Rocky Point's Russell learns on the job

Rocky Point's Dege Russell, 37, is anything but a natural born racer. Twenty years ago, the casual NASCAR fan with no auto racing experience took in an evening at Riverhead Raceway.

"I just went to the track, saw the races and said, 'You know what? I'm going to do this,'" Russell said.

That summer, he found himself on the starting line of an 8-cylinder enduro race and finished seventh out of 120 competitors.

"I went out there my first race and was scared to death," Russell said. "I didn't know what was going to happen. I really thought I was going to crash hard, and that would be it. Little by little, I kept getting better."

Russell won his first race in 2007 and has slowly but surely become one of the raceway's top 8-cylinder enduro racers. He is second in the standings and has won three races this season, tying his career high.

The inexpensive 8-cylinder division has suited Russell, who is married with 5-year-old twins, Talen and Callie ("they're my biggest fans").

He said he bought his current race car for $500 five years ago and received a free engine after his brother's pickup truck rolled over in an accident.

The only expenses, he said, are gas and tires, the latter of which are about $120 apiece and last three to four races. That is a far cry from the tens of thousands of dollars and sponsorships required to race modifieds.

His racing style is more hunter than hunted.

"I like chasing the leader down," Russell said. "That's my favorite part of racing. And taking the checkered flag."

Russell will start in the pole position Saturday, aiming for win No. 4 on the year. Natural-born racer, he is not. But after a long career, he plans on racking up a few more wins.