Beatty in high-speed pursuit at Riverhead

Officer John Beatty Jr. seems to find himself in a high-speed chase almost every week. No sirens or roadblocks, though. These are Saturdays at Riverhead Raceway.

For 14 years, Beatty has been a Rockville Centre police officer, but his weekends the last two years have belonged to the racetrack. The Merrick resident moonlights as a driver, appearing in 18 races per year on Riverhead's Modified circuit, where he is fourth in the points standings. Beatty will compete in Saturday's event.

"I've always been passionate about racing," said Beatty, 35, who said he used to race go-karts as a kid. "It's something me and my dad do together."

The family influence is heavy. His father, John Sr., runs their racing team, which is sponsored by area businesses. Beatty got into racing in 2008 as "an expensive hobby" and competed in Riverhead's Legends division. He made the jump to Modified last year, won his 14th race and finished sixth in the standings to earn Rookie of the Year.

Beatty said being a police officer is "fulfilling" and "gives you the opportunity to help people," but said racing "puts me in a different place" and is a temporary escape.

The getaway vehicle is his No. 14 Spafco modified, in which he has been able to avoid any considerable wrecks -- half the battle at Riverhead's quarter-mile track. Last Saturday's race had 10 cautions and four red flags.

"Everything just happens so fast there," Beatty said. "You're basically spending three seconds on each part of the track. A lot of it is luck plus talent."

He seems to have both, And doesn't plan on slowing down. "I'm gonna do this for as long as I can," Beatty said. "Every year, every day, I'm getting more involved."