Reno-Fernley Raceway's closing has brought many changes to racing in this area. One group feeling this effect is the growing class of Dwarf Cars that now are changing from a single track based division to a regional touring series.

Dwarf Car racer Joe Frock is looking forward to the challenges this provides him and his fellow drivers. Currently he's the Director of Operations at Wild Waters and has spent all but the first six years of his life in this area.

"Unfortunately I'm a Los Angeles native but when anyone asks me where I'm from, I tell them Nevada, Gardnerville, or Reno," he said.

Like many racers, he's following in his father's tire tracks.

"He was racing off-road cars, either short course or on the desert. It was more SCORE in Southern California but when we moved here he raced with VORRA," Frock said. "He was actually friends with the Mears gang and I have pictures of me with Rick's kids with boxes and pretending they were race cars."

Rick Mears not only was an off road champion but also later a many time Indy 500 winner.

With racing in his blood, it's no surprise that Frock began to compete at an early age.

"I started racing motorcycles when I was five at Indian Dunes down there," he said. "I pretty much raced motorcycles until I was 18 when, unfortunately, it was time to go off to college so I kind of hung it up for a little while."

During his growing up years, Frock also played traditional sports.

He played football, on a Pop Warner League team for a short time, but his two main sports were baseball and soccer.

"I ended up in high school doing skiing and soccer, where I was first team all-state and graduated from Douglas County High School in 1990," he said. "I actually went to UNLV then transferred to UNR where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and taught for seven years with the Washoe County School district."

During his college days, Frock used his summer breaks to return to racing.

"In 1992 and 1993 I raced Outlaw Karts, which was the first four-wheel racing I did as I'd come home in the summer time and race at Fuji Park," he said. "That's where I developed my love of dirt racing and I'd race like half the season and usually end up second in points."

Frock, who raced in the 250cc class, related the story of how he entered an open comp race where his kart had half the horsepower of the others. On dirt this can actually be an advantage as it allows the driver to get on the throttle quicker and use more of it.

"I started last in the heat and won it, then I won the trophy dash and ended up second in the main. Both my older brothers were in that heat race and I beat both of them and one brother still doesn't like to talk about racing," he said with a laugh.

From the Outlaw Karts, Frock ran a few races in a Sprint 100 car in 1994 but stopped driving all together from 1995 to 2001.

"In 2002 I jumped into a 360 USAC sprint and raced, I think, five races. This was on asphalt and most of them were at Carson," he said, "I did pretty good, had a few top 5's, set fast time one night and it was basically an old dirt car converted to pavement."

Then in 2004 Frock returned to the dirt driving an IMCA Modified at the now closed Reno-Fernley Raceway's clay oval.

"I had a pretty good year, won three races, was fourth in points and got Rookie-of-the-Year," he said. "Fourth at the two-day show there and second at the two-day show in Hawthorne."

The next year Frock won a couple of races and wound up second in points, at Fernley, behind Robert Miller, who helped ease the learning curve in driving one of these cars. It's a relationship that has turned into a friendship with Miller becoming a mentor to Frock.

"My third race ever in an IMCA Modified was my first win and Robert was there that night just watching," he said. "It impressed him so much he called me the next week and asked what kind of set up I had on the car since it looked so loose. I told him it was all over the place."

After Frock explained how his car was set up an amazed Miller said he couldn't believe that anyone could ever run up front let alone win as the car was actually set for either a very tacky track or asphalt.

"Yes, I bought the car and that's exactly how I ran it," Frock said. "I find out where it's going to go the fastest and that's where I kind of drive it."

Later that year Frock actually beat Miller, who is a very hard man to either catch or pass once he gets the lead.

"Miller went on to win seven straight and I finished second most of those," Frock said. "Hardly anyone ever passes him and I feel pretty proud that I've actually gotten past him. I've led a few races but very few as I can count them on one hand."

Even though Frock will focus on his Dwarf Car, he'll still drive on a part-time basis for Miller when an IMCA is available.

Something Frock credits as a key to his success is the different series and types of equipment he's driven during the time he was developing his racing skills.

"I was pretty comfortable going from an outlaw kart to a sprint car," he said. "I adapted quick because outlaw karts are so fast and they respond quickly. The biggest difference was the V-8 power."

His sprint car experience helped him transition into an IMCA Modified.

"Going into IMCA I would say having the throttle control from the 360's helped," he said. "I because on pavement, with all that power, you can break the tires loose. So a lot of times, especially at Carson, it was like driving on ice."

When it comes to getting through traffic, Frock uses his motocross experience.

"I pride myself on being able to come from the back to the front pretty easily, pretty clean and I think it all came from motocross," he said. "When it comes to setting people up for passing, motocross is probably the greatest experience you can get."

