Abingdon teen anxious to take another step in racing career

ABINGDON, Va. – The walls and floors of the Jeff Roark Motorsports shop are jammed with vivid memories and fast dreams.

There are photos from legendary tracks, mementoes from happy nights at far-flung races and sleek cars full of speed.

Racing has been a passion for the Roark family for decades, and the fire still burns.

This season, Abingdon High School junior Caleb Roark will follow in the footsteps of his father, Jeff, by competing in a NASCAR touring series.

“Caleb is 17 … it’s time to go now,” Jeff Roark said.

The Roarks are mapping out a limited schedule in the rugged NASCAR K&N Engineering East Series. The series, formerly known as the Camping World East Series, features a number of drivers who have been pegged for stardom by the top car owners in NASCAR.

“I’ve wanted to run in a touring series ever since I saw my dad run in a Hooters Cup car,” Caleb Roark said. “It’s going to be a whole new level of racing. My father says that I don’t know what I’m getting in to, but I’m excited.”

Jeff Roark, 43, knows something about challenges. He actually made his debut on an asphalt track at famed 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Driving in the old Daytona Dash Series for sub-compact cars, Roark was forced-fed a lesson on one of the great mysteries of superspeedway racing – the draft.

“I was 17 or 18, and I had only run a couple of dirt races before that,” Roark said. “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at Daytona. Back then, nobody even knew what the draft was.”

Longtime NASCAR racer Brad Teague gave Roark some basic introductions.

“Brad said to tuck in line behind another car and then just hang on,” Roark said.

Roark, who later competed in a Dash race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, has seen racing from all angles since that high-speed exam in Daytona. He’s helped with a team in the old Busch (now Nationwide) series, opened a performance parts supply business and become part of a five-man operational group at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va.

With his son and 13-year-old daughter Courtney now becoming more heavily involved as drivers, Roark has decided to sell 50 percent interest in LPR. Roark said that the scenic short track will remain open, with Buchanan County native Irvin and Keith Stiltner leasing the facility.

“My two years at LPR were a learning experience that I couldn’t have passed up,” Roark said. “It cost a lot of money, but every racer should have to go through that one time in their life. [Things] have been improving at the track every year, and I look for a great season.”

Roark divided his time last year at LPR between his parts trailer, Caleb’s Late Model team and Courtney’s entry-level modified 4 ride. The hours were long and the tasks were endless.

“I would get there at 7 or 8 in the morning and not leave until 1 or 2 the next morning,” Roark said.

The Roark family still managed to compete in 50 total races, including Caleb’s ambitious effort in the 100-lap United Auto Racing Association event held in March at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“All the races started running together after a while,” Jeff Roark said.

The 2010 season promises to be just as hectic. In addition to the K&N Engineering East Series, Caleb will compete in several Limited Late Model races at historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Bowman Gray has earned national recognition as the setting for the popular The History Channel reality series “Madhouse.” Brad Smith, who serves in a narrator role for “Madhouse,” actually linked Roark with a car owner at the quarter-mile asphalt track.

Courtney Roark will again compete in the Modified-4 series at LPR. Meanwhile, Jeff Roark recently bought a NASCAR Camping World Series truck and plans to compete in several events with longtime Dash and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Johnny Chapman. The team will be based in Abingdon, with former Dash series driver Jan Smith serving as crew chief.

“Caleb drove for Johnny in the ISCAR series last year, so we’re just kind of returning the favor,” Roark said. “Johnny has been in the sport for a long time and he can help Caleb met the people he needs to meet.”

While Caleb is under NASCAR’s age limit to compete in the truck series, he’s anxious to step up in speed.

“My timetable goes a little faster than my dad, but I’d like to win a touring series race this year and maybe run a truck race or two next year,” Roark said. “Hopefully by then we can pick up some kind of driver development deal.”'

The ultimate goal is the rarefied world of Sprint Cup racing.

“Oh yeah, we would love to put something together but we would have to pick up a big-time sponsor or car owner to make that move,” Roark said.

During his long and varied journey in motorsports, Jeff Roark has noticed that car owners and sponsors now value personality and marketability over raw driving talent.

“There are a million kids and adults that can drive these race cars,” Roark said. “To make it these days, you have to do more than drive. That’s just the way it is.”

agregory@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2544