Dale Earnhardt Jr. is used to speed. &uot;Right now, I’m the slowest driver of my friends,&uot; he laughs, &uot;but when I was a teenager, I got so many speeding tickets that I had to get a job pumping gas to pay for a lawyer.&uot;

His driving is well under control by now; in only three years of NASCAR driving in the Winston Cup, Earnhardt (the son of Dale Earnhardt, the most successful driver of all time) has already come out on top in eight races.

But with Arena Racing, the cars don’t go quite as fast as NASCAR’s. For someone who’s taken part in the Indy- and Daytona 500, racing four-foot-high cars inside on a tiny track calms things down.

&uot;I don’t think there’s anything like (Arena Racing),&uot; Earnhardt says, in Norfolk to promote the innovative new form of auto action. &uot;Not just in the region, but in the entire country. I’m trying to raise awareness of what’s going on.&uot;

The cars, similar to Winston Cup cars but smaller at 675 lbs., have been racing around the track of the Norfolk Scope since Nov. 5. The next race is scheduled for Dec. 21, with races following on the 26th, and Jan. 16, 19, and 30.

Unfortunately, contractual obligations keep Earnhardt off the Scope track. &uot;I’m only allowed to drive my Bud car,&uot; he smiles. &uot;I could just go out there and fool around, but that might get expensive.&uot;

He sees Arena Racing as a possible stepping stone for budding NASCAR drivers. &uot;This is a great opportunity for kids to improve their driving skills. It keeps rust off during the off-season, and it’s not dangerous. It can really put people on a track to pro racing. It really deserves a lot of publicity and praise.&uot;

That path is a tough one to follow, he continues. &uot;If you’re going to make a career out of racing, you have to be prepared to sacrifice everything, down to the last dollar. You have to find friends and sponsors to help you out.

&uot;I’d go to trade shows and talk to everyone about every part on a car. When I got home, I’d have about 15 different carburetor offers. Just remember that the price you see might not be the one you have to pay.&uot;

It can be tough to be the son of one of the most recognizable figures in the history of sports (not just auto racing). But Earnhardt realizes just how important the fans are. &uot;You have days where you feel good, and you like having people come up to you and talk to you, thank you, congratulate you. Then you also have days where you’re in a bad mood, and you don’t want people to come up to you.

&uot;But if you draw on the negatives, you end up getting consumed by them. The fans are the ones that help us get recognition. If we raced on small tracks without fans, we wouldn’t be able to race for long.&uot;

Though he’s not often recognized in public, Earnhardt has been forced to employ a disguise on at least one occasion. &uot;I was at the Indy 500, and there were a mob of people outside trying to get in. I had to walk through them, so I picked up a cooler and put on a Bobby LaBonte hat to fit in!&uot;