Meet the newest member of the Earnhardt racing family “ 12-year-old Karsyn Elledge. Karsyn is the daughter of Kelley Earnhardt Miller, who is the daughter of Dale Earnhardt and the GM of the JR Motorsports Nationwide Series team owned by her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Karsyns father is Jimmy Elledge, a long-time NASCAR crew chief who now is working on his daughters budding career. Karsyn and her dad held a press conference Saturday morning in the Sonoma Raceway Winners Circle, unveiling her new, bright pink Mini Outlaw Series car that is sponsored by Nickelodeon. Of course, the car sports the #3 made famous by her grandfather. Karsyn has racing heritage from her paternal grandparents, also. Terry Elledge, Jimmys dad, built engines that Dale Sr. used to win several of his seven Cup championships. Mom Kelley raced with her little brother when they were kids. Earnhardt Sr. once said he thought Kelley had more of what it takes to be a quality racer than any of his children, but Kelley opted for the business side of things.(Full story at ESPN.com ) AND Stefan Parsons always had racing on his mind. ‘I feel like its in my blood’ the 15-year-old Cornelius resident said. ‘I really wanted to do it.” Stefans father, Phil, and uncle, Benny, raced in NASCAR. So Stefan grew up around the sport and wanted to be part of the family business. In 2010, Stefan made his racing debut at Charlotte Motor Speedways Summer Shootout. He was hooked. ‘Its a lot of fun’ he said. ‘This is where everybody wants to come. Its the best competition in the U.S.” Phil Parsons has enjoyed seeing Stefan grow up as a driver. Stefan moved up to drive a Legends car this year after competing in the Bandolero divisions during the past three summers. ‘Hes obviously not been doing this long, but he has a pretty good head on his shoulders’ said the 1988 Winston 500 winner at Talladega. ‘Hes smart, he misses a lot of wrecks, but hes aggressive when time comes to be aggressive.” Stefan, a rising sophomore at SouthLake Christian Academy, tries to keep a cool head on the track. He said being patient can only make him a better driver. ‘It takes more talent to pass somebody without touching them’ he said. Phil doesnt know where Stefan gets that from. ‘Maybe from his uncle Benny’ he said. Benny, who passed away in 2007, saw plenty of success during his career, winning the 1975 Daytona 500 and 20 other races. ‘The Professor’ the 1973 Winston Cup champion, was named one of NASCARs 50 all-time greatest drivers in 1988.(full story at the Charlotte Observer )
