Rhodes Scholar: Grading On A Curve

He casually explains that he is mentally psyching himself up to knock out a few hours of make-up work because he missed several classes over the past week. The extra work isn’t a punishment for misbehaving in class or for extra credit. But while his peers were going over last night’s algebra homework, Rhodes was doing what he loves most – racing on the track.

In A Clinch
If Rhodes finishes P13 or better Saturday, then he clinches the title

Rhodes competed in his first race at 7 years old.

The results weren’t pretty.

“I was not good,” he admits between laughs. “My parents bought this go-kart to run. I watched my older brother drive and decided I wanted to be a part of it too. I went out (to Sportsdrome-Speedway), went several laps down and was run over by the leader. I wanted to quit but was too scared to tell my dad because he just bought this go-kart, so I gave it another week and started to like it. Ever since then it’s been what I’ve loved.”

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Fast forward to 2014.

The 17-year-old NASCAR K&N Pro Series East driver has made a name for himself after capturing his first checkered flag at Greenville Pickens Speedway in March. He kept the winning streak going at Iowa Speedway and the famed Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in May and then carried the streak into June with wins at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, and Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia.

There’s no arguing that the Louisville, Kentucky native has had an explosive season, which he attributes to his determination to learn and improve.

“I stayed the entire summer in Mooresville, North Carolina and was in the shop every day with my team,” he said. “I was there as long as they were, from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day working on the cars. It’s definitely made me a better racer. I understand the car more and my feedback [to my team on the track] is way better than when I started the summer.”

When he isn’t studying to maintain an impressive 4.0 grade point average or building up his cardio in a cross fit session, Rhodes kicks up his feet in front of the TV like any normal teenager, catching up on episodes of Family Guy or playing video games. His favorite is Battlefield 4. He spent Labor Day weekend in-door rock climbing with friends and wants to take up cycling once he finds a buddy to ride with. He read 1984 this summer as required by school, chews gum in class and watches James Bond movies with his dad.

While he indulges all of the pleasures of your typical high school senior, this NASCAR Next competitor’s mind is fixed on racing. 

“I don’t look at the short-term,” he said when describing how he mentally prepares for a race. “I do what I can do [on the track] and try not to worry about anything else. I focus on my line and my groove. Last year, I never really qualified too well because I was so worried about getting a spot up front. I started taking the pressure off of myself. Do your best and forget the rest. Ever since then, I’ve had very good qualifying positions.”

With a lofty 65-point-lead over second-place Cameron Hayley, it’s understandable that Rhodes isn’t too worried about numbers heading into the Greenville 140.

“Midway through the year, we needed to step back and just maintain our points lead,” said Rhodes. “Now, there’s no holding back. We’ve got a nice points gap and I think Greenville Pickens is going to be a great race for us. I’ve always had a good history at that track and I feel like we’ve got a good shot to win the race and we’re going to take the chance.”

Sources: Amaris Noble, NASCAR PR