Points leader Rogers showing mental toughness

In drivers' education, youngsters are taught to hold their hands at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock on the steering wheel to remain in proper control of the car.

Tom Rogers Jr. of Patchogue doesn't have that luxury.

Rogers, 32, broke his right wrist five weeks ago when his wheel jerked during a tangle with another car. It'll be in a cast for the rest of the season. But Rogers can't take any time off, after all, he's leading the NASCAR modifieds - Riverhead Raceway's premier class - by 20 points with five races to go.

"Being as though I'm leading points, I can't stop now," Rogers said. "I have a responsibility to my sponsors."

Rogers, the 2004 modified champion, said he uses his right arm only to shift, which leaves his left arm to do the steering. And in true racing fashion, he says the pain is just a "little uncomfortable."

What makes Rogers even more unique is his heavy workload. This season he's won races in three classifications - modifieds, legends and figure eights, which he picked up only after his buddy Ralph Tasso suffered a heart attack and had to stop racing.

"Anything I've ever raced, I've ran in multiple divisions," said Rogers, who won the figure eight title in 2002 and 2003 and late models in 2008. "Instead of sitting around, I get to learn about the track more racing around it. It keeps me warmed up."

But doesn't he get fatigued?

"The heat does get to you once in a while, mentally beating you up," Rogers said begrudgingly. "But your mind is constantly going. Once they drop the green flag, you really don't notice it."

Rogers, who went to school for engineering, is also a master at working on cars. But he said at this point in the season, that skill has been neutralized because everyone's had the opportunity to make their car better.

Said Rogers: "It gets competitive at the end of every season. It might get a little more cutthroat."