Like most children who grew up in a religious family, Dan Charles spent his Sunday mornings in a place of worship. However, unlike a typical church, Charles’ place of worship came equipped with three walls, a large door and a tool bench that ran from wall to wall.

Charles’ holy place was his father’s garage, and from an early age the younger Charles learned the ins and outs of racing. “It was almost like a religion,” Charles said. “You race. That’s what you do and that’s who you are.”

On some levels, even that is an understatement. Dan is the latest in a long line of Charles racers. His father, Tom, is one of the better known racers in the area, and his grandfather, Harry, was the one who introduced Tom to racing.

For the past several years, the trio of Charles racers have helped each other every step of the way. But while Harry is no longer racing and Tom continues to be a contender in every race he enters, Dan is just beginning to make his move to the front of the pack.

Last year was Dan’s rookie season on the factory stock car circuit. Every weekend he raced his purple and yellow, No. 81 car at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., and Heartland Park in Topeka. By the end of the season, Dan had pulled off a feat that had never been accomplished. Not only was he named rookie of the year at both tracks, but he was also the track champion at both venues, accumulating the most points during the season.

“As far as we know, that’s the first time that’s ever happened,” Charles said. “We don’t have the records that go back 60 years, but we’ve never heard of it happening.” Chances are, if it had ever happened, Tom would’ve heard of it.

After earning two big honors as a rookie, Dan chose to try his luck elsewhere during his second season. While he continued to race in the factory stock circuit, he also decided to take a shot at the Midwest Outlaw Lightning Sprint league, a league known for its wild races and lightning fast cars.

In the beginning, most of the MOLS drivers weren’t too excited to see Charles make the transition. “A factory stock driver with one year of experience doesn’t belong in a sprint car,” Charles said. “They’re complete opposites of each other.” Despite the dramatic difference in size, speed and design of the cars, Charles said the transition was actually easier than most would expect.

“They’re so far apart you don’t have to make adjustments because they’re completely different classes,” Charles added.

Charles’ only adjustment was becoming a rookie again. Because the sprint cars are so delicate, one tap or one bump from another car can send a car spinning out of control. Because the veteran drivers perceive rookies to be careless and hazardous, they make them start in the back and they tie what’s known as a rookie ribbon to the backs of their cars, so other drivers know to watch out for them.

From the back of the 30-car field, Charles raced his way up to seventh place in his first-ever MOLS race before running out of fuel and not finishing the race. After the race was over, Charles was honored like no MOLS driver before Bob Douglas, the MOLS president walked over to Charles’ black, green and yellow, No. 81 car, and tore the rookie ribbon from the back of it.

“He came over to me and ripped that thing off and said, ‘Son, I’m going to let you mingle with the big boys,'” Charles said. “I was so excited because I expected to have it for the rest of the year. For them to tear it off was neat, but also kind of nerve-racking.”

Charles said starting in the back of the pack kept him calm, but because he was no longer considered a rookie he was allowed to start in the position he earned, with drivers in front of him, behind him and next to him.

It doesn’t bother him though. After all, he’s been learning how to race since before he could walk after sitting through so many of his dad’s races and so many more of his own, Charles said he feels like he’s learned a lot. “As many races as I’ve seen in my life, I’ve almost seen it all,” Charles said. “I just always try to do what my dad tells me to do, which is stay calm, run my own race and be smart.”

On the dash board of Dan’s stock car is a strip of duct tape with two words inscribed in black magic marker. Those two words are the ones his father has told him all of his life, “Be Smart.” “My dad always tells me, ‘to finish first, first you have to finish,” Charles said. That sounds like the first line in the Charles’ racing bible.