From go karts to UARA Stars, teen’s the real deal

Vandebilt Catholic student Joey Herques is barely old enough to legally have a driver’s license.

That’s not stopping him from burning rubber on race tracks around the country.

Herques, 16, is currently gearing up for what will be a busy summer behind the wheel, as the Houma teen is currently racing in the UARA Stars Touring Series, which the racer touts is a developmental series for the ultimate goal in his progression, NASCAR.

“Everybody comes up to me and is like, ‘Man, you’re going 140 or 160 miles per hour around this track and I don’t even have my driver’s license yet,” Herques said with a laugh. “But I’ve been doing this my whole life and you just get used to it after a while. It’s definitely a very interesting hobby.”

It’s also a hobby that he’s apparently very good at. Herques has run four races since joining the Stars Touring Series. In that time, he’s accumulated three Top 20 finishes.

His best outing came in his last race at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina on May 14, where he finished in eighth place after qualifying in the No. 15 position.

That leap made Herques the Holley Performer of the Race, for making the largest move from start to finish.

“We did really well that weekend,” the teen speedster said. “That was really a great boost for the team and for myself. Getting a top-10 finish was exactly what we needed and it felt really good to get it.”

Racecar driving is in Herques’ DNA.

Growing up, the Vandebilt Catholic sophomore said he always had an affinity for automobiles and life in the fast lane.

As a toddler, Herques said his first word wasn’t ‘Mom,’ ‘Dad,’ or ‘Dog,’ but was rather something different.

“Growing up, I’d always watch NASCAR races on TV with my dad and everything like that,” he said. “And my first word actually was car, so I guess it’s sort of fitting.”

From that car-crazed childhood, Herques got his start on the track when he was 6 racing go karts.

He was a natural.

“We were doing lead laps our first time out there,” Herques boasted. “We won our share of races.”

Herques raced go karts for more than five years before making the leap to Bandolero cars, which are miniature cars that can travel up to 70 mph.

It was behind the wheel of the Bandolero that Herques realized that racing shouldn’t be a hobby anymore, it should be a career.

“When I did the go karts and I did lead laps that first race, it was always sort of implied that this was something that I was good at and something that I could continue doing,” Herques said. “But in the Bandolero, I raced four races and I lapped the field in all four races. I think that’s when I really started to see just how far this could really take me. What better time to progress and take a step up than after you just raced four times and won all four races?”

From the Bandolero, Herques moved to Legend cars, which he raced from ages 13 to 14. Next came the Limited Late model cars at 15, before joining his current UARA Stars Touring Series.

Every level brought a new and unique challenge. Every level also took the Houma native into some of the most fertile racing grounds on the circuit.

Herques has raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway and also at “the Rock” at Rockingham Motor Speedway, which is where he recently scored a Top 10.

“That’s like a dream,” he said. “To be able to be behind the wheel competing inside of the same venues that you see on TV, that’s just amazing.”

Herques is doing all of this while balancing his time in the car with his time in the classroom, as well. The racing season begins in the spring and ends in the fall, which pushes the Herques family across the country for several weekends out of the year.

The Vandebilt sophomore said the school was a little hesitant about his racing initially, but has since become “very cooperative.”

“At first, my absences were unexcused,” he said. “I don’t think people realize how big we are. You tell someone that you’re going to race a car and they don’t think about it. They may say, ‘Oh, that sounds interesting,’ but I don’t think some people realize the level that we’re on, how good we’re doing and what we’ve actually accomplished. The school is helping us out a good bit now, though. We’re very thankful and we’re just doing whatever we can to keep them happy.”

He added that on travel weekends, he misses school on Thursday and Friday. He has permission from Vandebilt to make up work when he returns from races. That ironically means that on most road trips, the racecar driver isn’t doing the driving to get to his destination, but is actually bunkered in the backseat with a notebook in his lap and an ink pen in his hands.

“That part of it does take its toll sometimes,” Herques said. “Like last week, I was racing when I should have been studying for finals. You just have to balance them together.”

With two years left in the classroom and his racing career continuing to bloom, Herques isn’t afraid to admit that racing is where his future is.

He’s excelled at virtually every level he’s tried, so why not shoot for the top and set the highest goal of them all?

“I’m definitely looking to be in the Sprint Cup Series for NASCAR,” Herques said. “I just need that moment to come. Obviously, I’d like it to be as soon as possible, but that would be my goal in life. That is what I want to do and that is definitely what would make me happy.”

His first word was ‘car’. Now the only thing on this Houma native’s mind is a different first, first place. Time will tell if this 16-year-old’s dreams come true.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DRIVER?

“It would probably be Jamie McMurray. With my dad owning a McDonald’s franchise and everything, he’d definitely have to be up there right now. But honestly, with drivers today, you really can’t say. I like Kyle Busch. He’s definitely rowdy out there and he’s definitely one of my idols.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST RACING MOMENT?

“Any moment in the winner’s circle is a moment that sticks with you and is a moment that’s nice to look back on. But a lot of times, you just remember those times where you actually do well in a race, like this last race when you get out and you know you’ve worked your butt off to try and get up as high as you can go. In that race, we didn’t win, but everyone came up to me after the race and told me that I had done a hell of a job in that race.”

HOW DO YOU GET THE SPONSORSHIPS TO KEEP GOING WITH THIS EXPENSIVE HOBBY?

“With sponsorships, right now, we’re pretty much allowing anyone who wants to help out here and there to do so and we’re obviously very appreciative of anyone who is willing to help, because you’re right, it does take a lot of money to do this. I’m very lucky, because it’s really special that my dad has supported me and I’ve gotten a lot of help from him, my mom and my family, who are always behind me.”

SURVEYS SAY RACING IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST PHYSICALLY DEMANDING SPORTS. AGREE?

“It really is. You have to stay up on your fitness to be able to do this. You have to stay away from the drinking, the drugs and all of that stuff. You actually do have to be in shape, the equipment, the helmet, the shoes and all of that while being strapped into a seat. This is definitely one of the hardest sports to do, believe it or not. I’ve never tested it to see how much weight I lose in a race, but you definitely have to drink a lot of water, because it definitely all does come out. I get out of my car drenched in sweat. I promise you, it’s not the most comfortable feeling. But that’s the name of the game. You know you’ve done a good job when you get out and you’re soaked and wet.”

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM DURING A RACE?

“You always just want to use the restroom before. You never really know what’s going to happen. That’s something drivers don’t really like to think about, as you can imagine, because that puts you in quite a dilemma.”

Local racer Joey Herques sits in front of the No. 26 car he drives in the UARA Stars Touring Series. The local recently drove that car to an eighth place finish, his best finish on the circuit. COURTESY PHOTO