BUTLER TWP — Having mastered go-kart racing, Brandon Abbott was looking for a change in direction.

He found it in Charlotte.

Abbott, 14, of Butler ventured to North Carolina with his father last November to watch the World of Outlaws Sprint car championships. While there, they visited a U.S. Legends race car factory.

“That's basically the headquarters for Legends cars,” Abbott said. “Once I learned about them, I wanted to race them.”

Two months later, the family bought a Legends car and Abbott has been racing it each Saturday night at Lake Erie Speedway.

He had competed in go-karts for five years, winning the points championship at Blairsville Speedway last season.

“Since he was 2 years old, driving his little powered jeep around, Brandon has been fascinated with racing cars,” his father, Bob Abbott, said. “This is an affordable division for us and I like it because it's based on driver skill.”

A New Legends car costs roughly $15,000, though a used one can be had for $7,000 or $8,000. The Abbotts' car was bought used, but has mostly new parts in it.

“Everything's been re-done but the center chassis,” Bob Abbott said. “We're planning on getting a new chassis over the winter.”

The car weighs 1,300 pounds with the driver in it. The motor is sealed, so the engine cannot be tampered with.

“You can do some little things, mess with the tires a bit ... that's about all,” the younger Abbott said.

The Abbotts are friends with Dennis Knox of Knox Racing in Ohio. Knox does the setup on the car each Saturday.

A Legends feature race covers 25 laps at Lake Erie Speedway. The seasons runs through Labor Day weekend. An average field of cars is 28 and Abbott has finished as high as 14th.

Abbott stands 24th in points at Lake Erie Speedway with 106. He is one of 12 rookies among the 46 drivers listed in the points standings.

“This year is all about seat time for me,” Abbott said.

Charlotte runs a 10-week Legends series that attracts cars from all over the country. The Abbotts hope to race in half of those events next season, then possibly run the entire series in 2014.

“I've always been a big racing fan, but I never thought I'd get this involved in it,” Bob Abbott said. “It is a fascinating sport to be around.”

Legend cars go as fast as 80 miles per hour on the track and “steering the thing isn't easy,” his son said.

As many as 5,000 fans view the races at Lake Erie Speedway. Entering his freshman year at Butler, Abbott is at the youngest age permitted to race in the Legends division.

He lettered in basketball and track at Butler Junior High and plans to compete in both sports in high school.

“Racing is what I really want to do, though,” Abbott said. “I imagine I'll stay in the Legends division for a few years, then move on to another division.

“In some way, shape or form, I do hope to build a career in racing.”

His father has no problem with that.

“But he's going to have to work all that around college first,” he said.