Kids at the wheel

LONG POND, PA - JUNE 06: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet, signs his autograph for fans in the garage area during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 6, 2014 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
LONG POND, PA - JUNE 06:  Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet, signs his autograph for fans in the garage area during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 6, 2014 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.  (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
LONG POND, PA – JUNE 06: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet, signs his autograph for fans in the garage area during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 6, 2014 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)

LONG POND, Pennsylvania. – Jeff Gordon told NASCAR.com this week that watching his 6-year-old daughter Ella Sofia driving a quarter midget go kart “terrified” him. “From a parent’s standpoint,” he said, “it’s kind of tough to watch them go around there and not have any control of what’s going on.”

But Jimmie Johnson said Friday that he’s “definitely entertaining” thoughts of putting his 3-year-old daughter Genevieve behind the wheel of quarter midgets and go karts.

“In our race shop, a lot of our crewmen have their kids in karts, so I’ve considered it,” Johnson said. “I’ve been serving it (the idea) up to (wife) Chani and she’s semi-OK with it.  Genevieve is all about it. She’s been very responsible on her four-wheeler. So, now, if I can find a pink go kart, I think she’s in.”

Genevieve will turn 4 in July.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.