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Last month WPDE Sports profiled Tyler Howell, a 13 year old Florence racer who is running Limited Late Model races and has already enjoyed success on local tracks racing competitors twice and even three times his age. Howell and his father, Ronnie, met up with WPDE Sports Director Rich Chrampanis prior to the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The youngster was able to meet and get some invaluable advice from Michael Waltrip, owner of MWR racing and a long time veteran Cup driver.
"I just love when you get an early start. When I was 13, I was still in go-carts. I didn't get into a car until I was 16, so the sooner the better," Waltrip told Tyler in the Sprint Cup garage area. "Something that I've learned that is a valuable tool that I didn't have available to me when I was your age is simulation. Any video games - you can run Darlington and it looks just like Darlington and at least get your brain around, your eyeballs around what it will be like when you get a chance to race here. Keep your eyes wide open. Keep a smile on your face, sponsors like that and keep digging."
Tyler then asked the two time Daytona 500 champ what he needed to do to get to the top of NASCAR in five years.
"Keep doing what your doing," Waltrip said. "It doesn't matter whether it's your brother, or it's your uncle, or your cousin or a friend - if you can get some help, somewhere for somebody to help you along that's what it's all about. Like I was fortunate, I didn't have any money when I was a kid, but my brother had a last name and I used it. Most everbody in here had somebody that helped them get here. Nobody did it on their own. So just use everybody that's available to you to keep on digging."
