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Racing rookie got a late start photo by Drew Fleming By Don Hunt WHITE CITY � For 15 years, Jim Cress sat in the grandstands at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., and said, "I can do that." And for 15 years his wife said, "Yeah, we can�t afford it." By the time Cress had a few extra bucks, he was 51 years old, an age when most race car drivers are contemplating retirement. For Cress, it was a beginning. With no racing experience whatsoever, he climbed into a sprint car in the spring of 1998 and has been there ever since. "That first night was the biggest adrenaline rush I�ve ever had," says Cress, now 54 and in his rookie season on the Northern Sprint Tour. "And it�s been a rush every time I�ve gone out there." Cress was one of a NST record 56 cars that took the track at the Southern Oregon Speedway on Monday night. Tour points leader Shawna Wilskey, of Seattle, won the B Main, and Marvin Smith, of Cottage Grove, took the C Main. Results of the A main were not available by press time. Cress had a poor night during qualifying and failed to make any of the mains, but just the fact that he�s out there competing against drivers young enough to be his sons has earned him respect. "A lot of fans who come into the pits think I�m the crew chief or some other member of the pit crew," Cress says. "They look at me and say, �You�re the driver?� "My age and size (5-foot-7, 220 pounds) throw people off." Cress, who drives a 2000 Eagle chassis that carries 675 horsepower, got into a number of wrecks his first season at Skagit, but has learned to keep his car in one piece. "Each time out has been a learning experience," says Cress, who owns a tugboat building business in Washington that employs 150 workers. "When you first get out there, you�re so consumed about driving your own car that you end up piling into cars that have wrecked in front of you. After a while, you learn to look a half-lap ahead. Anticipating what�s happening in front of you is very important." Cress� top performance this season was a 15th place, when the NST made its other appearance in the Rogue Valley on May 6. He hopes to make several other A mains this summer and possibly win a heat race. But even if he fails to achieve those objectives, he�ll walk away with a smile on his face. "I�m having a blast just traveling to all the different tracks and mingling with the guys," Cress says. "I�ve made a lot of friends on the tour." And how long will he continue to race on the NST? "As long as they�ll have me," he says. "Remember, I�m still a rookie." � Central Point�s Cale Carder has quietly established himself as one of the top 10 drivers in his rookie season on the NST. He�s ninth in the point standings and his best finish individually was ninth at the White City track on May 6. He also won the B main that night. "It feels good to be competitive on this circuit," says Carder, who drives a 1998 John Boy chassis. "You never know how you�ll stack up against these guys. There are some great drivers and some expensive cars out here." Carder was one of the original sprint car drivers when the Southern Oregon Speedway opened in 1996. He gave the fans a big thrill when he locked wheels with Steve Vincent and catapulted end-over-end down the front straightaway. "I haven�t been in a wreck like that since that night," Carder says. "I�m an aggressive driver, but I try not to take a lot of chances. I�ve got two kids and another one on the way." Carder�s younger brother, Seth, also races. He made his debut last season and currently stands fourth in points at Cottage Grove. "I may quit driving next year and just help Seth," Cale Carder says. "He�s a better driver than me. He�s a natural." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA