CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When he decided to set out and pursue making a documentary about racing in 2006, director Marshall Curry wasn't quite sure what to expect.

He wasn't even sure what exactly he was going to film, or what storylines he was going to pursue. After attending some go-kart races for youths in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, he headed south to Charlotte and found his answers at a World Karting Association event.

“

Whether you want to be a baseball player or a concert pianist, there are a lot of the same sacrifices that you have to put in.

”

-- MARSHALL CURRY

The end result is a 93-minute documentary entitled "Racing Dreams," which premieres nationwide at selected theaters on Friday. The film already has been shown in several cities, including Charlotte and also New York, where it won an award for best documentary at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.

In the piece, Curry and his cameras follow three young racers around the WKA for a year. But it is more than a film about racing. It is, according to Curry, a film about the various travels and travails of three young people and their families as their dreams are pursued.

"Part of it is about their racing, but part of it also is about finding sponsorship, finding ways to fund their racing," Curry said. "And honestly, part of it also is about being 12 years old and having a dream. So whether you want to be a baseball player or a concert pianist, there are a lot of the same sacrifices that you have to put in."

The three young racers who were followed during the 2007 WKA season are Josh Hobson, Annabeth Barnes and Brandon Warren. Curry met Hobson first.

"He is super articulate, super smart, a straight-A student, very funny, very focused -- and an amazing driver," Hobson said. "I met him when he was just pulling off the track after winning his fourth Grand National race of the weekend. I was like, 'Wow. If I can find a couple other kids like this, there will be a movie here and it will be an amazing story.' "

Soon thereafter he met Barnes, the driven daughter of former late model driver Darren Barnes; and Warren, a sometimes troubled kid who went on to learn much about himself as the shooting of the movie progressed. Curry said that he believes the three are the young racing equivalents of current NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon (Hobson), Tony Stewart (Warren) and Danica Patrick (Barnes).

Curry said he and his crews shot a total of 500 hours of footage. Then he and two other editors spent 16 months whittling that down to what became the 93-minute film.

He shot footage not only at the track, but at their homes and just about anywhere else the subjects and their families were likely to hang out. He said he used a technique where he almost always had the camera pointed at someone while they were together, even though it wasn't even on most of the time.

"You tell them at the beginning, 'I'm going to do it this way. Most of the time I'm not even shooting -- but you're never going to know when I am.' People can be on their best behavior for a few hours, but after awhile you sort of have to let who you really are pop out," Curry said.

"You're out there all day, trying to outlast your subjects. When they relax, that's when you get the good stuff."

All three were pretty relaxed when they sat down with NASCAR.COM to discuss their sudden stardom on the big screen. Now a full two to three years older than when they were filmed by Curry for the documentary, all three said they have aspirations to become drivers at the highest levels of NASCAR.

Now 15, Barnes was asked where she could see herself in 10 years.

"I see myself racing. I see myself in NASCAR. That's always been a huge dream of mine," replied Barnes, a native of Hiddenite, N.C., who plans to race a Legends car in the upcoming Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "Since I was little, I always wanted to win the Daytona 500. That would be a great accomplishment -- and I honestly believe I can do it. I believe I'm getting the tools that I need to accomplish that. It's going to be a long road, but I think I can do it."

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Hobson, now 15, was born and raised just north of Flint, Mich., but wouldn't mind moving south to further his racing career. He is hoping the film helps him land a sponsored ride in the ASA or ARCA ranks -- with an eye toward making it into NASCAR.

"It's definitely been a great opportunity -- not just for myself, but for my family. Having a film crew follow me around when I was 11 and 12 years old, I felt a little like Tom Cruise," said Hobson, laughing. "I didn't expect it to be what it was. When I heard documentary, I didn't know much about the film industry. I figured that was typically the type of movie where at school the kids fall asleep while watching it in class.

"But this movie gets my heart racing from start to finish. I try not to be biased because I'm in the film, but I really like it."

And for Warren, who got to meet executive producer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson during the process (Johnson's White Buffalo Entertainment group financed much of the project), the experience already has changed his life for the better. Johnson attended the movie's premiere in New York and Los Angeles.

"He's been an idol of mine for a long, long time, [from] watching him on WWE wrestling. It was an honor to meet him," said Warren, a native of Creedmoor, N.C., who is now 16 and out of racing but looking to get back in. "He talked to me and said, 'I used to be in the same shoes as you. I used to get in fights all the time in school, and that's not the right way to go.' His advice was just great.

"The whole experience has taught me self-discipline and respect. I think it's going to take me somewhere."

Hobson enjoyed meeting Johnson as well, although he said he did it at his own peril.

"Let me tell you, he is huge. Last time I saw him, he gave me a hug before I left -- and I thought he was going to crush me," Hobson said.

Now that the movie is out and being well received throughout the country, the three subjects and their director are getting to experience a little bit of the same type of adulation that Johnson receives everywhere he goes.

"It's been neat to see that the movie works as a racing story for people who love racing. But it's also a family story. It's about kids and families, and it has been enjoyed by people who don't even know anything about racing," Curry said.