As a race fan I’ve been dying to go to a Skip Barber racing school for a long time.  They’re pricy but well worth the money.  If you’re serious about racing this is a great place to start.  For a while now they’ve been offering a Mazda MX-5 Cup school where you’re instructed in the very same Cup cars that they run in the series.  This is probably one of the best first steps you can take!