Catchfence

J.C. Stout is from Castile, NY, and he dreams of being a NASCAR Cup Series driver. Of course, that’s something thousands of short track drivers coming through the ranks will tell you … if they’re not already down in Charlotte.

But Stout isn’t just dreaming … he’s working towards his goal. And he’s doing it a little bit differently than you might expect.

Instead of moving to North Carolina, the 25-year-old is trying to build his organization from the racing hotbed of … Western New York? That’s right; while taking the occasional start-and-park deal for a handful of teams in NASCAR’s top three series, Stout is keeping his heart and soul up north — building his Stellar-Quest Racing team with his close friends and own money (or more accurately, his parents’ money).

But while he might not have the money to compete with the Roush and Hendricks of the world, Stout’s talent has already put him in a position to race with NASCAR’s best. Having started racing go-karts at the age of 11, Stout won multiple track championships before moving into Super Trucks four years later. Experiencing immediate success, he won a track championship in Trucks — which are a late model with a truck body — at age 15, the youngest age ever in New York for a local track champion. When he turned 18, Stout ran late model stock cars all over Western New York and Pennsylvania, winning seven races while leaving dozens of impressed drivers and car owners in his wake.

- Frontstretch.com