Jon Herring Jr. was on cloud nine Saturday as he celebrated his 20th birthday at Enid Speedway Park.

“I’d rather be here than anywhere else in the world,” said Herring. “The last time I raced on my birthday I was competing in go-carts at Clinton and won two features. Hopefully, I’ll have a great run tonight.”

The Woodward racer has been battling on dirt tracks since his go-karts race when he was only 5 years old. For the next seven years of his life, this successful hot shoe chased checkered flags all over the South, notching several sanctioned championship titles onto his belt.

The highlight of his go-cart career was winning the Tri-State race in Dodge City, Kan., when he was 12 years old.

“I was fast and good, but so was my sister Natasha,’’ Herring said. “In fact, she was my only competition at times.”

Herring, who competes in modifieds, is continuing a family legacy in racing. His father, Jon Herring Sr., has been a contender for nearly a quarter of the century in street stock and his grandfather, Jon Herring, competed for a decade in the 1970s at Crystal Beach Speedway in Woodward.

“I love racing,” said Herring. “I especially love the adrenaline rush; you don’t get it anywhere else you go. I also enjoy the competition and atmosphere at the track.”

Herring competed in football, basketball, soccer, wrestling and track at Woodward High School.

He has conquered the competitive division on the Garfield County Fairgrounds track this season, posting two “A” feature wins and is second in the point standings merely 20 points out of the lead.

Herring is skilled behind the wheel and under the hood. Herring, who recently completed the Automotive Service program at High Plains Technology Center, has built 15 race cars over the past three years.

“I learned a lot about cars from my instructor, Vic Terbusch,” said Herring. “He was an awesome teacher and mentor. ‘’

Herring’s fast ride sports a Hughes Chassis and is powered by a motor machined by the O’Reilly Machine Shop in Springfield, Mo.

Team sponsors include DWL Sales and Supply, Justin Thompson Welding, Mike’s Welding, Hughes Race Cars, Herring Services, MRP Parts and Supplies and his grandfather.

Herring’s father heads up the team as pit crew chief. Herring’s mother, sister, grandfather and Dusty Robbins round out the team.

“I appreciate all of their help,” said Herring. “Racing has been a family affair my entire life. I sincerely want to thank my mom and dad for their support and encouragement. I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Herring has high aspirations for both his racing and professional career.

“My long term goal is to go as far as I can in the sport,” said Herring. “Short term I hope to win at least five more features this season. Within the next few days I hope to make the difficult decision about which college to attend. I had planned on traveling to North Carolina to go to a school that specializes in training mechanics for NASCAR.

“However, with the recession’s impact on professional racing, I’ll probably attend Oklahoma State University’s engineering program or the General Motors accredited program at OSU-Okmulgee.”



Licklider is the News & Eagle racing writer