Justyn Cox stands a little taller than five-foot.

With his driver’s gear on, the sprint car driver barely pushes 100 pounds. Even though the Sacramento, Calif., native is only 15 years old, he is routinely chastised for his size – or lack thereof.

“They think I’m around 10 to 11 years old,” Cox said. “And I have a baby face. A lot of people comment on that.

“It doesn’t matter how big or tall you are. We’re the same size in the race car.”

Throw out Cox’s size, and his lack of experience.

In his first year of racing sprint cars, Cox is the current leader in the Rookie of the Year standings and eighth overall for the American Sprint Car Series Northwest Region.

He is one of eight drivers to make all 13 Northwest Region events – reaching seven features – this season. While his goal is to advance to every A main and win the Rookie of the Year honor, Cox’s primary focus is to gain the valuable seat time going wheel-to-wheel with some of the west coast’s best racers.

“Just to show these guys that I’m not a hazard,” Cox said. “That I can stay smooth and run with them.”

As much as Cox is recognized for his size, he is known more for his maturity, which is one reason why legendary sprint car owner Harley Van Dyke hand-picked Cox for the cockpit this year.

“He’s a super-nice kid,” said Van Dyke, who has owned race cars since 1989 and a sprint car team for the past decade.

“He’s clean. He’s polite. He’s 120 percent dedicated to racing. He doesn’t care how hot it is or how cold it is. He doesn’t care how hungry he is, as long as he can race.”

That respect began at a young age, just as Cox did in race cars.

He was four years old the first time he hot lapped a quarter midget. Cox then spent several years racking up trophies and track championships on paved go-kart road courses before hopping into an outlaw sprint kart when he was 11. He raced two years in those race cars before transferring to a mini sprint for the last two years.

Van Dyke and Cox teamed up for this year and after a lot of paperwork to make the youngster eligible (the ASCS and most race tracks have to approve drivers younger than 16 to race), Cox began his sprint car career on April 4 in Marysville, Calif. He got four races in before the Northwest Region opening weekend in early May.

Now, more than halfway through his initial season, Cox has garnered the respect of his competitors.

“I feel more comfortable around him than some other guys,” said Steven Tiner, a fellow California native racing in the Northwest Region.

“He’s got my respect. I can race him hard and I won’t even think twice. When I’m out there, I don’t think of him as a 15-year-old kid.”

Like he has with sprint cars, Cox wants to work his way up the Indy Car ranks. His plan is to test one when he is eligible at 18, and then be on the circuit by the time he is 20 years old.

“It’s my all-time goal,” Cox said. “I just think they’re fascinating. They are open-wheeled. They’re going 200 miles per hour plus. High-technology engines. An all-around good sport.”

It’s not really a surprise for those who know Cox, or his middle name – Indiana.

Cox’s mother went into labor on May 29, 1994, which is the day the Indy 500 – arguably the most popular racing event each year – was held that year. Two days later, Cox was born and because of that significance, and his parent’s love of the sport, Cox’s first name was originally going to be “Indiana” until one of the delivering nurses revealed that was her goat’s name.

Regardless of his first name, middle name or size, Cox continues to hit each race track in an effort to prove himself. And eventually, to go fast enough to catch up to his dreams.