Level 5 Motorsports Gives Back with Youth Sponsorships

Racing has given Level 5 Motorsports' Scott Tucker a great deal of pleasure and pride in recent years. Tucker now wants to return the favor.

Tucker and Level 5 Motorsports have implemented a program that provides sponsorship for a handful of enthusiastic, up-and-coming young people who are interested in pursuing a career in motorsports. The program gives the youngsters and their parents a huge boost in their racing endeavors.

Involved in the program are five youths, four in karting and one in motocross. Those benefitting from the program are: Austin McCullough, 11, and Sierra McCullough, 9, from Kansas City, Kansas; Mason Daughters, 13, and Garrett Daughters, 7, from Polo, Missouri; and Dustin Renteria, 8, from Hollister, California.

"These are kids that I just crossed paths with," said Tucker, a standout driver in the American LeMans Series, the Ferrari Challenge Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. "I'm a fan of motorsports, and, obviously, I don't know how long my driving career is going to last.

"These kids have a great shot at a really good future in motorsports. They have already proven themselves. What I want to do is to give kids opportunities that I never had when I was younger. These opportunities are very tough to come by. I'm very excited to give these kids a chance like this."

Mason Daughters has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Tucker. The seventh-grader has been involved in building custom cars for racing since he was four, working alongside his father, Greg, who worked for Tucker and the Level 5 team in their shop in Polo. He and his father built Mason's first go-kart when Mason was five.

"I want to thank Scott Tucker and Level 5 for sponsoring me," Mason said. "I have always wanted to get into racing since I first started working and helping my dad on Scott's race cars. I hope to grow into a professional driver one day, and being on the Level 5 team is a dream for me."

Mason drives a factory-built Parolin Racing Kart with a Parilla Leopard 125cc engine. He scored Level 5 Motorsports' first pole recently at an event at Indianapolis' New Castle Motorsports Park in the TaG Junior 25mm class. He went on to finish on the podium in second place. He finished fourth the following day in the TaG Junior 30mm class.

Garrett drives a factory Parolin Racing Go Kart Mini Sprint with a Tag Parilla Italian 60cc engine. He also participated in his first event recently for Level 5 Motorsports in Indianapolis in the TaG Cadet class and scored his first podium, finishing third.

Both Daughters brothers, in their rookie karting seasons in 2010, are scheduled to race in several series and at several racetracks, including the Heartland Sprint Series in Independence, Missouri; the Kansas City Karting Association in Liberty, Missouri; New Castle Motor Sports Park in Indianapolis, Indiana; and in St. Louis.

"Thanks to Scott for sponsoring me to go racing," said Garrett, a first-grader, who also helps his father and Mason in the shop. "One day, I want to drive big race cars for him and be a real race car driver. I will also be very responsible on and off the track."

Austin McCullough has been racing go-karts at Thunder Lake Speedway, a dirt track in Kansas City, Kansas, for more than three years. He began in 2007 in the Rookie class, and made 17 starts his second year in the Junior Amateur class in 2008, scoring two victories and 10 top-five finishes. In 2009, he participated in the Junior 1 Lights class and scored nine top-five finishes. In his first race under the Level 5 Motorsports banner, he finished a respectable seventh.

Sierra McCullough hopped behind the wheel of a go-kart for the first time last year and developed the same enthusiasm for the sport as her brother. At her first race this year at Thunder Lake Speedway, she finished eighth in the Junior Amateur class.

Renteria, who turns nine in May, began his motocross career in 2008 at age six and has been winning races and competing for titles since then. He has collected numerous podium finishes and multiple championships while participating at venues around the western United States. Renteria rides a 2010 Cobra King.

"I would like to thank Scott Tucker for allowing Dustin to be a part of Level 5 Motorsports," said Renteria's father, Dusty. "It has been proven by many of the top racers in many types of motorsports that the earlier one can become dedicated to a sport, the most success they will have. Being involved with Level 5 Motorsports will give us more resources to race competitively and invest in Dustin's future successes in motocross racing."

Dustin recently scored a victory in the 65cc 5-8-year-old class in a California Motorcycle Association event in Madera, California. That same weekend, he finished second in the 65cc X-class and third in the 50cc 7-8-year-old class. As of May 10, he was in first place in the CMA standings for all three classes.

Tucker is thrilled to give his five benefactors the chance to race. He is adamant, however, that each youngster keeps up his or her work in the classroom.

"Criteria No. 1 for these kids for this program is that they have to be good students," Tucker said. "I made a deal with the parents. Racing is fun. But, if they are not able to maintain their schoolwork, then they don't have the time to do this. Doing well in school and being well rounded is important. They promised to do their best."

Austin McCullough's grades have risen since he began racing more than three years ago.

"Austin absolutely loves racing," said his mother, Kristina. "He was a B-C student at the beginning. We made an agreement with Austin that, as long as he could keep his grades up, he could continue racing. But, if he had any grades go down, he would not be allowed to race until they came back up. He has now maintained his grades and makes straight A's."