With Friday being Miller Lite Armed Forces Night at the [...]

It's not uncommon to see drivers barely old enough to legally drive on the street chasing their dreams of becoming a race car driver. We are fortunate to have many young and talented drivers who are regulars at Jacksonville Speedway. What's a little more uncommon - if not downright rare - is for a person to start chasing that dream at the age of 43 with a spouse, children and successful career. Mike Van Preter is one of those rare individuals. A few years ago he might have been sitting next to you in the grandstands while you both were thinking about how fun it would be to chase that dream of being behind the wheel. One night about three years ago, Mike bought his first pit pass after years of watching as a fan. That same night he strapped inside a UMP Modified and took the green flag in his first race. We spent a few minutes with Mike to learn a little more: Tell us a little about your family. I have an awesome wife, Jenny (she frequently tells me she’s awesome) and a two year old little boy-Max. How did you become interested in racing? My father loved racing and I started