Rising Star: Jay Drake - stock car racer - Brief Article

Auto Racing Digest, July, 2001 by J.J. O'Malley

GIVEN THE SUCCESS of open-wheel graduates Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jason Leffler, and Ryan Newman, it's prudent to take a good look at the United States Auto Club ranks to see who could be stock car racing's rising star. And one name quickly leaps to the next-big-thing forefront: Jay Drake.

Drake had one of the most successful seasons in USAC history in 2000, winning 19 feature races. That tied the record for single-season wins, held by A.J. Foyt and Sleepy Tripp. Drake won 10 races in 23 sprint car starts, missing the championship by just 24 points. He also finished second in midget points, winning six features to put him in the top three in final points in three of the past four years. He also won in the Coors Light Silver Bullet Series at Knoxville, Iowa. Including non-sanctioned events, Drake won 26 features last season.

"It was a great year," admits the 31-year-old Val Verde, Calif. native. "I moved to Indianapolis in 1997 to run the three USAC National Championship series, and I finally got good rides."

For 2001, Drake is hoping to win all three USAC titles, a feat only previously accomplished by Tony Stewart. "Our ambition is to try to make all the races and run for the championship in the three divisions," says Drake. "That's our immediate goal. Our other goal is to try to earn opportunities to move up to a bigger and better thing."

Where will that be: the Indy Racing League or NASCAR? Drake is playing his cards close to the vest, being careful to keep his options open. "My dream is to do both," says Drake. "Indy's a top level series, and the Indianapolis 500 has always been my dream. And while I've never raced a stock car, I recently did a NASCAR-type school, and really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun."

Drake opened the 2001 campaign with a victory in one of the biggest midget events of the year: the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa. Will Drake follow the traditional road into the Indy cars, or will he follow his immediate predecessors into the stock cars? "I would welcome any opportunities I can get to better myself in either series," says Drake. "I'm going to kind of wait and see what comes around."

Given the success he's been enjoying, Drake may not have to wait very long.