The kid was born to race. Shaun Hodgson was barely out of diapers when he first started displaying his need for speed. He had a pedal-powered mini-Corvette, and an electric mini­Indy Car, painted black like Michael Andretti’s.

He roamed around the big backyard, picturing himself taking the checkered flag in some imaginary race. He watched NASCAR on television with dad Bob — Shaun cheered for Jeff Gordon while Bob was an Erhardt Sr. guy.When the race was over and Shaun went upstairs to his room, he pulled out his Matchbox cars to replay the race.

The room was testimony to his passion, with model cars on the shelves and posters covering the walls. Even the blankets were NASCAR brand, proudly displaying the No. 24 made famous by Gordon.

When the Hodgson family went camping, other camp­ers would quickly notice the little kid wheeling non-stop around the grounds. Very early, it became apparent to Shaun’s mom, Jennifer, that her son had a certain fearless streak that all great racers possess.

“When he was four, he had a little bike with train­ing wheels,” she recalled. “We went for a walk one day, and there was a set of three or four stairs. Well, he just went down them like noth­ing. It bent the bike all out of shape and his helmet was half hanging off and I practi­cally had a heart attack, but he was laughing like it was the best thing in the world.”

When he was nine, he started racing soapbox rac­ers — whipping down hills in Abbotsford, Langley and Mission, competing against hundreds of like-minded kids. His soapbox was real­ly cool, painted black with flames down the sides.So, with all this in mind, what sort of career do you suppose Hodgson would prefer to pursue? Doctor? Nah! Laywer? Nuh uh! Race car driver? Oh yeah!

Starting on the bottom rung of the NASCAR ladder, Hodgson started driving go-karts in 2000 at George Fellner’s old track in Cultus Lake, and he moved over across the freeway when Fellner opened the current track behind Townsend Park.

After driving soapbox racers for so long, go-karts were a completely different animal. “That was my first true racing experience and it was awesome,” Hodgson said. “We were at the water-slides in Cultus Lake one day and we were driving home and saw the go-kart track. We went to watch a couple races, and from that point on, I wanted to do it. The races looked so close, competitive and fast.”

On the Chilliwack track, a go-kart can top out around 75 miles per hour on a straightaway, slowing down only slightly to take a corner. It is an adreneline rush. “At first it was scary and nerve-wracking,” Hodson said. “But after the nerves went away, I just drove.” And he got good. Really good. On the 2006 Coastal Kart Racing circuit, he was the overall winner, and he placed third in the B.C. Kart Club Association’s 124 spec regionals — he was the five weekends in a double­youngest competitor. header format.

 “I’m an aggressive driver with a heavy (foot  on the pedal),“Hodgson said with  a smile. “When things are going well, you just get into a zone. It feels fast, but it feels slow at the same time because you’re used to it. Someone driving for the first time would probably spin out pretty quick.”

Now, Hodgson’s caught the eye of the people  behind Stars of Canada  a televised go-kart racing series that will provide the type of exposure he just can’t get driving locally. “It’s five stops and 13 episodes televised nation wide, kind of a reality-TV style thing,” Hodgson explained. “First place in my class, the pro class, wins up to $50,000. Scouts and sponsors will be out there watching and they might be sitting up there saying, ‘This kid is fast, let’s grab him.’” The races will be held on five weekends in a doubleheader format. The venues, all on Ontario, are Bowmanville, Hamilton, Sutton, Stoufville and Innisfil  the first event is May 16-17 and the last is Sept. 19-20. “It’s going to be a good experience and I’m going to learn a lot,” Hodgson said. “There are going to be a lot of good drivers out there and I hope I can win it. I think I have a pretty good chance to be at least top three.” The reality-TV angle is interesting. Hodgson is a confident, but quiet, guy. But he’s never had to deal with a media spotlight of this sort. It is slated to be shown on either TSN or The Score, two widely viewed stations. When it will air is yet to be revealed. “It will be a little bit different,” he admitted. “Cameras or going to be everywhere and we’re going to be interviewed. But that’s what the NASCAR guys do at every race, so it’s something else I’ve got to learn to handle.” The Stars of Canada series will, hopefully, be a good stepping for Hodsgon, who needs to eventually fight his way up through the ranks of CASCAR (Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), where he will hopefully draw some attention. In a perfect world, he’ll quickly get into NASCAR’s Nationwide Series — the last minor-league stop before the big time. And then? Maybe one day lining up at Daytona next to Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevy Impala SS. “Definitely the Daytona 500,” Hodgson said, describing his perfect-world NASCAR debut. “Soaking the excitement of the crowd and having the jet planes fly overhead. Hearing them say, ‘Gentlemen, start your engines!’ And having Jeff Gordon next to me. That would be cool.”

Hodgson is looking for local sponsorship to help make all this happen. Getting to the Stars of Canada event presents a daunting financial burden. The organizers don’t pay airfare for the drivers, nor do they ante up for hotels, meals, the entry fee ($100), tires ($500 per race) and fuel ($60 per race). Anyone who would like to help a local kid out can contact Hodgson directly at 604-824-7916 (home) or 604- 302-7866.

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