Recessions. Cutbacks. Layoffs. Mergers. The NASCAR headlines are not optimistic in terms of the economic forecast. But when it comes to the sport's future talent pool, the news is much more uplifting. Arizona native Victor Pfluger is a just-turned 18-year-old who, in true Western spirit, has his finger on the trigger and his sights set squarely on his target -- a full-time NASCAR ride. Believe me, Pfluger has all the right stuff to make it in the sport today. Possessed of enough poise and personality to please any sponsor, he also has a passion for pedal-down driving that's reflected in his remarkable racing resume. "I love the competition," Victor told me in an exclusive interview. "There is no other feeling like taking a car and running it on the ragged edge. It's a feeling that is hard to put into words." The young racer's most impressive accomplishment to date occurred this season at Tucson Raceway Park -- the very track where Benny Parsons once spotted a talented young driver and brought him to the attention of Jack Roush. That driver was Greg Biffle. Last summer, driving a car he'd never raced before, Pfluger muscled past three-time NASCAR Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday for a win in the ASA Late Model South Series at TRP. "I didn't have equal equipment to Ron," Pfluger said. "He had a better car. It took me 35 laps running three-wide with him and his teammate before I was able to pass him for the win. He was a class act after the race. He congratulated me and even signed my trophy." After observing the NASCAR veteran's driving firsthand, Pfluger now lists Hornaday as his racing hero and for good reason: "He races hard and he isn't afraid to use his car to get to the front." The same could be said of Pfluger. His accomplishments in the ASA Speed Truck series include a list of "youngest-ever" records reminiscent of NASCAR stars like Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch as they rose through the ranks. "I got started in racing when my family and I attended a NASCAR Race at Phoenix International Raceway," Victor recalls. "We saw a stand for the Bob Bondurant Driving School and got interested in karts. At the time, I was only ten, so I wasn't allowed to participate in the Bondurant school. My parents bought me my first kart and we went racing." At age 14, Pfluger became the youngest-ever driver in ASA Speed Trucks to win a feature race. The following year, he was the youngest ever in that series to finish the season in the top five in points. Then, at age 16, Victor won the ASA Speed Truck Championship - again the youngest ever to do so. The series has produced many of NASCAR's most competitive drivers, including Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. This year, fresh off his record-setting championship, Pfluger competed in the NASCAR Super Late Model Series, notching several more wins and building his reputation as a tenacious competitor. Though he's been scouted by some of the biggest race teams in NASCAR, Victor understands the financial reality of making it into big-time auto racing. Coming from a family of very modest means - his father is a truck driver, Victor is desperately searching for sponsorship money to be able to race again this year. "I would like to find a sponsor so I can keep my career moving forward. This season, I would like to run a mix of races with the Camping World Series, ASA Midwest Tour and ASA Late Models. Eventually, I would like to be picked up by a Camping World Truck team and work my way up to Sprint Cup." An exceptional student who made the honor roll throughout high school and graduated early to devote more time to racing, Victor isn't afraid to get his hands dirty working toward his goals. "From preparing cars and equipment to building our race hauler up, I don't have much time for anything else. I don't really have a lot of time outside of racing." Growing up in Arizona, Pfluger spent a lot of time competing against 2008 Cup Series driver Michael McDowell, a fellow desert dweller who is now one of his closest friends. Though he's taken something from every driver he's competed against, Victor says he doesn't pattern himself after anyone in particular. "I like to think I pattern myself after the best aspects of all the best drivers. But I like to think I have developed these traits myself, through the help of my team, rather than copying someone else." While hoping for a career in NASCAR's postmodern era, Victor doesn't hold back when it comes to one rule he'd like to see changed. "Personally, I hate the top 35 in points being locked into the field. I think it should be, 'take the top 43 on time and that's your field.'" Spoken like a true racer. |
