By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

The success has come as a surprise to Trevor Schmidt.

It might be a surprise to the rest of the sport compact drivers as well.

But Schmidt, who will be a sophomore at Hays High School this school year, is putting together a solid season on the dirt tracks of northwest Kansas -- in just his first full year in the car.

"I'm surprised I've done so well," Schmidt said. "It's really only my second year racing."

The teen raced sparingly last year after turning the required age to race in the summer. But even then, Schmidt admits he didn't have a car that was very competitive at the time.

This year, Schmidt has a Dodge Neon he's sported with his familiar No. 20T. And the start to a successful career has taken flight.

He has three wins this year at RPM Speedway in Hays and snagged his fourth win of the season Saturday night on the 1âÑ4-mile bullring of Rush County Speedway in La Crosse.

It was one of his most impressive performances this year.

"It was a fun track," he said.

The dirt oval stayed wet and tacky, providing for high speeds and multiple lines of racing. But Schmidt didn't need to worry much about the other drivers after bolting out to a huge lead before a caution flag bunched up the field.

After the restart, he pulled away again for another victory.

"I didn't think I'd do that good at La Crosse," he said.

Schmidt is one of only two sport compact drivers to earn multiple wins at RPM this season. The other is Dave Juenemann, who leads the class with five trips to RPM's victory lane.

"I don't really plan on doing good in the points,"  Schmidt said about competing for a track championship in Hays. "I'd really like to get into the top five or so."

He's currently third in track points with 353. Juenemann leads the way with 381, followed by Monte Honas with 358.

More time in the driver's seat has helped Schmidt settle in to the car. He knows he has to get better on the dry-slick tracks, whereas he loves to compete on the wet, heavy tracks that can carry a lot more speed than finesse.

"It's helped out a lot," he said about more driving time. "Last year, I had a slow car and didn't really get a lot of good seat time."

It also helps he races with some drivers who are near his age, including Kirk Pfannenstiel and Kiowa Higdon.

"It's just fun racing with buddies and relation,"  Schmidt said.

He would like to make a move up into a faster class in the future, but he said his mother isn't too keen on the idea right now.

"I want to move up, but my mom said not until a couple more years," Schmidt said.

If he continues his successful season, he just might get her to reconsider -- he hopes.