The Wolf hopes to tear onto the track

Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, June 7, 2006

KINGSTON — These days, it seems like there are reality shows for everything. So, it was only a matter of time before one catering to NASCAR lovers was created. While it has been flashed the green flag and has roared off at full speed, all the show needs now is competitors. They come from far and wide to compete in a high-risk, hard-to-break-the-barrier sport.

Kingston resident Ron Wolf is putting the pedal to the metal, hoping to be the one to break through. He is one of 50 people who were selected to be voted onto the show by the public. He is the oldest in the group at 45, and many say he is too old to start a racing career.

“They always like to have the older guy on the reality shows,” said Jack Lasua, who helps Wolf with his racing by promoting him and helping with the upkeep on the cars. “That’s good for Ron, and he’s up there in the votes.”

“Racing teams try to get young guys to join them,” Wolf said. “It’s easier to mold them into what the team wants them to be. They don’t like old guys so much because we’re not as easily molded.”

Regardless, Racin’ for a Livin’, could offer Wolf the chance of a lifetime, if he were to win or impress sponsors while on the show. It all started with Wolf filling out a seven-page application, and sending it in to join the other approximately 3,400 hopefuls.

“The producer picked people according to driving background,” Wolf said. “I’m sure they went for diversity, too, so they had to have an older guy.”

Now, Wolf has to wait through the first voting period. There are 50 rookies, and at the end of the period, July 31, the top 15 will be flown to North Carolina to race against five wild cards drivers who are voted in as well. Each racer drives three races each, and the eight drivers who come in the lowest are sent home. The final 12 move on to do the 10-week show, competing against each other and dealing with the stressful behind the scenes portion of the racing world.

“It’s neat though,” Wolf said. “Once you’re voted off, you don’t leave the show. You can’t compete any more for the grand prize, but you still race against the other competitors. And you get to start up front, with all the drivers still on the show start behind you. You still have a chance that someone will notice you.”

The grand prize for the show is seven chances to race with a Busch series team and get sponsors’ attention. The racers are judged based on scoring by a panel of NASCAR veteran racers, lap times and the way the competitors deal with elements on and off the track, such as fellow racers and the media.

“This is every racer’s dream,” Wolf said. “I’m excited beyond belief to be in the running for it.”

Wolf started his racing career with motorcycles when he was 11 years old. At 19, after having raced pro for three years, he was told to stop because of the four times he had broken his left leg.

“In my early 20s, I went to races to watch the cars,” Wolf said. “There was a form in the back of the program for a drawing to race. I didn’t know it, by my girlfriend at the time kept entering me in the drawing. Then, the last race of the season, they drew my name. I was nervous as heck, but it was so much fun. I was given a pink 00 Camaro to drive. Afterwards, I was hooked.”

Wolf has since developed quite a following, with a fan club called the Wolf Pack. His wife and three children support his racing, though they get a bit anxious when he’s out on the track, he said.

“I wear the best suits money can buy,” Wolf said. “They are three layers of the best fire protection. Fire really scares me in racing. But I race anyway because I know we’re as safe as we can be.”

“He’s a good guy and a good racer,” Lasua said. “He can race just about anything. He hasn’t really had the opportunity to shine. This program is giving people like Ron a chance to shine.”

The show hasn’t yet picked a channel to air on, but Wolf predicts it will be one of three: FX, Discovery or Speed Channel. The producers are still negotiating, so air dates haven’t been announced yet.