ON AUTO RACING: JAMES IS ON TRACK FOR BUSY WEEKEND

Terry James knows how to win, but this weekend could present a whole new challenge.

James will step onto a softball field for a pair of state tournament games Saturday, then play again Sunday, all on a field 200 miles away in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

In-between, he'll tackle another field -- a roaring pack of late model division cars and drivers at a local dirt track Saturday night.

"I'll be there, but I may be a little late," said James.

Competitive? You could call him that.

In his third full season of stock car racing, James leads the season points standings for the class at Auto Tire and Parts Racepark near Benton, Mo., with a 236-216 edge over Henry Nash of Middlebrook, Mo.

A season points title would be a good reward when the track's season ends in late September, he said. More immediate are wins on the track Saturday and wins on the diamond Saturday and Sunday.

"I admit I'm a competitive guy," said James of Fruitland, Mo. "I don't hate to lose, but I'd sure rather not."

And so far this year he's made it pay off. James, 22, is one of only two multiple winners in ATPR's late model division, joining Greg King of Sikeston, Mo., with two wins. On the softball field, James' Missouri Fence team leads its division in Cape Girardeau's recreational league. His co-ed team is second in its division.

James' last feature race win with his red No. 19 car came in his last start two weeks ago. The track alternates its late model division with the cruiser class each week, which leaves James as a wistful bystander on off-weeks.

After finishing out this season with trips to ATPR and Malden Speedway, James said he isn't sure whether he'll race locally next year or go on the road to pursue higher-paying events for a more full-blown, less-restricted style of late model cars. ATPR's late model class is a limited version with rules that keep out more costly aluminum engine parts.

James has won in that division regularly not only at ATPR, but also last season at Fredericktown Raceway, where he established a track record with three consecutive triple crowns by winning the nightly heat race, a dash and feature for three straight weeks.

It's a quick turnaround for a driver who didn't tackle the sport head-on until two years ago.

"I've been around racing since I was 8 or 9, but the last couple of years some things really came together and that made me want to seriously get into it," he said. "The sponsorships came together and we worked out a good deal with American Made Race Cars for the cars, so I had to go for it."

He isn't the only member of the family securing top-10 finishes at local tracks. His brother Matt, at 14, drove his yellow No. 55 car to eighth in the open-wheel modified division Saturday at ATPR. Racing in the late model division a year ago, he was fifth in the season standings at Fredericktown Raceway behind Terry, who was second.

Jamie Hall is the editor of graphics and design for the Southeast Missourian. Reach him at (573) 335-6611, extension 174, or at jhall@semissourian.com