The goal behind the Appalachian Academy of Speed for Kids is simple. It seeks to introduce young people to the sport. They took that mission on the road with 14-year-old driver Hunter Morgan. The organization visited Shoemaker Elementary School in Gate City, Virginia, on Thursday.
“The whole school — more than 300 students — got to ask questions about racing and sit in the Bandoleros and Legend Cars we brought,” said Holly Morgan, who leads the program. “Most of them were amazed that they could start racing at age 7.”
The Appalachian Academy of Speed for Kids competes in the Bandolero class at Kingsport Speedway in Tennessee. They use Bandoleros to help bring new people into the sport. In February, they brought two Bandoleros to the Outside Groove Racing Show in Knoxville, Tennessee. That appearance alone brought four people into the Academy.
Holly Morgan got into Bandolero racing when her son Hunter moved into the class from caged karts four years ago. Hunter won the track championship at Kingsport Speedway. He also tied for the title with Mardy Roberts III at Lonesome Pine Motorsports Park in Coeburn, Virginia.
“The Academy began to give kids the opportunity for a test drive in a race car, to see if they would like to compete in the sport without necessarily buying a car,” Morgan said.
The organization charges $250 for a four-hour session. They provide the car, trackside services, safety instructions, and coaching for drivers seven to 15 years old. During the four-hour session, the average young driver gets 100 laps on the Kingsport Speedway 1/5-mile oval.
“Some kids attend the academy and drive one of our four cars — we have two, not counting Hunter’s, and the Roberts have two,” said Morgan. “Others bring their car and look for coaching from Hunter. We’ve had kids from as far away as Georgia and Minnesota attend the Academy.”
At the end of the day, the Appalachian Academy of Speed for Kids hopes to grow the Bandolero class and racing overall.
“The goal is to get kids off the couch and into racing,” Morgan said. “My son can now build an entire race car. He knows how to maintain it, and he even checks the family car’s oil every day. The future of racing is the kids of today.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
