Devin O'Connell, 9, with his Wild Thing Kart. He wanted to race ever since he was five and he saw one of his friends, a girl, racing. His family finally agreed when he was 9 years old. Photo courtesy of Sean O'Connell

Devin O'Connell, when he was 9 years old Photo courtesy of Sean O'Connell

A Wild Thing Karts race Photo courtesy of Sean O'Connell

Devin O'Connell in his Wild Thing Kart, when he was 9 years old. Photo courtesy of Sean O'Connell

Jake Matheson, 15, with Devin O'Connell, 20, and Keith Matheson, Jake's dad. Devin is mentoring and coaching Jake, who also is a race car driver. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Devin O'Connell, 20 Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

The side of Devin O'Connell's super late model race car. The black marks are from the tires of other cars that bumped up against his car, at speeds exceeding 80 to 100 miles per hours, in past races. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Team O'Connell includes, from bottom left, spotter 17 year-old Sydney Clark, driver 20 year-old Devin O'Connell, Keith Matheson, 17 year-old Charlie Cohen, Sean O'Connell, and Jake Matheson, 15. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Sydney Clark, center, talks with the general manager of the New London Waterford Speedbowl, Mike Serluca. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

From left, Jake Matheson, Charlie Cohen, and Devin O'Connell Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Sean O'Connell, left, and Sydney Clark talk numbers while fine tuning the car for the upcoming race. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Sydney Clark, Team O'Connell's spotter, center. Clark, who studies automotive technology and service at Vinal Tech in Middletown, is a gifted mechanic-in-training, and was recently accepted to attend the University of Northwestern Ohio to study automotive and high performance cars, along with automotive business and management. She also became Devin’s girlfriend several months after they met. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Mike Serluca, left, the general manager of the New London Waterford Speedbowl, talks with the drivers and their teams, letting them know there will be a 2019 season at the speedbowl, something that had been in doubt. His announcement was met with cheers. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Devin O'Connell, right outside the car, coaches Jake Matheson, in the cockpit, passing on the finer points of how to shift and handle the car. O'Connell is both coach and mentor to Matheson, who also is a race car driver. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Carrie Kelly, an administrator for the Granite State Pro Stock Car Series, makes sure everyone is well fed with a crockpot of mac and cheese, and InstaPot with meatballs and kielbasa, and, on the counter behind her, dozens of cupcakes. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Sean O'Connell working on his son Devin's car, moments before the drivers are scheduled to line up for the final championship race. Concerned that the car wasn't getting high enough RPMs off the corners, he had just installed a new final drive, a gear in the rear differential. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Devin O'Connell Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Sean O'Connell, standing, waits with his son Devin, in the cockpit, as drivers line up before entering the track. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

The spectators start arriving around 10 a.m., and some will not move, except for a pit stop to the bathroom or snack bar, for the entire day and into the night. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

A spectator Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Charlie O'Connell, a member of the Team O'Connell pit crew, working on the headsets that will keep the team connected while the race is ongoing. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

The flagmen Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Devin O'Connell's car (the black and yellow one) as the final championship race starts up. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Devin O'Connell's car, with its nose cut off, and the engine held together by Duct Tape and zip ties. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

The seven car crash Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

Devin O'Connell and Sydney Clark Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source