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It is never too late to make your dreams come true.

Ray Lang has qualified for the largest motocross race in the world, the 27th annual Air Nautiques/AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Tennessee.

The 40-year-old Lang, a 1986 Marietta High graduate now residing in Denver, Colo., took on over 20,000 hopefuls from across the country to earn one of just 1,300 qualifying positions.

The event runs from July 27 to Aug.1.

Lang has won many local races in Colorado in preparation for this championship race. He will make the long journey to Tennessee along with his mom, Jackie Lang.

"Last year I attended the event with Mike Blair, who still lives in Marietta," Ray Lang said. "He has been racing in this race for years. He sold me my first motorcycle when I was 12-years-old. I sold that bike within a year and did not start racing again until I was 37-years-old.

"Mike just kept on racing, and he is still one of the fastest veteran pro racers in the nation. If it weren't for Mike and his family I probably never would have got into motocross."

Lang spent the last four months qualifying for the event. The top finishers in area and regional qualifiers earn a berth into the national championships at Loretta Lynn's. Racers may enter a wide variety of classes, from minicycle classes for children as young as 4, all the way up to senior divisions for riders over 45. Lang qualified in the Vet 35+ and Vet 40+ classes.

The premiere classes at this event serve as a stepping stone for the next wave of professional motocross racers.

James Stewart, Mike Alessi, and Ricky Charmichael were all amateur champions at Loretta Lynn's.

Last year, riders like Trey Canard, Austin Stroupe, and Nico Izzi were battling there for the national championship. They went on to lucrative six-figure contracts with factory teams.

In Lang's professional life, he is an independent contractor selling motorcycle brands HJC and Alpinestars to regional retailers in Colorado and Utah.

"I am not in the same class as the young stars competing for factory contracts," Lang said. "This is super fun, but at 40-years-old I am definitely not going to quit my day job."

The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynn's Ranch and Campground in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers.

Lang is being sponsored by Grand Prix Motorsports of Littleton, Colo., and is also assisted by Kawasaki, Dr. D., GoPro Camera, Decal Works and O'Neal.