He can’t drive 55

Westlake senior has a knack for NASCAR



ON THE FAST TRACK—Griffin Steinfeld, a senior at Westlake High, is scheduled to race Saturday at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist California Classic at Irwindale. It’ll be his third professional event. Steinfeld’s goal is to compete in the Sprint Cup Series within five years.

ON THE FAST TRACK—Griffin Steinfeld, a senior at Westlake High, is scheduled to race Saturday at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist California Classic at Irwindale. It’ll be his third professional event. Steinfeld’s goal is to compete in the Sprint Cup Series within five years.

Tony Stewart is still probably dizzy in a tizzy from winning NASCAR’s Sprint Cup championship last weekend.

Griffin Steinfeld’s only 17, but he’s hot on the trail of “Smoke.”

One of stock car racing’s promising young stars, Steinfeld wants to drive in the prestigious Sprint Cup Series within the next five years.

That’s certainly an ambitious goal for the Westlake High senior, but Steinfeld has the confidence, determination and talent to rise up NASCAR’s ranks.

He’s well-spoken, intelligent, polite and gracious—traits that make sponsors giddy and other drivers queasy.

Heck, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound teenager even looks like he belongs on a box of Wheaties.

“Inspiration has to come from myself,” Steinfeld said. “I push myself. I want to be better than myself. There’s always room for improvement.”

After only two professional races, he’s a top-10 driver at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale for the Super Late Model division in the Whelen All-American Series.

Steering the No. 31 car, Steinfeld passed seven drivers to finish ninth in his very first pro outing in September.

He’s gearing up for his third race this weekend. On Saturday, Steinfeld will compete in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist California Classic at Irwindale.

Of course, he wants to earn a top-10 finish. But the relatively green stock car driver needs the experience.

“I’d like a clean race,” he said. “Any type of racing is about consistency.”

The No. 31 car is a 500-horsepower Ford Fusion that whips around the track between 100 and 115 miles per hour.

During straightaways, Steinfeld hurtles by at 130 mph.

Steinfeld rattled his family— parents Pete and Cheri and 14-year-old sister Hailee, an actress nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Mattie Ross in “True Grit”—when he crashed during his second Super Late Model division race.

The Warrior was comfortably in seventh place and moving up the field when he struck a wall during the 68th of 75 laps.

He tweaked his thumb and got a good jolt, but he walked away on two feet.

“For Cheri and I,” Pete Steinfeld said, “we wish he picked up full-contact ping pong.”

The senior played football during his first two years at Westlake before swapping his facemask and pads for a driver’s helmet.

Although Steinfeld risks his life every time he starts his engine, during Thursday night practices and race days, he’s following his heart.

“He loves what he’s doing,” Cheri Steinfeld said, “and that’s the most important thing.”

Added Pete Steinfeld: “It’s very exciting, and I’m very excited for him. Both my kids love what they’re doing. They chose their happiness.

“Am I nervous? Absolutely. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. Let’s just say I’ve become very religious since my son’s racing. I know he’s good. I know his car is safe. But there are variables out of his control.”

Steinfeld witnessed a night of horror in the desert in Aug. 2010.

Eight people died during an off-road truck race accident in the Mojave Desert. Steinfeld was seconds away from starting when the accident occurred.

He described the atmosphere before the crash as “eerie.”

“I didn’t have a good feeling,” said Steinfeld, who was 16 at the time. “It was pitch black at night.”

That was Steinfeld’s last event for Mojave Desert Racing series.

When he started at age 15 for Big Duke Racing team, he was the youngest driver in the series, according to his father.

Steinfeld regularly competed against adults.

“I didn’t let it intimidate me,” he said. “I enjoyed everything about it. The competition. Man versus nature and machine.

“You’re racing 500 miles out in the desert. If you break down, you have to fix it. It’s a very demanding sport.”

Mojave Desert Racing shuttered after the deadly accident, and Steinfeld looked for his next racing opportunity.

At the beginning of this year, he rented a stock car and took a spin around the Irwindale track.

Steinfeld captured the attention of Donnie Richardson, owner and president of RPM Racing, during a fast-paced second practice run at the track.

Richardson is impressed with the young driver’s nerves of steel.

“When he gets behind the wheel,” Richardson said, “nothing really rattles him.”

Steinfeld races for Richardson’s team, and he’s sponsored by Cal Fresco, ScottJamesMusic.com and West Coast Business Solutions.

“ He’s the most pleasant 17-year-old kid you could be around,” Richardson said. “He’s a very genuine person. I enjoy being around him. He’s not hiding behind anything or trying to be someone he’s not. He’s just very genuine. I find that true in Hailee as well, and the entire family.”

The Steinfelds are talking with NASCAR about developing a reality television show featuring the promising driver’s ascension in the sport.

Pete Steinfeld popped in a 7-minute promo DVD onto his laptop computer for the Acorn.

After two-to-four more races in the current series, Steinfeld plans to move up to the K&N Pro Series West in February. K&N cars are bigger and faster.

In the meantime, Steinfeld stays on top of his studies.

A solid student with a 3.2 gradepoint average, he enjoys tinkering under the hood of his truck at home. For fun, Steinfeld likes dismantling and rebuilding engines. In his words it’s a “constant chase of how to make something faster.”

He’s also a good cook, baking cinnamon rolls and handling the barbeque at home.

Steinfeld, who starting kart racing at age 8, hopes to ride with the big boys in the Sprint Cup Series within the next few years.

At heart, he’s a race-car driver with big dreams.

“This is what I want to do,” Steinfeld said. “I have no doubt I can do it. I will be there.”


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *