Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Coronado teen races into Speed Truck Challenge Series

Branden Underwood

Richard Brian

Branden Underwood, 15, a Coronado sophomore, poses for a photo in his garage with the Dodge Dakota that he races in the American Speed Association’s Speed Truck Challenge Series.

Related link

While all of his friends are waiting for the day they get their driver's license, 15-year-old Branden Underwood is taking his Dodge Dakota beyond 100 mph in the American Speed Association's Speed Truck Challenge Series.

Though he's too young to possess a learner's permit, the Coronado sophomore competed in his first event of the series on Oct. 18. He took 15th out of 17 teenage drivers by finishing 100 laps at Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., in 16.55 seconds per lap.

"I started at the back of the pack and had to try to catch up but, mainly, I'm just happy I finished," Underwood said. "This was the biggest race I've ever been in. I just wanted to finish and have a good race so I'm happy with how I did. I still can't really believe I'm at this level."

Underwood started racing go-karts at age 7 and collected 101 top five finishes and 21 first place finishes in seven years of competition. He earned a World Karting Association Grand National Championship at the Junior level in 2005.

Following his dream of one day becoming a NASCAR driver, Underwood moved up to speed cars where he hopes to see similar success.

"If you want to go into NASCAR this is a good place to start," he said. "It's a lot of fun but it's tough, too. You go into curves at 70 mph and you have other trucks side-by-side with you the whole way. I've never been in a race that (difficult) before."

Underwood's mother, Kerri Underwood, was impressed by how well her son adapted to the higher intensity series. She said the circuit is more professional and includes autograph sessions and interviews.

"It's exciting. He's learning a lot that will help him prepare for the future," Kerri Underwood said.

After years of watching his son drive, Branden Underwood's father, Keith Underwood, said he's seen his son develop a sharp mind when he's on the track.

"Branden is smart and his moves are calculated when he's behind the wheel," Keith Underwood said. "He's not a loose cannon out there. He really thinks about what he wants to do and how he can do it."

With an average cost of $3,700 per race and 14 races in a series, the Underwoods can only cover so much and have become reliant on sponsors to help keep their son competitive. The young driver is sponsored by Terrible Herbst, Prestige Plumbing and Star Nursery .

"We give him all the support we can but he couldn't race without his sponsors," Kerri Underwood said. "It can get pretty costly. His sponsors cover about half the cost. He's been fortunate to find the ones he has because of his experience."

While some parents might cringe at the thought of their children driving at such high speeds, Kerri Underwood said she finds the speed trucks safer than the karts her son used to race.

"Coming from karts with no strap or seat belt, his truck is much safer," she said. "Now he's enclosed inside, with a harness and roll bar and a seat custom made to fit his body. I don't have to worry."

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy