour more financially viable

Few people care as much about short-track racing as Dale Earnhardt Jr. The format is considered the lifeblood of stock car racing and connects the lowest levels of the sport to NASCAR’s premier Cup Series. The CARS Tour, which was purchased by Junior in 2023 along with Kevin Harvick, Justin Marks, and Jeff Burton, has now partnered with FloRacing to promote “the biggest single night in pavement late model racing history.” They are offering a payout of $200,000 for The Throwback Classic at Hickory Motor Speedway on August 2nd, important steps to make the series financially viable to its racers.

Sharing his thoughts in an interview, Dale Jr. said, “We have a lot of work still to do to try to continue to create and allow the opportunities to sustain themselves. We don’t want this race to come and go. We want stuff like this to start becoming the norm, so we have to do some things on our end, change some things about how we were doing things to allow that opportunity.”

As things stand, the winner of the Late Model Stock race will earn $50,000 while the Pro Late Model winner gets $30,000. That’s a significant bump in prize money for racers, at a level where low four-figure paydays are a norm. By making grassroots motorsports more financially sustainable for drivers, talent will not be under pressure to look for greener pastures elsewhere. Perhaps that’s why Landon Huffman added, “Young drivers out there who may not have the $$, do not get discouraged.”

What do you think of the CARS Tour and Landon Huffman’s post on X? Let us know in the comments!