All kinds of drivers race all kinds of vehicles at Thunderhill Raceway, a three-eighths of a mile sprint track behind a Hyundai dealership north of San Marcos. Many are amateur hobbyists who like the harsh scent of singed octane and the heavy push of G-forces in Turn One. Some are young and aspire to race at places like Texas Motor Speedway, Darlington and even Daytona. This is not that place. Photos by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

John Heil of Floorsville, left, and Morgan LeBaron, 19, of Bastrop, work on LeBaron's NASCAR Pro Truck before the races on Saturday May 7, 2011.

James Huff, 74, of Houston, pauses for the national anthem beside his Monte Carlo before the start of the races at Thunderhill Raceway. Huff has been racing since 1956.

Shawn Paul Lehman loses control during a heat race in the NASCAR A-Line Super Stocks division.

Jake Dallenbach gets congratulatory kisses from Samantha Vasquez, left, and Lauren Holt after a victory the Allison Legacy division.

Hunter Montgomery, 15, of St. Hedwig crashes into a barrier at high-speed during the Thunder Stocks division race. He rounded the first turn with a hung accelerator, locked his brakes and skidded through a patch of grass before slamming into the concrete barrier.

Montgomery is removed from his car after the crash. The boy went to the hospital with a sore neck. He returned before the races ended, to watch.

Megan Barker, 10, Jocelyn Williams, 18, Jessica Hogan 10, Nikki Kruger 15, and Kristen Johannsen, 18, watch the action at Thunderhill Raceway.

Racers in the Allison Legacy division roar past the grandstand.

For five-year-old Tate McBride, the noise is a bit much, but that’s one the the attractions for many - along with the risk.