Chris Young

Chris Young's racing career is as unique a story. His time actually behind the wheel of a race car is most certainly the shortest of the Activ8 Development group, being that the young Long Islander's first competitive race came in November 2008. But throughout Young's opening months of racing, the 15-year-old has provided his family and supporters with exciting moments, a strong will to race hard and learn from others, and even a feature victory in Florida that made his local Long Island news and various racing news Web sites throughout the Northeast.

Young's win in Florida came in February 2009, only approximately three months after the official start of his driving career. And it came at the Winter Nationals for INEX legends cars at Orlando Speedworld, meaning Young beat out some of the nation's best legends racers for his first victory.

Young's start three months prior was a fairly unassuming one. He showed a natural ability to drive a legends car when he simply qualified for the day's feature event, as over 10 cars did not qualify for the Young Lions feature on this particular day at Lowe's Motor Speedway's one-fifth-mile oval. In the feature, Chris found a comfortable line, avoided trouble, and finished a respectable 18th.

For the remainder of the winter, the Young family commuted from Long Island to North Carolina so Chris could gain experience competing against legends car racing's best at the INEX Winter Heat Series at Lowe's.

While racing at Lowe's throughout the 2008-09 winter, Chris progressed nicely. He qualified for every feature he attempted, netting a best finish of 11th in only his second event. He ran competitive and made good showings against large fields of racers, most who had years of driving experience over him.

But why wasn't Chris racing throughout his childhood and early adolescent years, a time many young racers use to cut their teeth and gain valuable experience in divisions like quarter-midgets and go-karts. Young explains: "It's not that I haven't been around racing, it's just that I haven't actually driven until now. My mom didn't want me racing go-karts so I waited until I was old enough to drive a legends car."

Chris's father, also named Chris, has a long history of racing on Long Island, of which the junior Young is very proud.

"My dad started racing when he was 15. He raced figure 8s, and then moved to modifieds. He has over 30 feature wins at Riverhead (Raceway) and Islip (Speedway). I've been in the garage since I could walk, working on his cars and then going to races on the weekends."

The Young family's racing roots even go beyond Chris Sr.'s modified racing success. The junior Chris has worked at Riverhead selling programs and other souvenirs while Ann, Chris's mother, was once a scorer for the Northeast NASCAR modified tour. The family also has made an annual trip to Florida each February to attend the Daytona 500. Chris says he's attended the 500 every year since he was born.

"Racing is something I've grown up around and always enjoyed very much," continues Chris. "We've done it as a family and now I'm so excited to be able to race myself. I have a lot of great people around me who have helped me a lot since I began last November."

Chris is alluding to the Activ8 Driver Development Program, owned by top NASCAR spotter and driver coach Mike Calinoff.

"Mike Calinoff tested and then signed a green driver with zero racing experience," says Ann, "then coached him right into victory lane in only seven feature-event starts. The Activ8 Development program surrounds its drivers with a winning combination of talented, dedicated people who eat, sleep, and breath racing. Talk about a fast track to a dream!"

Calinoff says drivers like Chris, who accepts the coaching and then work hard to practice it on and off the track, make our job a delight.

"Since before his first race, Chris has taken our coaching very seriously. He listens, works hard, and does the best that he can with limited experience. He's done this the right way and he already has good results and a win to show for it.

"We're really proud to have Chris as part of my select group," Calinoff continued. "His family understands what the program is about and they utilize it to its fullest potential. I think the next few years are going to prove that Chris Young is a very fast learner and also a very good race car driver."

If Calinoff is right, which all signs so far say he will be, Chris's toughest decision in the coming years may be what career he wants to pursue. A member of the Screen Actor's Guild, Chris is a part-time actor and model who has appeared in several TV commercials.

He is also a consistent Principal's List student at his Long Island high school, maintaining a 98 percent overall grade point average. He also is a member of the National Young Leaders and National Junior Honor Society. In an opportunity of a lifetime, Chris attended the Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009. He received the honor as a high-achieving alumnus of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) and the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF).

Also a talented baseball player spending most of his time in the field at first base, Young has some specific future goals mapped out but admits he takes a wait-and-see approach to his racing career.

"I want to go to Harvard," Chris states fairly emphatically. "I want to earn the best education possible and I hope to own my own business. I'm not exactly sure what kind yet, but I know I want to own a business. As for my racing, it's a lot of fun and we'll see where it goes. I've done well so far and I want to continue to build on what I've learned. Right now, I'm enjoying the ride while I can!"

No matter where the future takes him with his racing, Chris is quick to thank those who have helped him achieve the success he already has.

"I have to thank Mike Calinoff for believing in me. I'm trying to not let them down.”

Chris will once again compete in the U.S. Legends cars for 2010.