ROLL OVER DALE EARNHARDT

Many children begin go-karting as early as age 3. Macy, a second grader in Seaford, Va., is starting with Bandolero racing, a series created in 1997 by the sanctioning body INEX (short for inexpensive) for entry-level cars. Drivers need only be 8; they do not have to pass any safety tests or meet any other requirements.

In 2008, more than 550 youngsters in 17 states and Canada raced Bandoleros in three levels: Bandits (ages 8 to 11), Young Guns (12 to 15) and Outlaws (16 and older). Once drivers turn 12 and have 18 months of INEX racing under their belts, they can graduate to the Young Lions division of Legends, which are replicas of cars from the 1930s and ’40s that go as fast as 98 m.p.h. Macy’s father races a Legends car with a 125-horsepower engine in the Pro division.

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