NASCAR's Little League: Interview with Oscar Nominee Director of 'Racing Dreams'

Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, amongst many others, did not just jump in a 900-horsepower stock car one day and decide to make it a career.

Rather, they started racing go-karts at a young age. Gordon's family even moved from California to Indiana to pursue his future endeavors as a youth.

The environment today is quite similar, and perhaps even more intense than before NASCAR exploded into the American mainstream. The World Karting Association is serious business, and these kids know it.

It is Little League for youngsters who dream of driving stock cars for a living.

Marshall Curry's documentary Racing Dreams, executive produced by Duane "The Rock" Johnson, follows three aspiring youngsters as they attempt to pursue racing as a profession, rather than just a hobby.

The film, released in 2009, is set to make its television debut in the PBS series POV on February 23rd. Curry, as a filmmaker, is no slouch: He is on the ballot this year for an Academy (Oscar) Award for his more recent documentary If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front.

Racing Dreams is a great film for any racing fan. It details the sacrifice, dedication and tribulation that all must coagulate in order for any aspiring youngster to make it to the professional levels of NASCAR.

Curry, admittedly, was not much of a racing fan before he began the project. However, during the making of the film, his alacrity grew for the sport.

When asked who his favorite driver is, he responded, "probably Tony Stewart." He elaborated that his (at the time of the filming) infant son had an orange, No. 20 pacifier. In 2007, Stewart drove the No. 20 under the primary sponsorship of Home Depot.

Anyone who has seen Steve James' 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams about basketball will appreciate Racing Dreams. Curry certainly has watched it and described that film as, "the greatest documentary ever."

Though the children's environments are completely different from inner-city Chicago's Hoop Dreams setting (two are from rural North Carolina, one is from the suburbs of Flint, Mich.), some similar themes are explored.

Jeff Gordon is featured in one scene where Josh, one of the film's subjects, gets the chance to ask questions to his hero at Sprint Cup race.

Even though Gordon was busy signing other autographs, he did take the time to answer Josh's questions, even though his answers were a bit short on detail.

No matter, Josh is thrilled by the whole affair, nonetheless.

And this is the essence of the movie. It shows younger viewers the hard road that a dream can pave when finances prohibit/hinder participation, while simultaneously reminding adults of a time in their youth when they dared to dream, unencumbered the ramifications of said dream.

Either way, it is a film with heart: it both breaks and warms.

David DeNenno is a Featured Columnist with Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand by the author.