Bristol Teen Races With The Legends At Lonesome Pine Raceway

COEBURN, Va. – It’s showtime at Lonesome Pine Raceway.
All through the pits, drivers are eagerly preparing for another evening of old-fashioned fun at the three-eighths-mile asphalt track. Rookies are consulting with crew members and veterans are catching up on gossip.

Then there is Robbie Jackson.

At 4-foot-10 and 75 pounds, the 13-year-old Bristol, Tenn., resident is the smallest competitor in the diverse July 4 program.

As Jackson climbed into his brightly-colored coupe for the 25-lap Legends contest, he seemed to morph from a carefree kid into a hardcore racer.

“I like to go fast,” Jackson said.

Action Jackson

Jackson enjoys fishing, baseball and basketball, but racing has quickly become his passion.
It’s a joy passed down from his father, Bobby, a longtime racer and crew member for various teams in the Mountain Empire.

“My dad got me into this, then I just caught on,” Jackson said. “I love it now.”

Increasingly, the long and rocky path to stardom in stock car racing begins at a very young age.
Current Sprint Cup regulars Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano are two of many NASCAR regulars who acquired a taste for speed during their pre-teen years. Logano, Reed Sorenson and David Ragan all honed their racing skills in Legends cars, which are scale replicas of classic coupes and sedans from the 1930s.

Jackson took a different route, however. Before making his Legends debut at LPR on April 25, Jackson’s motorsports resume was limited to amusement park go-kart rides in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

“We just came straight over to Lonesome Pine and got Robbie in a Legends car,” Bobby Jackson said. “We put an ABC block under the gas pedal and taped it on for Robbie, then he took off.”

Even the most battle-tested speed merchants can remember the knee-bending sensation the first time they were actually pitted against other competitors. After swallowing a few large butterflies before the green flag, Robbie Jackson survived to qualify eighth and finish eighth in an 11-car field.

“My stomach and everything just felt different before my first race,” Jackson said. “It was weird.”

Jackson has gradually adjusted to the nuances of his 1,100-pound ride. Powered by 4-cylinder Yamaha engines, the Legends can run up to 85-90 miles per hour down the straightaway at LPR.
Through six races, Jackson’s best finish is fourth.

“I’m learning and getting better each time out,” Jackson said. “The key is being smooth and finding the best line around the track.”

For now, Jackson is content with consistency.

“We’re not really focused on wins yet, but yeah, I do want to win in the future,” Jackson said.

Role models

Jackson isn’t lacking for advice. In addition to his father, he can consult with his experienced driving coach, veteran driver Phil Tuell, and a fast friend in multi-time Legends race winner Sammy Jasper.

A confident and friendly 14-year-old from Oak Hill, W.Va., Jasper started racing at age 4 in the Kids Kart division and has accumulated more than 100 trophies while competing in numerous states.

“Sammy is an awesome racer,” Jackson said. “I follow his line on the track, and it works. I’d like to be at Sammy’s level someday.”

Jasper doesn’t seem to mind the close attention from Jackson.

“I’ve noticed him following me on the track, and he’s been doing really good,” Jasper said. “Robbie and I are friends, and we’re both learning.”

Bobby Jackson, 49, is a familiar figure to the close-knit racing community in the Mountain Empire. Jackson drove a Late Model car at Lonesome Pine Raceway and Kingsport Speedway nearly two decades ago. He also served as a crewman for the NASCAR Truck series owned by Bristol-businessman Mike Rose, and assisted on the famed Ed Whitaker Racing team in what was then known as the NASCAR Busch Series.

“I competed in motocross events all over the country for about five years, and now I pay the price for it physically,” the father said. “Robbie expressed some interest in motocross, but everybody talked me out of it. I agree with that decision now. This is a great family-oriented sport.”

While Jackson has been pleased with the development of his son on the race track, he readily admits that one of the biggest challenges of race day is overcoming his jitters.

“That first race was nerve-wracking for me,” Jackson said. “I probably smoked a whole pack of cigarettes that night, but Robbie has adapted really well.”

Focus and patience have become mantras for the younger Jackson.

“I think my parents are a little scared when I’m on the track,” Jackson said. “They just tell me to drive with my head and not my foot, and that’s what I do.”

The July 4th racing card featured several accidents in the Legends class, including a wild multi-car crash on the opening lap where one car flipped on its top. Jackson’s hope for a victory was ruined after he made contact with another car on the fourth lap.

Jackson, who plans to compete in as many as 13 races this year, said he realizes the learning curve might be steep at times.

“Some of the older racers give me a hard time, but it’s all about fun,” Jackson said. “This is what I want to do.”

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Who: Robbie Jackson

Age: 13

Hometown: Bristol, Tenn.

What: Legends racer

Where: Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va.

Next Race: July 18th

Notes: Legends cars are available for sale at R.U. Racing, which is located on East Cedar Street in Bristol, Tenn. The phone number is (423) 968-9292.