At 10 years old, Macray Urish is already driving.

If that sounds a little off, it’s because Macray isn’t the kind of driver who gets free reign of his parents’ car on Saturday nights.

Though he will not have a license for another six years, driving is Macray’s sport.

Macray is a Quarter Midget car racer, which is extremely rare in Lawrence.

In fact, Macray and his cousin, Mackinzie, are the only kids in town who race Quarter Midget cars.

Although there are 30-35 tracks nationwide, there are none located in Lawrence. Because of that, Macray and McKenzie have their home track in Topeka.

In spite of the lack of area opportunities in their sport, the Urish family has a long racing tradition.

Macray’s father, Mike Urish, said he and all his siblings did Quarter Midget racing when they were kids.

“We’ve been in one type of racing or another all our lives,” Urish said.

Now he has gotten the next generation involved in the racing series designed specifically for kids aged 5-16.

The Quarter Midgets of America official website said the cars are the size of actual midget racers, and the tracks are 1/20th of a mile.

Urish said the cars are “beginner racing cars for people who want to go on to race sprint cars and NASCAR.”

Jeff Gordon, NASCAR driver, is one of many famous graduates of Quarter Midget racing.

The sport is more popular nationwide than the minimal area activity would suggest. At last summer’s nationals in Topeka, 700 cars entered the competition.

And as Macray gets older, Urish said the family travels to more events and goes farther away.

They spent last weekend in Illinois racing on a dirt track, and in a few weeks, they will make a trip to Las Vegas.

Urish said they weren’t necessarily the best car on the track at any given point, but that it wasn’t all about winning.

“When we first started, we tore a lot of stuff up,” Urish said. “There were a lot of wrecks.”

In last weekend’s race in Illinois, Macray ran at the front and had a chance to win before slipping back a few spots near the end of the race.

Urish said for now, they are happy with the fact that they are running a little better and finishing more races.

“We compete real hard,” Urish said.

Macray also plays baseball and basketball, but he has been racing for two years. He said he loved everything about the sport, especially the fact that nobody else from his school does it.

He does have plenty of racing friends, though.

Urish said the characteristic that made Quarter Midgets different from other sports was the camaraderie.

He compared racing with other sports and said that with Quarter Midgets, competitors didn’t just “show up, warm up, play the game and go home.”

“In Quarter Midget racing, the whole family shows up for a daylong event,” Urish said. “When the kids get done with a race, they get out of the car and run around and play football. Then they have another race, then get out and play again.”

That’s one reason Macray likes having his cousin racing with him.

“She’s someone to play with,” Macray said.

The elder Urish said the family involvement and friendship among familiar racers plays a big part in good sportsmanship.

Safety is also a point of emphasis in Quarter Midget racing. The cars, though similar in appearance to go-karts, have full roll cages and safety harnesses.

“We have to wear a fire suit and helmet,” Macray said.

Quarter Midget racing has fewer injuries than little league football, the QMA site said.

Though a car can cost as much as $6,000, Urish said there are sponsorships that can help combat the expenses.

For more information on Quarter Midget racing and how to get involved, log on to www.quartermidgets.org.