CLAYPOOL HILL, VA :: Fans who watch Kres VanDyke race each weekend at Kingsport Speedway probably have no idea what he goes through each week just to make it to the track.

Even VanDyke himself at times wonders how he does it, but so far he has been able to find a balance between family time with wife Erin, managing a challenging job and his performance on the race track.

VanDyke spends what little free time he has working on his race car away from his full-time job and that’s paying dividends as the Pounding Mill, Va. driver is currently leading the NWAAS Tennessee state point standings. He is also leading the weekly points at his home track, Kingsport Speedway, where he holds an 88-point lead over second place driver Chad Finchum.

“I couldn’t do what I do now without the support of my wife Erin,” VanDyke proudly states. “If I didn’t have her support there is no way I could get it all done and be successful.”

While most racers work a full-time job and race – VanDyke certainly has a unique situation.

VanDyke’s ‘regular’ job involves working conditions that most people can only imagine, yet he does it five or six times a week and still manages to race two if not three times a weekend.

“The job I get paid to do is pretty dangerous in the mines and I have 21 miles of mines that I look after to make sure they are safe and prepared each night,” VanDyke said. “The conditions 2,000-feet underground can be pretty harsh. You have extreme heat and cold and sometimes you are working in water up to your chest. But I do that so I can have the resources to go race.”

While working in the coal mines for Consol Energy on third shift, VanDyke often goes from work to his small garage which means he often stays awake for 30-36 hours straight if not longer, but Vandyke wouldn’t have it any other way.

Many drivers work in fields such as a mechanic, salesman or public service, VanDyke’s career certainly is unique and with the challenging hours, finding time to work on his race car often means sacrifices in time with his family and something everyone needs – sleep.

“I stay pretty tired and work a lot of hours without much sleep, but I work hard so I can put everything I can in to my race car and go for the wins,” VanDyke said. “We don’t have a lot of the bells and whistles other teams do, but we find a way to get it done. I have a couple of friends who help me out, but a lot of the time I am in the garage working by myself.”

Those long hours can make for a challenging week. VanDyke works the mines and goes directly home to work on the race car and usually loses track of time and finds himself taking a quick ‘power nap’ just before heading back in to work for the next night’s shift.

“I can tell you there has been several times I have fallen asleep in the garage, but you do what you have to do sometimes,” Vandyke said.

In an era when many teams are buying new cars every year and have the resources to hire several crew members and dedicate time to their weekly car, VanDyke is proving good old-fashioned hard work and dedication by a competitor pays dividends.

VanDyke takes meticulous care of his race car and he has to because he still drives – and wins – in a 2002 Townsend car and his efforts with his 12-year old car has paid off so far at Kingsport Speedway. With three weeks remaining in the season where he has five wins, 16 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes in 17 starts to lead the standings over Finchum.

What drives VanDyke to work his demanding schedule is his passion for the sport which he was introduced to by a friend over 15 years ago.

“When I started racing in 1998, I just fell in love with it after a friend of mine got me in a Mod-4 car at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va.,” he said. “I won 15 of 18 races that year and won my first title at 2000. I was hooked from then on.”

VanDyke moved up to late Models and then decided to begin competing at other tracks as well including the annual Late Model Stock event at Martinsville where he finished a career-best second in 2003. While VanDyke was winning races over a decade ago, he decided to take a break from racing to start his own business.

“I stepped back and focused on my businesses because I feel that I am an entrepreneur,” VanDyke stated. “I did that for a while and then decided to get back into racing when I had the chance.”

When he decided to get back in the race car, he knew it would be a challenge with his job responsibilities and the risks he takes with both each week.

“What I do every day in the mines is pretty dangerous and can be very stressful,” VanDyke said. “It is all worth it though to be able to do something I love which is racing stock cars. It is not just a hobby it’s a way of life for me.”

One thing VanDyke wants known is his dedication to his racing, job and family.

“At first it was a little difficult balancing my time, but with Erin’s support we’ve made it work,” VanDyke said. “If you want to be a champion in this sport you have to look at it as more than a hobby or a place to go have fun. I use up my vacation time to race and I want this sacrifice to mean something.”

Like many racers, Vandyke doesn’t like to talk about what might happen until the final checkered flag of the season flies and the championship is complete, but the second-generation driver admits winning a NASCAR title would be something special.

“This is the hardest I have worked in my life for anything and to be able to come to Charlotte as the Tennessee champion in the NWAAS would mean the world to me and my family,” VanDyke said. “I can’t think of a better feeling I would have inside than to be able to take Erin to Charlotte and celebrate winning this after working and sacrificing so hard all year to make it happen.”

The top three in the national standings, as well as state and province champions, track champions, top finishers in the Div. II-V and special award winners, will be honored at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards in December at the NASCAR Hall of Fame / Charlotte Convention Center on Friday, Dec. 12.

VanDyke has three more weeks to count the points and see where everything stands after the season for the NWAAS ends on Sept. 21st.