Joey Logano competes in the 12 Hours of Victory Lane Karting. (Joe Cooley/Circuit Motorsports Photo) » More Photos

After dropping near the back of the field, we fought back to take seventh in the final 90 minutes, finishing behind a team of second-generation young ‘uns such as Coleman Pressley (son of Robert); Brandon McReynolds (son of Larry); Corey LaJoie (son of Randy); Kyle Grissom (son of Steve) and their buddy by the name of Joey Logano. The quintet wore vintage Winston Cup uniforms made famous by their fathers – from the old Skoal Bandit uniform to the blue Hot Wheels uniform that was so cool in the 1990s. They also wore open-face helmets and Earnhardt-style bubble goggles. It was a brilliant look and the young team raced to a fifth-place finish.

Physically, the challenge wasn’t to stay awake for the midnight-to-noon crunch (mainly through a wild cocktail of water, Granola bars, apples, 5-Hour Energy and NOS Energy Drink), but to keep active outside the kart – keeping warm in the sub-30-degree temperatures, watching the timing & scoring, scribbling on the el-cheapo pit board and preparing to run the 30-minute stints. If you don’t think 30-minutes in a fast kart on a tight and twisting track is a tough and physical feat, I invite you to try it sometime. And be sure to wear your rib protector, neck brace, gloves and helmet.

After several hours, the hands and neck become sore from the constant turning, followed rapidly by a sore back and burning right foot from mashing the accelerator. About halfway through the race, strange areas start to ache, such as the kidneys from all of the bouncing, turning and impacts with the barriers. Painful, but fun, and there’s a big burst of energy as the early morning sun starts peaking through.

In the end, I managed to embarrass myself a minimum number of times, including a slight miscalculation into the fueling area where, in my exuberance, I launched the kart skyward, high-siding on the tire barrier, much like Matt Kenseth did a few years back at Dover. Nothing but pride was hurt, and we recovered nicely thanks to the oldest and youngest drivers in our stable. (Check the fingerprint inc. blog for a slideshow of photos from the event.)

In all, the cubic mileage of fun was immense, and if you have an indoor karting center in your city, check it out. It’s fast, fun and family friendly!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a nap.

Final Results: 12 Hours of Victory Lane Karting, Charlotte, NC:

1.) EnduranceKarting.com, 1386 laps, Johan Schwartz, Jeff Hasenmayer, Dan Burke, Kevin Bligan

2.) Stacked, 1386 laps, Robbie Freeman, Donnie Osmond, Hans Soneson, Mike Ibach

3.) Finish Line, 1364 laps, Truman Godfrey, Zack Scolnick, Martin Nespory, Tony Stevens

4.) Express Lube, 1362 laps, Jamil Nassar, Mohammed Nassar, Mike Casino, Walt Sova, Phil Pearson

5.) Field Fillers,

1361 laps, Joey Logano, Coleman Pressley, Brandon McReynolds, Corey Lajoie, Kyle Grissom

6.) Drivers for Hire, 1360 laps, Chris Evans, Brian Ziess, John Freeman, Paul Shelton

7.) fingerprint inc., 1349 laps, John Connaughton, Kevin York, Evan York, Joe Cooley, Jade Gurss

8.) Team Michigan, 1346 laps, Clint Vigues, Bruno Vanzieleghem, Glenn Smith, Andrew VonFange

9.) SMP, 1344 laps, Steve Rosswick, Andrew Hopwood, John Reany, Clay Robinson

10.) 1-800-We-INSURE, 1331 laps, Patrick Shores (incomplete)

11.) No Added Weight, 1331 laps, Justin Kraft, Nick Biersdort, Paul Stern, Bryan Blauwet, Eric Howard

12.) Racing for Charity, 1079 laps, Scott Bulger, Chris Stancil, Tom Birchard, Zack Brown

13.) 1-800-WE-INSURE2, 865 laps, Pat Wilmont (incomplete)

14.) No Name, 850 laps, Al Alajbejovic, Brian Handlon, Dan Van Saun, Sweetland, Hungerford

15.) Tar Heel Racers, 773 laps, Michael Stocks, Mike Matin, Mark Dayvault, Scott Woody, Kevin Crisco

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com


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