A trip around the Kansas Speedway track sitting next to NASCAR driver Adam Clarke going close to 170 mph made a believer out of Baldwin 13-year-old Wesley Callahan in more ways than one.

“All I could say was, ‘Wow,'” said Callahan, who had never before been in race car, much less one screaming around the oval at those kinds of speed. “It was pretty exciting.”

Baldwin's Wesley Callahan, left, gives a thumbs-up after a hot lap with Adam Clarke.

And, no, if you’re asking, he wasn’t apprehensive.

“I wasn’t scared,” said Callahan, who attends Baldwin Junior High School.

Callahan’s three laps around the Speedway track on May 5 resulted from a promotional weekend at NASCAR’s newest venue. Actually, his parents, Mike and Joyce Callahan, were invited for the special event.

The younger Callahan thought about not going because he didn’t really expect much fun.

“At first, I didn’t want to go because it was a thing for adults,” he said.

The teen-ager hadn’t really been much of a race fan up until then, either, but the trip with Clarke, an Australian driver, might have changed that.

“I would watch racing, but I didn’t have pictures of NASCAR drivers on any wall,” said Callahan, adding that he pays more attention to racing on TV now. “I still haven’t got any posters, but I do try to watch it.”

But that Sunday’s events also helped confirm some lessons he’d already learned about telling the truth and fulfilling commitments.

The promotional event was to begin at 11 a.m. But, Callahan was to serve communion at Annunciation Catholic Church, with a start time of 10:30 a.m. Instead of finding someone else to fill in, he kept his commitment. That meant the Callahans didn’t leave Baldwin until after 11:30 a.m.

That was their first break. Because of the late start, they didn’t have to fight the traffic associated with such Speedway events. They drove right in.

“We went to church and were late,” he said. “Yes, going to church paid off.”

Then, when they got there, one of the drawings for the “hot laps,” those three trips around the Speedway with a professional driver, was held. Callahan’s number was called. But, there was a restriction on winners. They had to at least be 14 years of age. He was a year short.

He and his parents discussed it on the way to checking in and the suggestion was made to say he was 14. He said no, he wouldn’t lie. So, they decided if they wouldn’t let him go, Joyce would go instead. Then, when they got there, they told the person the story.

“They said, ‘You’re taller than your mom anyway, so go ahead,'” Callahan said, admitting that he had a lesson confirmed by the honesty. “It’s better to tell the truth and be safe and not lie and get hurt or be in trouble.”

Despite his age, he got the hot lap. He was put in a racing firesuit and helmet and was strapped and latched into the car, much to his mother’s relief. Off he went down the Speedway track for those three laps, which his mother said took 45 seconds apiece. She was keeping a close count.

Callahan was all smiles when he was done. He even tried to get his dad to “punch it” on the way home. He liked the speed and the excitement and would crawl back in a race car again.

“It was exhilarating,” he said.