Need For Speed
Edited by: Ioana Florescu
Reported by: Kelly Crull

MOBERLY, MO. (July 12, 2006) - After chasing his dream for 20 years, Moberly's Danny Lorton could join Columbia's Carl Edwards on the NASCAR circuit.
Lorton hopes to climb out of his late-model car and into a newer, faster car for NASCAR's Busch Series.

"I started back in the 1980s drag racing and then, late '80s, early '90s, got into mud track racing and demolition derby but it got a little expensive," he recalled.

Lorton hopes to become a NASCAR driver through the "Racin' for a Livin'" contest. Out of thousands of applicants, he was one of 20 who got a wild card to compete for a NASCAR Busch Series ride.

"I'll be a whole new learning curve as far as the racing part of it," he admitted. "I've never driven on asphalt in my life. I've only been on dirt, other than the drag race trip, and that's the only asphalt I've ever run."

But, the contest is more than just racing, including how many fans vote for Lorton to become a NASCAR Busch Series racer. To continue in the contest, Lorton will need enough votes to rank in the top five of wild-card drivers.