By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

Auburn 12-year-old John Dubois Jr. sits behind the wheel of a 1985 Mustang stock car he built with his father, John Sr. The younger Dubois is joining the Thunder Lights racing group, and will enter his first race on Sunday, April 30, at Hudson Speedway.

They may not be as famous as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his late father, but 12-yearold John Dubois Jr. and his father are just getting into racing.

“It’s exciting,” said John Jr., a sixth-grader at Auburn Village School. “It could be 50 miles per hour.”

John Jr. is joining the Thunder Light division of racers at the Hudson Speedway. The group features drivers age 12 to 16, but John Jr. said he’s not nervous.

“He’s probably going to get tangled up with some guys who have a little more experience,” said John Sr. “But I’m not nervous. I’ve seen what he can do.”

John Sr. owns Auburn Power Equipment, and has for years worked on ATVs, tractors and other motorized vehicles. John Jr. has always been around the family business, and started getting comfortable behind the wheel at an early age.

“He’s been driving you-nameit since he was 2 years old,” said the older Dubois.

The pair deconstructed and have been rebuilding a 1985 Ford Mustang since last October. After countless hours of work, father and son have the now four-cylinder stock car ready for the raceway.

“He’s had a lot of bloody knuckles,” John Sr. said of his son’s work. “He’s impressed me in a lot of ways.”

Dubois said building the car has taught his son some lessons in patience.

“He wanted it to run before we did anything to it,” he said.

John Jr. plans to race the homemade car on most Sundays until the season ends in October, so the pair will invariably end up with more work.

“Every week there’s going to be something new to learn,” said John Sr., who’s never raced himself.

But the Dubois duo credited friends and neighbors Tim and Tom Joubert and Jim and Mary Hrubiec with helping John Jr. get this far – the Jouberts are a father and son duo into racing who inspired John Jr., and the Hrubiecs have been helping get detailing and sponsorship for the car.

The list of sponsors John Jr. will promote on race day already includes Manchester Auto Glass and the Manchester Wolves.

John Jr., who’s favorite drivers are Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. and Tony Stewart, said he’d like to be a mechanic when he grows up, but said he certainly wouldn’t be opposed to professional racing.