Underage Driver Wrecking Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Tour Star Triggers Age Limit Debate Among NASCAR Fans

Young drivers entering NASCAR is not new. While prime examples include Chase Elliott, who debuted in the K&N Pro Series at 15, and 17-year-old Connor Zilisch who competes in Xfinity, from time to time, people still wonder if the organization’s age limit is too low. This was again brought to light after an underage driver was involved in a wreck at a Dale Earnhardt Jr-owned CARS Tour race. The unfortunate incident inevitably saw fans questioning NASCAR’s age-related stance.

And it’s safe to say that the driver being who suffered the aftermath of the wreck wasn’t happy either.

How young is too young?

When stock car racing took root in the late 1940s, NASCAR’s premier series was limited to people 21 or older. Usually, drivers between 35-45 years of age were regarded as prime. But the turn of the 21st century has encouraged youngsters to try their hands at the steering wheel. Take Dale Jr, for example, who got his NASCAR debut at 22!

However, now the age limit may be further plummeting down even lower. Although the sanctioned age to drive full-time in NASCAR’s top-three touring series is 18, other affiliated series are flexible. And this flexibility put Late Model sensation Landon Huffman in serious danger.

Notably, when Dale Earnhardt Jr announced his CARS Tour ownership alongside three other veterans, he gave an interesting insight. He grew up racing Late Model races on the West Coast, and hence underlined experience as important. “What seems so simple to us, because we have been around it our whole lives, is not so simple to the weekly competitor who is struggling to get to the track or has a question about what is right or wrong or what he should or shouldn’t do,” the JR Motorsports team owner opined. 

But something happened recently that directly contradicted Dale Earnhardt Jr’s philosophy, as an inexperienced racer sparked chaos at a CARS Tour race at Ace Speedway. Late Model sensation Landon Huffman was at the center of an unexpected debacle. While battling for the lead, an underage racer violently pushed Huffman’s car to the wall, as the roof of the latter’s car came off. Huffman shared the video on X.

Junior’s popular driver also proclaimed his intense dislike for NASCAR’s falling age limit. He wrote in another tweet, attaching his car’s picture after the wreck, “Led over half of the second twin and then this. Exhibit A why kids under the age of 14 should not be driving late model stock cars”.

Huffman’s views echo some veteran drivers’ opinions over the years. Last year, Tony Stewart was baffled at some racing series picking up 12-14-year-old kids.

“It makes zero sense to me,” he had said at the time. On the other hand, RFK Racing owner Brad Keselowski also empathized with the children, who he believes are missing out on their teenage growth. “We hurt them in their ability to develop their own lives,” he shared.

“What are we doing?” NASCAR community fumes over underage danger

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Some racers have benefitted from early exposure to racing. For instance, Joey Logano entered the NASCAR Cup Series at 18 and got his first win at 19. However, Logano had the stamp of approval of veterans like Mark Martin. Martin believed him to be more mature than other 30-year-old drivers at the time.

But every underage kid is not Joey Logano. With the growing trend of people pushing children into racing, fans seemed to hold the parents accountable. So one fan called out the father of Landon Huffman’s wrecker. “That was bad.  They should park the kid, fine him enough $ that daddy has to think, and stop him racing the rest of the season,” the comment read. 

Last year, Tony Stewart was baffled at some racing series picking up 12-14-year-old kids. “It makes zero sense to me,” he had said at the time. On the other hand, RFK Racing owner Brad Keselowski also empathized with the children, who he believes are missing out on their teenage growth. “We hurt them in their ability to develop their own lives,” he shared.

In line with Brad Keselowski’s concerns about stunted growth, one fan underlined how the child may never learn from his mistake. “Too bad the little kid won’t face any consequences & that mommy & daddy will buy him another ride,” the comment read. 

Notably, in 2023, the CARS tour had announced that the minimum age limit for competitors in the Pro Late Model Tour was being reduced from 14 to 12. At the time, CARS Tour owner Jack McNelly had emphasized on the need for keeping up with “trends” while explaining the criteria change.

“It appears the age of these drivers is dropping lower and lower with every year, but we need to stay competitive with the market,” McNelly said. “We’re all concerned about car counts, and we have kids who have raced since they were five years old coming into full-bodied stock cars at 12 years old. To stay current, we must go with the trend,” he further said. 

But a fan plainly expressed shock at the incident and called out NASCAR’s underage policy. “Like… what are we doing????”

Apart from Chase Elliott, who signed a contract with Rick Hendrick at age 15, we have also seen Joey Logano make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut one week after celebrating his 18th birthday. Kyle Busch made his debut in NASCAR’S Craftsman Truck Series at age 16.

Last year NASCAR president Steve Phelps did say that the sanctioning body is reviewing the age requirement for drivers in NASCAR’s top three series. But so far there is little to no development on that end. Raising their concern, another fan commented: “We’ve never understood the urgency to put children in full-size race cars.” 

Trends aside, if this is a growing concern in the community, hopefully executives will take a hard look at the situation soon enough!