The World of Outlaws racing series, comparable to NASCAR’s Winston Cup series, features some of the stiffest competition a Sprint car driver can face. Sprint cars are vehicles similar to large go-carts with a wing-like stabilizer on top of them.Sprint car races are typically staged on dirt tracks.

Basinger, a junior at East Rowan High School, has been racing Sprint cars for nearly two years. The young driver knows he’ll soon be going head-to-head with far more experienced drivers during the first race at The Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway inConcord.

Basinger will attempt to qualify May 25 for the May 26 race.

“It’s going to be interesting, me with only two years in the sprints and these guys have about 30 years each,” Basinger said. “… they know it inside and out.”

Though Basinger has less than two years of experience in Sprint car racing, the decision to compete later this month was an easy one, for him and his father and teammate, Chris Basinger.

“Sponsors were a big deal,” Ben Basinger said. “And it was stupid for us not to (do this) when they come to town.”

Basinger was able to drive practice laps on the track earlier this week during a media day at the new facility.

Mooresville driver Scott Young, 24, of the B29 Automotive Specialists Sprint car, joined Basinger during the practice runs. Former World of Outlaw driver and current Winston Cup rookie Dave Blaney, who will host a Sprint car driving school at the track, joined other drivers at the event.

A newcomer to the World of Outlaws race, Basinger feels fortunate to get in those practice laps. He credits his publicity manager, Rick Johnson, of Rick Johnson Insurance.

“I had to call around and talk to a lot of people to get the car here today because these big boys had it wrapped up,” Johnson said. “Kat Country helped with that.”

The Basinger team is sponsored by Coors Light and country music station 96.9 Kat Country.

Those practice laps helped the father-son team plan their final preparations. They’ll need to get new tires, make sure they’re mounted right and stagger the car so it will take tight turns on track’s slick dirt surface.

“We’ll have to be on our game plan just to run with them,” Basinger said, referring to the 30 or so other cars that will probably be on the track.

The track’s media day also helped the Basinger team gain valuable exposure for them and their sponsors.

Basinger saw representatives from several local news channels as well as TNN.

“I’ve seen five or six cameras around here,” Basinger said. “So many people asked me questions. I had people coming up left and right. Everybody was wanting to know how old I was and how I liked the track.

“There was a lot of confusion there — until I got on the track,” Basinger added with a laugh. “That was the only time I felt calm.”

Whether Basinger even qualifies for the May 26 race, he intends to eventually make the move to the Outlaws series as a full-time competitor.

He thinks any time he spends on the Charlotte track will prove to be a good introduction for him to the rest of the competition.