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Living life in the fast lane Photo by Jim Craven Justin Holt races to the dragway after completing a heat race in his Pinto station wagon at Southern Oregon Speedway. Holt is spread thin with double duties By DON HUNT WHITE CITY -- Justin Holt was operating an all-terrain vehicle by the time he was in kindergarten. He was behind the wheel of a go-kart by the time he was 8. And now, at age 16, the junior-to-be at Crater High School is operating a mini-stock race car at the Southern Oregon Speedway. The progression is hardly surprising and wouldn't be noteworthy except that Holt is the leading mini-stock rookie and stands sixth in the point standings. But that's only the half of it. Holt is also the No. 2 driver in the high school division at the Southern Oregon Dragway. Still not impressed? Then consider that Holt often must race both of his cars on the same night, rushing from one race track to the other on his motorcycle. The two venues are about a half-mile apart. "I've made it to the starting line in every race so far, but it's gotten hectic at times," Holt says. "It adds to the stress level, but I'm having too much fun to give either one of them up." Holt had planned all along to race at the speedway when he turned 16. His brother Travis, 17, also competes in the mini-stock class and his father, Scott, serves as the boys' crew chief. None of the Holts had considered racing at the drag strip until one day last winter Ron Johnson, a family friend and avid drag racer, brought up the subject while the boys were working on their cars. Travis Holt overcame the urge but Justin was game for extra gears, grease and gasoline. The younger Holt races his 1972 Chevy pickup at the dragstrip, the same car he drives to school. He drives a 1972 Pinto station wagon at the speedway. "When I first went to the dragway I had no idea what I was doing," Justin Holt says. "It's been a learning experience." Much of that learning experience entails bracket racing, where cars are handicapped according to their qualifying runs. Under this format, drivers take several practice runs and then predict their time, an act known as "dialing in." The closer they run to their predicted time -- the difference between their predicted time and their actual time is known as elapsed time -- the better, as long as they don't run faster than predicted. That's what's known as a "breakout," an automatic loss. The other ticket to success is mastering the starting lights. A driver must wait for a green light to come on following three amber lights flashing on and off in half-second increments. In drag-racing circles, the lights are often referred to as a Christmas tree. "The two factors are, how good of a light can you cut and how consistent your runs are," Johnson says. "It's not a matter of simply going out there and stomping on the accelerator. It's harder than it looks. "Justin is getting better each time out. By the end of the year he's going to be a stone-cold killer out there." On the days where both tracks are running, Johnson and Scott Holt carry cell phones to inform the younger Holt exactly when he needs to be on the starting line at one track or the other. While the dragway has its series of practice runs and final runs, the speedway has heat races and trophy dashes prior to the main events. "Justin hasn't missed anything yet," Scott Holt says, "and part of that has been luck. The times when a conflict was about to happen then something else happened to prevent it. A little pileup at the circle track that delays his trophy dash, or something like that." Scott Holt supports his son giving both sports a try. "Racing has been great for both boys," he says. "It has given them an education about cars and competition and we always know where they're at on the weekends." As Justin Holt rushes from the speedway to the dragway, his father often jokes, "Remember, you don't want to turn left at that track over there. Go straight." Along with their racing, the Holt boys are also Eagle Scouts. Justin Holt acquired his stripes last November after earning 21 merit badges and completing numerous projects. One of the projects was building the Pinto station wagon that their father drove to the 1997 mini-stock championship. Justin Holt isn't likely to duplicate that feat this summer. But winning rookie of the year honors at the speedway and the high school championship at the dragway -- he barely trails Steve Herndon -- is certainly within his grasp. Now if he can just learn to be in both places at once. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.