TAKE FIVE: ALEX HAASE

Thursday, June 1, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

Alex Haase is not your typical 16-year-old.

Although he's only had his Nevada driver's license since February, Haase has been driving since he was 9 - on the paved 3/8-mile oval at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

But for Haase, a sophomore at Centennial High School, racing is not merely a hobby. Since NASCAR Nextel Cup Series star and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch has taken Haase under his wing, racing is all business these days.

Haase spent 10 weeks last summer driving Busch's Legends Car in a prestigious series at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., and finished fourth in points. He hopes to drive for Busch again this summer and most certainly is on the fast track to NASCAR's top level because of his connection to Busch and Busch's team owner, Rick Hendrick.

1. Under pressure

Now that he is known as "Kyle Busch's driver" and on Hendrick's radar as an up-and-coming talent, Haase said racing has become more like a job - which is fine with him.

"There's definitely a lot more (pressure) than normal," he said. "You always feel like you have to perform. You're not doing it for fun anymore like I was a couple of years ago ... but I like it, though."

2. Tick ... tick ... tick

Although he is only 16 years old, Haase said he feels a sense of urgency to advance his career if he is to realize his goal of racing in NASCAR's top series.

"These days, if you're not signed or have a ride by 25, you might as well give up," he said. "Kyle (Busch) got a good deal by 17, 18 years old and was in Cup when he was 19 years old. I'd like to try to do pretty much the same thing he did.

"Hopefully by this time next year, I'll be in North Carolina."

3. Moving on up

A four-time track champion at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Haase is following the path Kyle Busch took to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. This season, Haase is driving a 600-horsepower Super Late Model racer and is ninth in points after six races.

Every weekend, Haase said, his car has run up front, only to fall victim to bad luck late in the race. "Our best finish so far is fourth this year, and we feel that we should have won at least two races this year. We've led a lot of laps in a couple races and then just have bad luck come our way at the end."

Saturday night, Haase was running fourth with nine laps remaining in the 50-lap Super Late Model main event when he was spun out by another car.

4. From the mentor

Kyle Busch said he noticed something special about Haase as far back as 1999, when Haase began his racing career in the Bandolero division at The Bullring.

"I see a lot of talent in him and a lot of the attributes that a driver needs," Busch said when he named Haase to drive his Legends Car last summer at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"In one of the first starts of his career, I watched him flip his car and it didn't spook him at all; he went straight into the garage and simply asked what he needed to do to fix the car for the next race."

5. Learning experience

Haase said he felt as if he took a big step in his racing career by competing in the Legends Car Pro division during the 10-week Hardee's Summer Shootout at Lowe's Motor Speedway last summer.

"That was the hardest series I have ever driven in," Haase said. "Every race, 10 cars could win and they were bumper to bumper every single lap. I really learned a lot racing back there ... both driving and setting up the car."