SPARKS - Those that race vintage cars soon find it's more than a way to enjoy their passion and take a fun trip down memory lane. It's also a responsibility as their cars have both a history and emotional attachment to fans that remember either the racer or driver it represents.

Mike Cesario is one of these lucky owner/drivers and appreciates all that it brings when he races one of the two NASCAR Winston Cup stock cars he owns and drives.

His road to the present began in the northeast where he was an athlete.

"I was second in the state in three sports while I was in high school," he said. "I was the captain of my college track team in Central Connecticut and a nationally ranked middle-distance runner before I graduated in 1971."

After college Cesario, a long-time Formula One fan, found his racing itch was too great to ignore and became first a flagman at the storied Lime Rock road course and then made the jump to driver's seat.

"I bought a brand new 240Z and took off a lot of parts and bolted on a lot of new competition parts. It was a time to be young and dumb, so we just drove the wheels off the car, didn't worry about things but did the best we could," he said. "I was the driver of the #40 Datsun 240Z and a nationally licensed SCCA racer.

At that time he ran against sport car greats Bob Sharp and Bob Tullius, whose Group 44 Jaguar he once took out in a race.

Finally, due to economics, he stopped racing but stayed around the world of sports cars. Cesario was an instructor for the Skip Barber Driving School at Lime Rock and over the years has owned several sports and exotic cars.

In 1978 he moved to California to get into the wine business, something he does to this day.

"I've had a successful 30-year career and currently have my own wine company," he said. "I import a brand from Italy called "Bravo Marco Bravo," which is inspired and is dedicated to my autistic son Mark."

A decade ago Cesario moved his family to Northern Nevada as he felt it was a better environment than San Francisco for his son to grow up in.

"Mark is 19 years old now, loves the ranch, he's happy, healthy and it's the best thing I ever did," he said.

Six years ago he bought a replica Cobra, which not only was exciting and fun to drive but also the most annoying car he's ever owned. After seeing the card, people always wanted to take up his time to tell him about their connections to this type of sports car.

Then five years ago he bought a 240Z Datsun racecar, painted it a retro style and began to compete in vintage events.

"I painted it up in green, white and red, which are the Italian colors and it was a nice way to take a trip down memory lane," he said.

That was about the time he discovered the road course at the Reno-Fernley Raceway.

"That give me access didn't realize I had as I did not know there was a sport car track there until I was here for about four years," he said.

Things took a dramatic turn when he visited Portland, Ore. to help sponsor an annual historic race and got his first glimpse of vintage stock cars.

"I just couldn't believe the crowd reaction, how exciting the cars were, how loud and how identifiable they were," he said. "People didn't care if it wasn't Dale Earnhardt in the Number 3 Goodwrench car, but that it was his Number 3 Goodwrench car."

A closer look proved these weren't show cars but the real thing, documented NASCAR stock cars.

"It's then you realize these are authentic race cars and that they're also pretty important pieces of American racing history," he said.

The first stock car he bought came with a lot of history that even today resonates with its fans. It's a Number 7, Hooters Ford Thunderbird driven by the late Alan Kulwicki.

"It's liveried as it last ran in 1992, his championship season," he said. "It started out as his speedway car in 1989 and I think he finished seventh in the Daytona 500 that year but was leading with four laps to go when he got a flat. He ran some more speedway races with it then, in the summer of '91, converted the front snout over to a short track car."

The racer was Kulwicki's short track car during the 1992 season and one he drove to victory at Bristol and Pocono, his ownly victories that year. And its history has been verified.

"Everything was documented by Paul Andrews, who was Kulwicki's crew chief," Cesario said. "I have records of every practice session, every qualifying session, and ever race including where he finished and how much money he made."

He's also found there's a generational difference in the way fans look at the car. For those under 30, it's all about the Hooters sponsorship but for those over 30, just seeing the car is an emotional experience.

"Alan is a great American success story and a tragic one because Kulwicki came from nothing, wanted to do it his own way and even turned down Junior Johnson, which would be like turning down Rick Hendrick now," he said. "He wins the championship by in the closest points race in NASCAR at that time by leading one more lap in the final race at Atlanta then Bill Elliott did."

