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When the red, white, and black, No. 36, 1934 Ford coupe speeds by, you can bet Gene and Shelley Rhodes of High Point are watching and cheering for their 15-year-old son, Harrison.

Harrison has been racing since he was 10. It all started because Gene Rhodes rode motorcycles with NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte. Labonte introduced Harrison to a quarter midget car, which Harrison rode for the first time on a track behind Labonte’s shop.

“I want to do this,” Harrison remembers telling his Dad.

Harrison describes that first car as looking a little like a go-cart with roll cage bars above your head so that if you flip, you don’t hit your head. Quarter midgets usually run speeds of 20 to 40 mph on an oval 1/20th-mile track.

When Labonte built a track in Salisbury, Harrison would often go there to drive.

Harrison’s first race was in Columbus, Ohio. He remembers it was very exciting, and cars were there from everywhere.

He raced quarter midgets until he was 14. He wanted to get experience in a bigger car that would travel at faster speeds. He also needed more room in the car, since he had grown quite a bit since he was 10.

His plan was to switch to a Legends car, 5/8 scale the original model.

The Legends cars are replicas of American automobiles from the 1930s and ’40s, usually powered by a Yamaha FJ1200 motorcycle engine.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway, now Lowe’s Motor Speedway, came up with the idea for the car in 1992. Because of the expense involved in racing the larger cars, speedway officials were looking for a less costly car that would also be less expensive to maintain.

600 Racing Inc. in Harrisburg was started in 1992 and is the exclusive producer of Legends cars in the world. Since 1992, more than 4,000 of these cars have been manufactured there.

Harrison has been driving his 1934 Ford Coupe for almost two years. He is in the Young Lions bracket for ages 12 to 16.

Legends racing is a family activity for the Rhodes. Father Gene accompanies Harrison and usually works in the pit. Mom Shelley and younger brother John Gavin often watch from the stands. Sometimes grandparents Harry and Marilyn Love also go to the races.

“I enjoy going to the races and seeing Harrison succeed,” Shelley Rhodes said.

Gene Rhodes said the sport gives him an opportunity to spend time with Harrison while Harrison does what he likes to do.

John Gavin is a golfer, and Gene Rhodes loves spending time on the golf course with him.

Participating in the sport has allowed the Rhodes family to travel in several states, including North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Most of the travel is in the southeastern United States.

They recently vacationed in Pennsylvania when Harrison participated in races there.

Legends racing has a demanding schedule, but Harrison doesn’t seem to mind. He usually practices on Mondays, races on Tuesday nights, and races again on Friday and Saturday.

During a recent week, he raced at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Tuesday, in Anderson, S.C., on Friday and at the Rougemont Track in Orange County on Saturday.

The Tuesday night schedule is part of “The Summer Shootout,” which Harrison describes as the biggest competition event for Legends racing. It runs for 10 weeks from June 9 thorugh Aug. 11. In last week’s round, Harrison had accumulated the most points for his division.

So far this season, he has participated in 36 races and has 20 wins.

Dan Snyder Racing in Mooresville helps Harrison maintain his car. They set up the car for each race and pick it up and take it back to their garage after each race. This racing team sets up for four Legends drivers.

Harrison prepares for his races by drinking lots of water, eating properly and staying focused.

Harrison said what he likes about the sport are the speed, the excitement and the feeling of being in control of the car. He will be 16 next month and looks forward to getting his N.C. driver’s license.

He will be in the 10th grade at Ledford High School this fall. Harrison was on the school’s swim team this year and the year before played basketball and baseball.

Like his brother, he enjoys golf.

Mom said Harrison has maintained an A average in school. His favorite subject is math.

Harrison said his career goal is to become a professional NASCAR driver.

If you have news of High Point, please contact Kathy Johnson at mjohnson2@triad.rr.com.