Third generation racer Colton Walters felt the ecstasy and agony of racing in 48 hours.

At the beginning of the season, his debut as a “rookie” Big Block Modified driver took place at Lernerville Speedway where he was elated to finish 10th. The next night at Sharon Speedway, the motor broke. His grandfather, former Modified driver Larry Walters said, “Welcome to racing.” Colton sadly said, “This is a tough pill to swallow.”

Former NASCAR driver Ken Schrader walked over to him and said, “What happened?” After Colton told him, Schrader replied, “Why don’t you take up golf?” Colton answered, “I love racing.”

“It’s a disease, ain’t it,” replied Schrader.

Throughout his formative years, Colton helped his dad, Jeff, work on his racer. Jeff ran both asphalt and dirt in many divisions that included micros, E-mods, Stocks, Late Models, Sprints and Big Block Modifieds, winning over 50 features and two championships. His grandfather has 11 titles. At age 11, Colton ran one year of Go-Cart racing. When he was 18-years-old and his dad retired from racing, Colton restarted his Go-Cart competition and won 4 features in 2014. The following year he won 9 main events. In 2016 Colton won 19 features in two classes, garnering the PCTC Championship. His dad helped him every step of the way.

That year Bob Lipinski let him drive his 55L Pure Stock at Marion Center for two races. He had an 8th-place finish and Colton was hooked. At the end of racing season, Tom Winkle and his partner, Laurel Smith, decided to quit racing. Colton made a deal to buy their car and trailer minus an engine. Colton, his father and grandfather worked to get the Modified race-worthy for his maiden voyage at Lernerville.

“I would be lost in this deal without my dad and my pap,” Colton said. His mother, Diana, and his girlfriend, Katy Brodie, have also been very supportive. After every race Colton talks to his pap and they go over what each one sees might be done for improvement. He further added, “It is hard to be a budgeted racer.”

Colton was out for a couple of weeks when his engine was down.

Modified chauffeurs Rick Regalski and Mike Turner have taken Colton under their wing and become his mentors on the newer things that have occurred in racing like set-ups for shocks and chassis. Colton said, “They are like cheerleaders for me. They pick me up when I am disappointed. When I bring it home in one piece, instead of fixing the car all week, we can try to figure out how to make it go faster to get that edge. It is a learning curve.

“I guess you have to use your head and finish the race to be first.”

Colton’s goal is to be in the top 12 in points at the end of the season and he knows how many good drivers are in this division. If money was not an object, Colton would like to run with the DIRT Modifieds and compete with the best in the business like Brett Hearn.

Besides dad and pap, Colton enjoyed watching Late Model chauffeurs Nick Jones and David Scott. He will never forget that Scott was running Late Models and Sprints in 2000 and had chance to be the only driver to win Championships in these two divisions together. On the last night of points, when his Late Model competitor Jones broke in the heat race, Scott’s crew went over and helped fix the car for the feature and Jones defeated Scott by three points to be the Late Model champ.

At this year’s Pittsburgh Circle Track Racing banquet, where Colton announced his intention to compete in the Modifeds, he met Kevin Bolland, who was being inducted into the Circle Track Hall of Fame. Afterwards, they talked and Bolland felt like soon the baton would be passed to many of the young drivers as the veterans retired.

At age 22, Colton is one of the most mature and well-versed young drivers around. He has that desire to win. I would be willing to bet that he too will one day be inducted into a Hall of Fame.

Over the years, there have been many wonderful people that have worked in the speedway concession stands. This year there is a very unique person running the deep fryer in the main concession stand at Lernerville.

Yuri Novik, who is from Ukraine. What makes him so special? He is a pediatric neurosurgeon intern studying at Allegheny General Hospital. His father is a neurosurgeon and his mother, a physical therapist. His brother is also in medicine. They don’t have our type of racing in his country, but they do have sports cars like Formula 1.

Novik looked up Ukrainian families in Pittsburgh and found Father Tim Tompson. He agreed to lodge Novik during his stay here. An appreciative Novik said, “Being here enables me to broaden my view of the world.”

Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle.