Jeff Gordon and Brexton Busch are race car drivers from two different generations but share a common trait. And that racing trait is that they both started racing early when they were like five. Gordon, by the age of six, had racked up 35 wins racing quarter midgets, and Rowdy Jr. is on the same trajectory. Well, it’s not just Brexton; all of his peers of his age have started to build their racing careers at a tender age.

However, not everyone is a fan of this practice of getting young kids to kick-start their careers so early on. Kenny Wallace, in particular, is shocked to see that almost every parent is out there following this blueprint set by Gordon.

Kenny Wallace highlights the big shift in nurturing young talent for the NASCAR stage

There’s a long list of kids who have already picked up racing as their career choice, thanks to their family’s racing roots. The likes of Brexton Busch, Wyatt Miller, Keelan Harvick, and Owen Larson are some of the big names who have already started to rake up wins and have a roadmap ahead of them. Well, things were different back when Wallace started racing; in fact, he had to start as a mechanic at Benfield Racing. And then transition into the role of a crew chief.

It wasn’t until 1988 when Dale Earnhardt gave him his first big break in the Xfinity Series at DEI. “So nowadays if you don’t get these kids in a race car racing at 5 years old, you’re considered behind, and I blame all that on Tiger Woods, Jeff Gordon. I remember Tiger Woods being on Johnny Carson show as a baby and hear all these years later, Oh my god and then same with Jeff Gordon… Society doesn’t allow you to wait anymore; they want everything hurried up, and here’s another thing, they love youth.” Wallace said this on his show Kenny Conversations.

When Gordon was 11, he won all the 25 karting races he entered, and well, he started to dominate sprint car racing events as he rose in the ranks. Eventually, by the age of 16, the HMS star got his USAC license, and he was the youngest driver to compete in USAC-sanctioned race events. Once he stepped foot in NASCAR, he added multiple wins and championships to his name. 93 race wins and four championship triumphs. Similarly, legendary golfer Tiger Woods started out quite early. Before becoming a teenager, he had 30 tournament wins in the bag. This is exactly what young drivers like Brexton, Keelan, and Owen are preparing themselves for.

Brexton Busch is already making a name for himself, racking up multiple wins; he has 32 race wins at 13 different tracks. Keelan Harvick, on the other hand, has been making waves on the asphalt, winning the 2024 Legend Car Asphalt National Championship. For context, Brexton is just nine, whereas Keelan is just eleven, and their family has already planned out a road map for them. But, despite not being a fan of this trend of getting kids early into racing, Wallace has identified a positive element from this process.

“I really think these parents are doing a wonderful job raising the kids at the racetrack. They’re allowing them to get out of the race car, be kids hang out with your friends, but yet all the while teaching them geometry.” Wallace kept a close eye on Brexton Busch in particular and was blown away to see him already making moves just like a professional racer. The veteran driver highlighted one of the traits that Brexton has mastered early on that will make him a better racer at the NASCAR level.

Brexton Busch is already showing signs of becoming a successful NASCAR driver

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As if the Millbridge Speedway track championship wasn’t enough, Brexton went on to add more silverware to his cabinet, winning the Golden Driller at the Tulsa Shootout. The nine-year-old driver certainly made his dad, Kyle Busch, proud by winning the Junior Sprint A-Main event. It was a dominant display of racing, starting out on the pole and leading the entirety of 20 laps to take home his first Golden Driller trophy. Kyle Larson’s son Owen Larson finished the race in sixth place.

Well, Kenney Wallace was equally impressed with Brexton’s win and highlighted one key skill set that helped him stand apart from his rivals. “When Brexton Busch got the lead, his entry to the corner is everything as a race car driver. How you enter that corner is going to determine what kind of a race car driver you’re gonna be. But that Brexton Busch is going to be a good one; every single lap I kept studying him, and his entry was really good. He didn’t chop the corner; he wasn’t out too far and had a really good entry.”

Well, if Brexton keeps climbing ranks in his racing career like he’s doing right now, who knows, Rowdy might enjoy an early retirement.