QUARTER MIDGET RACING
- Quarter Midget (QM) racing is sanctioned by the Quarter Midgets of America (QMA), a national association that provides the rules for racing QM’s. QMA is a family oriented sport with cars, rules, and safety procedures designed specifically for children. The entire racing environment is about children and family!
 Jared running “wide-open” in his quarter midget
at Finish Line Racing School - Quarter Midgets are open wheel race cars that are approximately one-fourth the size of a full midget race car. QM’s are built for children ages 5 – 16, and they’re designed to race on a 1/20 mile oval track. The car weighs a minimum of 160 pounds and its safety features include full roll cages, nerf bars, multi-point seat harnesses, full face helmets, and other gear. The sport has fewer injuries than little-league football.
- QM engines are single cylinder and produce approximately 4 horse power. They are air-cooled 4-cycle engines that are very reliable.
- QM’s are raced at both dirt and asphalt tracks that are specifically designed for QM’s (there are approximately 50 in the United States today). A fast QM can complete a lap in 8 seconds reaching a speed of 30 mph in the straights.
- “I’m absolutely not forcing this on Jared in any way; I just want to give him the opportunity,” said Ernie. “I bought a Kid Coyote go-kart for my daughter, Jordan, but she didn’t want anything to do with motors – only horses. Jared is just the opposite; he doesn’t like the horses at all, but he loves anything with a motor. So, as soon as he was old enough, I let him start with the go-kart on a dirt track that we have here on our property. Since he loved it and wanted to continue, Kim and I decided to move him to Quarter Midgets because they are safer”.
 Crossing the “Finish Line” - Although Jared is five years old, he’s very small for his age. “It took two full days to modify the QM to accommodate Jared’s size” said Ernie. The seat for the QM was purchased from Randy LaJoie who said it is the smallest seat he’s ever made.
- Jared attended the Finish Line Racing School in Florida for Quarter Midgets in July, but he still has to be approved by the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association before he can compete. “Jared did good at the school,” said Ernie. “He paid close attention, took directions well from the coach, and followed the line around the course well.”
- Jared’s reaction to the School was his typical comment, “That’s cool.”
Currently there are no QM tracks in this area, but one is in the process of being built locally. Meanwhile, the Irvan’s are gearing up to get Jared’s QM career started.
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