Eight-year-old Macy Causey isn't even in the third grade, but she's already driving a car at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Macy drives a Bandolero car, a 30-horsepower miniature black and pink racecar that might look like a toy, but packs a powerful punch. Its top speed is 75 mph.

The second grader comes by her love of racing naturally. Diane Teel, Macy's grandmother, was the first woman to ever win a NASCAR-sanctioned race. And Macy's dad drives his own Legends car as a pro. Macy is one of 550 kids across the United States who race Bandoleros, but she's among the youngest.

On the "Today" show recently, Macy's dad touted Bandolero racing as an affordable, family-friendly activity and a great way to "know where your kids are on the weekend." While that might be true, I know where my kids are on the weekend, and where they aren't is tucked into a firesuit behind the wheel of a speeding car. Is this really a safe activity for kids as young as Macy?

The Causeys think so. In addition to the firesuit, helmet and raceceiver (a headset all Bandolero racers are required to wear in case of emergency), Macy's car is also equipped with a HANS device, the same head and neck protection NASCAR drivers use. "I'm not scared at all," Macy's mom told "Today."

But track spokesman Larry Thomas isn't so sure. Kids roll their cars a few times every year, Thomas told the "New York Times." It happened to a nine-year-old boy just last month. "The kid hops out of his car and says: 'That was sick! I want to do it again,' " Thomas says. "He changed his mind later, when he started to get a headache."

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, inventor of the Legends cars that Macy's dad races, talked with Stock Car Racing about the Bandolero and it's safety record. "We've been at it five years, 500 cars, and more than 2,000 races," Wheeler says. "A kid broke his leg. We decided to put a bar in [the car] to stiffen it up....We haven't had an injury since then, even though we have had violent flips, T-bones, and things like that."

Safety, then, is a relative term, I guess. Because to me, violent flips in a speeding car are inherently dangerous, broken leg or not, especially for an 8-year-old. But the Causey's, especially Macy, aren't worried when the little girl is on the track. "No fear," Dee Causey says. "She hit a kid. She plowed right through him."

What do you think? Is a racecar an appropriate place for an 8-year-old? Would you ever consider letting your child try an extreme sport like this one? Share your thoughts with us in comments.