THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412300237
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
KEVIN WHITESELL HAS ALWAYS had a dream to live in the fast lane.
In fact, he goes so far as to even want to eventually compete in one of the world's premier fast lanes - NASCAR.
Kind of a lofty goal for someone whose motor sports background consisted only of tooling around on a 4-wheeler or driving an old clunker in a dirt field.
But not so far-fetched now that he has actually entered the world of automobile racing with astounding success.
Whitesell recently won the Bombers (novice) class overall points championship at the Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, N.C. To do so, he finished in the top five in 12 of the 16 races he competed in - five of those finishes in the winner's circle.
He left the competition in his dust, scoring 245 points - four shy of a 100-point margin over second.
``I feel like I did pretty well,'' the Kellam High 16-year-old said. ``There were between 25 and 50 cars in that class on any given night, and I was racing against a lot of guys older than me.''
Whitesell had always wanted to get into racing, but he had to wait until he was old enough for a driver's license to do so.
His interest was spurred from his father's participation in drag racing, which, in turn, got his brother, Todd, racing at Dixieland.
``I took the boys down to Dixieland to watch a friend race one time and they both expressed an interest in racing,'' father Jeff Whitesell said. ``Todd started driving and Kevin joined in when he was old enough.''
Jeff Whitesell raced at the old Suffolk Dragway back in its heyday, winning the track's final competition in 1990.
While his sons remember watching dad perform, it is the vast appeal of oval track racing that gets their motor running.
In his rookie season, Kevin Whitesell raced a 1975 Chevy Chevelle with a 355 engine. On the dirt 3/8-mile oval, he reached an average speed of 60-65 miles per hour. On the lone, and short, straightaway, he sometimes topped 75.
``The car will go faster, but not on that track,'' he laughed.
The speed and competition are what racing is all about for Whitesell, who doesn't compete in any other sports.
``I like overall competition,'' he said. ``I'm just a competitive person. I like the speed and I think I can out-drive and out-think most of the people I'm competing against.''
Whitesell said he is now ready to make the move to asphalt tracks, where the distances are somewhat longer and there is more speed.
But those plans might be on hold.
He and his brother have lost the sponsorship of a few local NAPA auto parts dealers who had been helping foot the bill.
``I was ready to start racing at Langley,'' he said. ``But they might be moving that track (to Suffolk). That would be great, but we have to see what we can do about sponsorships.''
Added dad: ``I think we're going to go back to the dirt track with a two-man team again until we can get some sponsorships in line. I'd love to move up to asphalt.
``The guys from NAPA were our primary sponsorship and they helped us out tremendously. They made it possible for the boys to race last year. But things have changed for them and I understand their situation.''
For Whitesell to realize his dream of the big time, he must attain more success and considerably more sponsorships.
NASCAR's proving grounds - the Busch Grand Nationals and the Super Truck Series - involve high-tech, high-dollar automobiles and engines and the competition to even get into those series is tremendous.
``Just getting in is a race in itself,'' Whitesell said. ``But someday, somehow, that's what I want to do.''
He's already proven he has the right stuff. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Kevin Whitesell, a Kellam High senior, recently won the novice class
points championship at Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, winning
five races.
by CNB