The next change for Frock came in 2006 when it appeared he had to give up racing.

"In 2006 I didn't have anything to drive and when Chris (Coclich) called and asked me to run one race, I said, 'sure, I'll drive anything with wheels on it,'" he said. "I did pretty good, finished fourth and Chris asked if I'd race it for the rest of the season."

After competing in the final three races in 2006 Frock was hooked and wanted to get a dwarf car as well as be part of the club.

A Dwarf Car is smaller than a Legends Car and uses a similar motorcycle engine and gearbox. Due to its power-to-weight ratio a Dwarf car can go deeper into the corners and the driver get on the throttle earlier than a person driving an IMCA can.

Unless there are sprint cars present, the only cars faster than the Dwarfs are the IMCA Modifieds.

Asked about the differences between the cars, Frock explained it's the reaction times but not really the speeds.

"You need to think quickly, very quickly in the Dwarf because it reacts so fast but you need to kind of be smarter in the IMCA because the cars react so slow you need to know what you're going to do a lot sooner," he said. "Getting that big load through a turn and getting it off is really a challenge. I only know a handful of people that can really get those cars (IMCA) to handle well, and in my mind, Robert Miller is pretty much a standout."

The Dwarf Car division is a close-knit group of competitors and all of them are willing to jump in and help each other. Something Frock learned when he first drove one of these little racers.

"I took it out for practice, came in and just asked Vukie (Wilson) what I can do," he said. "If he didn't start taking the tires off and adjusting the coils on the car with his own hands. The guys were loaning him air gauges, jacks, tools and anything he needed.

"It's a real tight group of people and that's probably the thing that interests me the most about the dwarf car guys. I felt accepted right away and as they're a neat group."

Like any small time racers Frock would like to have sponsors but as of now he's relying on team sponsors. They are Toybox Graphic and Design, 4M Promotions, RWW Fabrication, CGI Incorporated, Pizza Factory and BLT Ready Mix.

Like any racer, he doesn't go to an event alone. Up in the stands, in the family rooting section is his wife Erin and 2-year-old son Xavier, who Frock describes as crazy about cars.

He added that with the late announcement of RFR's closing the Dwarf's schedule is due to the efforts of one man.

"We're kind of lucky in the fact that we have Chris (Coclich) from Reno-Fernley Raceway on the board because we were actually only a week from setting our schedule with RFR when we got the news it was closing," he said. "Chris had to work fast and got us 11 point races and several non-point races. It's going to be interesting as we really never had to change gears before but now we'll probably be changing gears every few races."

After spending the last few years at RFR, Frock thinks this season will be very interesting for everyone and he's looking forward to the challenge.

"Personally, I really spent most of my recent experience at Fernley so I have a handful of experience at Fallon and I've never raced Lovelock, Winnemucca or Quincy," he said. "And I've only raced one time, in a Sprint 100, at Susanville."

In the 2008 schedule, which is at the end of this article, April is full of practice sessions so everyone can get familiar with running on tracks shorter than the one at RFR. Still Frock and others might get an early start this month.

"I'm ready to go and think a lot of use might try and to race at Placerville on March 15," he said.

For this local racer, 2008 will be a time of new experiences and he can hardly wait for the green flag to wave.

Anyone interested in the Dwarf Cars and their club should check out their Web site at www.dwarfsatrenotahoe.com.

•This Sunday, beginning around 10 a.m., Silver Peak MX kicks off its spring series at the Stead Motocross Track.

•2008 DART Schedule

April:

Saturday, April 5 - Practice Rattlesnake Raceway - Fallon

Saturday & Sunday, April 5,6 - Practice Nile Valley Raceway - Lovelock

Saturday, April 12 - Practice Rattlesnake Raceway - Fallon

Saturday, April 19 - Practice American Valley Speedway - Quincy, Calif.

May:

Saturday, May 10 - Rattlesnake Raceway - Fallon

Saturday, May 17 - American Valley Speedway - Quincy, Calif.

June:

Saturday, June 14 - Rattlesnake Raceway - Fallon

Saturday, June 20 - Winnemucca Regional Raceway - Winnemucca

July:

Friday, July 4 - Rattlesnake Raceway - Fallon

Saturday, July 5 - Nile Valley Raceway - Lovelock

Sunday, July 20 - Diamond Mountain Speedway - Susanville, Calif.

August:

Saturday, Aug. 2 - American Valley Speedway - Quincy, Calif.

Sunday, Aug. 17 - American Valley Speedway - Quincy, Calif.

September:

Friday, Sept. 19 - Practice Nile Valley Raceway - Lovelock

Saturday, Sept. 20 - Nile Valley Raceway - Lovelock

Sunday, Sept. 20 - Nile Valley Raceway, Lovelock