That one lap, as Cesario explained gave Kulwick the 10 points he needed to claim the 1992 Winston Cup championship. Then a few months later, on April 1, 1993, he died in a plane crash on his way to a race.

Kulwicki was the last owner/driver to win a Cup title in NASCAR. And Cesario is well aware of the emotional attachment his fans have with the car.

"I took the car to Road Atlanta and all the mid-westerners that came from Minnesota and Wisconsin went crazy," he said. "And I get post cards signed by Kulwicki, hats, t-shirts and programs. It's a big responsibility to carry on the old memories and I consider it a real honor."

The next car he bought is a 1979 Banjo Mathews chassis Oldsmobile, built when the Cup cars switched to a 110-inch wheelbase and was campaigned by another NASCAR independent, Dave Marcus.

"It's interesting as I have two NASCAR stock cars owned by two fellows from Wisconsin," Cesario said with a chuckle. "Dave is still alive and a gentleman, who I've talked to on a number of occasions. He's real pleased that we're helping keep his memories alive."

Marcus was a character himself, who used to always wear a Goodyear cap and raced wearing wingtip shoes. In fact Cesario commented that the next time he brings the Oldsmobile out he'll probably also wear a Goodyear cap and wingtips.

He's also spoken with legends like Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott and all of them are happy that individuals and groups, with a significant financial investment, are keeping their memories alive. Sadly most of these former drivers feel that NASCAR has forgotten them.

Another highlight for Cesario was when Andrews took him on a 90-minute tour of the shops at Petty Enterprises, which used to be located at Level Cross, North Carolina.

Owning a vintage stock car is one thing but driving them is another matter. Especially for one trained in racing a sports car where finesse and not being abrupt is a plus.

These cars were built for oval tracks but they now race on road courses. Asked about driving the Oldsmobile, Cesario said, "It's a handful."

Then he explained what it's like to drive the Thunderbird.

"When you start it the engine explodes," he said. "Physically it's a really demanding car to drive, it's heavy at 3,600 pounds with me in it, it's under tired and under braked. It gets up and goes but it doesn't like to stop too well and doesn't like the turns because it has a Detroit Locker rear end."

The technique used by the fast drivers is to blast into a corner, get on the brakes really hard and late then get completely off them. Once the car is turned and pointed straight it's time to jump on the gas.

"It's really violent and this is one of the reasons why it's taken me a couple of years to get competitive in the car because the driving style is not what I was used to," he said.

Add running on a temporary street course, like his series did for three years in San Jose when it supported the Champ Car event, and things get very exciting.

"Stock cars have never raced on street courses and you can't imagine how much can go wrong when you're going 150 mph down a street, you've got a 180 degree turn coming up and there's nothing but concrete around you," he said. "If you or somebody else makes a mistake, it's going to hurt financially and perhaps physically."

Cesario belongs to the Historic Stock Car Racing Series that was established in 1994 and is based in San Jose, California. All the cars in the series have to be authentic stockcars, wear old style decals and be correctly painted like when they raced.

"It's a group of individuals, who are first and foremost fans of NASCAR and racing, as well as proud owners of authentic NASCAR stock cars," he said.

Right now the series is making its 2009 schedule and while it won't race at Reno-Fernley, Cesario might run one of his cars there once or twice this next year.

The series tries to run at least a couple of races as the under card for a pro event, like the Daytona Prototype race at Laguna Seca, some regular races and a few club events.

"There's nothing more exciting to see 25 to 30 stock cars out there together," he said.

Asked about the future, Cesario explained that he'd like to do some pro races in the future although he's happy racing his vintage stock cars.

In addition to his wine business he works four days a week in marketing and sales at the Summit Racing Store in Sparks. If anyone would like to meet and talk about the cars he races, Cesario said he'd be glad to talk with them.

Anyone interested in the historic stock car series should check out the Web site, www.HSCRS.com. Schedules, photos and details about all the cars are listed there.

For Cesario, racing living history is something he feels deeply about and is glad to honor the memory of their original drivers.

"My car's got to look good, I've got to do good and I want to bring it and myself in one piece," he said. "I honor Alan Kulwicki or Dave Marcus every time I bring out one of those cars. Fans and people that remember them get pretty excited when I bring out those cars."