HAVERHILL — It is 7 p.m. and JR Baril is busy working in the garage right behind the house where he grew up in Haverhill.

The fourth-generation racer is peering underneath the body of his race car, which is raised up high on a lift for easy repair.

Standing next to him is his father, Phil Baril Sr., a power drill in hand whirring away on one of the tires.

This is how it's always been for the Baril family and it does not look like things are going to change anytime soon.

"Me and him, we are like best friends. We do everything together," said JR, formally Phil Baril Jr. "When it comes to racing, he is there every race. He's been my biggest and best supporter since I have started."

It seems that if you are a member of the Baril family, its not a question of whether to race, but when.

Like the Sheens of the movie industry or the Mannings of professional football, the Baril name has become synonymous with local racing. Phil Sr. raced for 38 years and racked up four track championships before calling it quits. His father and grandfather, Arthur and Donald, were also veterans of the sport.

It was no surprise that JR would follow in his father's footsteps.

"I went every week with him to the racetrack and I told him I wanted to race so they built me a car," said Baril, who began racing at age 16 in 1992. "After being around race cars and seeing my dad race, I just wanted to race."

All the prep work the Baril Racing team did paid off when JR won Friday at Lee Speedway, where he is the points leader this season.

The passing of the torch was perfectly symbolic as Phil Sr. retired from competitive driving one year later to stand behind the career of his son. He has been on Baril's crew ever since, working on his cars and doing motor work.

"I remember the night I quit," said Phil Sr.

Both Phil Sr. and JR were scheduled to race one night in 1992 at Lee (N.H.) Speedway. Competing in separate divisions, J.R. was racing for a championship and Phil Sr. was strapped in his car waiting for his race. Looking on, he saw his son's car get a flat tire.

"I unstrapped myself, got out and ran all the way up pit road and through the pits, changed his tire, got him going, and ran back to get strapped in again," said Phil Sr. "I won that night and then told Littlefield I was all done."

Phil Sr. had won 50 feature wins for car owner Walter Littlefield in the last four years of his career.

Now 32, JR has taken the family legacy to new heights with a total of eight track championships in his 16-year career. He is currently the two-time defending Late Model Champion at Lee Speedway.

Father and son spend a good amount of time together. Both work full time as mechanics at the family owned auto shop, Baril Auto, in Haverhill. After an 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. shift at the shop, the two head over to their garage across town to work on Baril's cars for the remainder of the night.

"You don't get a lot of time off when you're in racing," said JR, who is a father of four. "It's tough with the kids to make time with them and you have to make time for that, but if you want to chase championships you have to give it 110 percent."

He races on Friday and Saturday nights at Lee Speedway and Star Speedway, respectively, and is currently second in points for both tracks. The season runs from late April to September with weekly points tallied for a track championship title. He has four wins this year — two at each track.

A fifth generation

It seems like the Barils are getting that driving itch earlier and earlier with every generation. JR's 10-year old son, Philip Baril III, has already asked to start racing and is the proud owner of a Dodge Neon.

"We built the cage and everything underneath it. Now we just have to fabricate it for the track and make it safe for him," said Baril, who admits that there is a danger element to racing but that will not stop his son.

"There's nerves and stuff like that. It's his decision and I don't want to push him to do it. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to race and he said that he wanted to try it."

JR and Phil Sr. have been working on the Neon for about a year and it should be ready to be tested by fall. Phil III has never raced before, but JR hopes that his son will be racing by next summer.

"I'm going to take him out to Star Speedway where you can rent the track," said Baril, who only needs to fill out a NASCAR registration form and give parental consent for his son to legally race. "He's excited. Every day he asks me when I'm going to finish his car. He's excited to get out there."

The younger division takes place on Thursday and Saturday nights at Beech Ridge Speedway in Maine. This will obviously cut into Baril's driving time so he expects to be racing only one night a week in 2009.

Dangerous sport

Even with the numerous track titles and a wall littered with trophies in his garage, JR is not immune to accidents.

Three weeks ago, during a Friday night race at Lee Speedway, Baril crashed into a wall and wrecked his car. He was taken out in an ambulance and spent the night in a hospital.

"That concrete wall doesn't move and it hurts," said Baril, who was still scheduled to race the following Saturday night in his other car at Star Speedway. "I was laying there in the hospital saying, 'What am I doing,' but I have a commitment to these guys and to try to win a championship so that's what I have to do."

Despite a multitude of people telling him not to show up, Baril got out of the hospital in the morning and raced later that night. He ended up finishing fifth.

"I said once I get strapped in I will be alright," he said. "I wouldn't be in the points battle if I didn't do that. I had to go."

Five generations of Barils

Name%Age%Accomplishments

Donald Baril%Died in late 1970s %Raced sparingly but not at a high level

Arthur Baril%Died in 2007%Raced competitively in the 1950s

Phil Baril Sr.%54%Raced competitively for 38 years, won four track championships.

Phil Baril Jr.%32%Raced competitively for 16 years, won eight track championships, 1992 Lee USA Hobby Stock Rookie of the Year, current two-time defending champ at Lee USA Speedway

Phil Baril III%10%Has his own Dodge Neon, eager to begin racing and will start next year in the Whiz Kidz Division at Beech Ridge (Maine) Motor Speedway