A Lap Around the Track with NASCAR's James Bickford: Kern County Raceway Park

Interstate's favorite NASCAR driver, James Bickford of Napa, 17, recently kicked off his 2015 K&N Pro Series West season at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif. on March 28. With a fourth-place finish, Bickford started out his second NASCAR season on the very right side of the track. Let's take a look into Team Bickford's Day at Kern County Raceway Park.

Team Bickford's 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Recap:

• 8 top-5 finishes
• 10 top-10 finishes
• Sunoco Rookie of the Year title

Team Bickford's Day at Kern County Raceway Park:

8:00am - 11:30am: Team Bickford arrived to the track. James signed his safety release forms and waited for his fully fireproof uniform, gear and equipment to be inspected by the NASCAR tech crew. James' truck driver (who also doubles as his chef) cooked him a breakfast sandwich before he prepared for his practice races.

Get James Bickford's Pre-Practice Energy Plan:

• One 0mg caffeine GU Energy Gel packet (Strawberry Banana)
• Two Clif Shot Blok Energy Cubes (Strawberry)

11:30am – 2:00pm: James participated in two sets of practice races. He referred to practice as one of the most physically demanding parts of any race. He said, "Your adrenaline is not as high as it would be in the qualifying lap or in the race itself…You really feel the amount of exertion you put into each corner. It really, really hurts your under arms, your biceps, shoulders and lower back. It's all pretty painful when you come in." He added that the car's internal temperatures (which can reach up to a stagnant 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit) make racing physically difficult.

2:00pm – 4:45pm: James had his longest break period of the day. He relaxed in his pit truck, indulged in a hot dog and salad for lunch, and finished up with a quick interview with NASCAR before preparing for qualifiers.

When asked if he requests special meals on race day, James laughed and said, "I'm not picky. I just eat what he gives me." So humble!

Get James Bickford's Pre-Qualifier Energy Plan:

• One 20mg caffeine GU Energy Gel packet (Tri-Berry)
• Two Clif Shot Blok Energy Cubes (Strawberry)

4:45pm – 5:05pm: James qualified fifth during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Qualify. Pleased with his placement, James said, "…when I went across the finish line, I…was actually really surprised, just because I thought I had a much worse lap than I did...Obviously you always want to be on pole or within the front row, but settling for fifth… I was pretty satisfied with a fifth place qualifying round."

5:10pm – 6:00pm: Following his qualifying lap, James hopped in a golf cart to make a short appearance at the Interstate Plastics hospitality suite, where he signed autographs and took a few pictures with fans. He finished the hour at a mandatory NASCAR autograph session.

6:00pm – 7:50pm: James ate dinner and prepared for the NAPA Auto Parts 150 race. Regarding his pre-race ritual, James admitted that he doesn't listen to music like many athletes to get into the zone. Instead, he said, "The one thing I do before I get into the car is actually close my eyes and imagine what I want to do and what I want to accomplish for the race. And what moves I should make with the opportunities or challenges presented in each lap."

Get James Bickford's Pre-Race Energy Plan:

• One Advil
• One 20mg caffeine GU Energy Gel packet (Tri-Berry)
• Two Clif Shot Blok Energy Cubes (Strawberry)
• Two Nuun tablets mixed with 2 bottles of water (Strawberry Lemonade)

8:30pm – 10:00pm: James finished fourth in the NAPA Auto Parts 150 race. Regarding his finish, James said, "I was kind of upset that I didn't have a podium finish…but I also feel like that was a race that was run perfect. There were no mistakes; there were no big misses that caused us to finish fourth. It was just a fourth-place day for us." Dalton Sargeant, 17, took home the season's first win with a record lap of 18.013 seconds (99.928 mph).

Look out for Team Bickford's next race at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday, April 11. James is hopeful for his Irwindale race, mentioning that he had one of the fastest cars on that track during his rookie season.

With that said, he doesn't have an ultimate goal for the 2015 season. He is looking forward to Irwindale, but no further ahead than that. "Traditionally at the track I don't focus on the future. You focus on race-by-race and that's how you win a championship," he concluded. GO TEAM BICKFORD!