Driving at 130 mph: all in a day's work.

Joe Henderson III of Franklin, Tenn., started driving go-carts when he was 7. Now 19, he's a stock-car racer who dreams of winning the Nextel Cup and is starting his second season with Drive for Diversity, the NASCAR-backed program that supports promising minority racers. Henderson spoke to Upfront about his passion for racing.

Growing up, has racing always been your dream? Yeah, I got it from my dad. He always took me to the racetrack ... and as I kept watching and getting older, I kept on begging dad more and more to get me a go-cart so I could start racing myself.

What are you training for now?

I'm getting ready for the next season ... and just getting in physical shape.... Many people say racing's not a sport. It really is a sport. You get inside a car and the car is like 130 degrees. It's cooking in there ... and you're going to need that conditioning and that stamina to keep on going.

What goes through your head as you're racing?

You need 100 percent focus to be on the racetrack and to make sure you don't wreck.

Is there a lot of danger involved?

Oh yeah, I know it's out there, that you could die out there in the race car, but I try to put myself in good equipment ... to eliminate the possibility.