The strength and glory of the many athletic teams at Penn State overshadow the many smaller sports that its students participate in. Among us is another champion — a champion in sports car racing.

The first time Herb Sweeney IV climbed into a go-kart, he was at the ripe age of 12, with the encouragement of his father who instilled his love for racing into his son. Sweeney's father, Herb Sweeney III, had originally raced motorcycles when he was his son's age, but had to give up the sport when little Herb was born. Sweeney and his father raced go-karts together until Sweeney was ready to race cars. Sweeney, who raced Yamaha 100 cc pipe sprint go-karts during high school, began driving in competitive races his freshmen year of high school. Six years later, he had won over 75 races and four points championships.

"Racing is similar to a constant adrenaline rush," Sweeney said. "The typical sports lost their excitement."

Sweeney's father, who travels with him to every race, has the opportunity to observe his son when he's racing. They communicate throughout the race over the radio with the elder Sweeney pushing his son on and giving him his positions during the race.

"He stays calm during any race. There's a confidence about him that's unique. Even something as dangerous as carting doesn't scare him," Herb IV said.

Sweeney was recently issued a professional license by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).

\He made his professional debut in October of 2000, placing eighth out of 32 cars at Lime Rock Park, Conn.

Most recently, this season Sweeney has run a partial pro series schedule. Tracks on his list of sights include the Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, the Mosport International Raceway in Ontario and the Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Va. All of these courses are road courses as opposed to ovals, so Sweeney's natural progression was to want to continue on road courses. He finished with three top 10 finishes this season and twice failed to finish (one mechanical failure and one crash). In his last race of the season, on the weekend of Oct. 13th, racing at Lime Rock, CT, he qualified 10th out of 36 cars.

Unfortunately, with Sweeney's glory also comes pain. After two seasons of racing competitively, he was involved in two serious accidents. He spent three days in the hospital with a shattered ankle that needed two screws and two pins to repair. While still on crutches, he was back in the action only three months later, showing his true love for the sport.

Sweeney realistically knows that he could never make a living off of racing. He has reached a level where he needs some solid sponsorship to move higher, and unfortunately he does not have the connections to do. He always hopes that racing will be an important part of his life.

"Placing the car on the edge, cornering at 80 miles per hour is an experience that cannot be duplicated," Sweeney said.

Sweeney is also an excellent student. A senior majoring in landscape architecture, he has been named to the Dean's List and was awarded the William J. Trudek Scholarship, which was given last spring by the College of Arts and Architecture.

However, his interest in Landscape Architecture does not equal his love for racing. He plans on running the full Pro series schedule of 11 events next season, competing as far away as Las Vegas and Toronto.