7/20/2018
Lebanon I-44 Speedway
Local Dirt Racer to Return to Lebanon I-44 Speedway
Local Dirt Racer to Return
to Lebanon I-44 Speedway
So far this season we have seen a lot of talented drivers step into the Carmichael Racing LLC No. 144 Pro Late Model such as Ron Hartford, Wayne Lewis, Russ Wood and Kaleb Allison. Russ Wood drove the car to Victory Lane on June 2nd and Kaleb Allison drove the car from the back in the most stacked field of the season for a solid 2nd place finish. This weekend we will see another new face behind the wheel, that driver is none other than Walnut Grove’s Jeremy Kelley. Jeremy is not the first “dirt guy” that we have seen try out asphalt this season as we saw the B-Mod dominator, Kris Jackson, behind the wheel of a Big 10 Late Model at our last race. Jeremy has some experience on asphalt and is looking to get back to his roots this Saturday night.
Jeremy Kelley comes from a very well-known racing family. The Kelley’s first got into racing in the 1940s and 50s when Jeremy’s Grandpa was competing at the Springfield Fairgrounds Speedway, and later the early dirt days of Lebanon I-44 Speedway and the Historic Bolivar Speedway. Jeremy’s Grandfather had two sons that later caught the racing bug. They carried on the family tradition and began racing at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and the Historic Bolivar Speedway. Jeremy and his Cousin, J.D., spent basically every weekend watching their family race while they were growing up. At age 10, Jeremy carried on the family legacy and hopped behind the wheel of a go-kart. From there, Jeremy continued to climb the racing ladder. He moved into his first full-sized race car when he was 14 running at the local dirt tracks. When he was 15 he switched to super-stocks and ran here at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Bolivar Speedway. Jeremy’s final full-season on asphalt was when he was only 16 years old in a Late Model. From there, Jeremy went to work on his dirt racing career. He ran dirt Late Models in big series’ such as the Sho-Me Dirt Late Model Series and the MLRA Series picking up several wins while running against talented drivers like Payton Looney and many others. In 2012, Jeremy went for a Championship run at the diamond of dirt tracks, Lucas Oil Speedway. He won the mid-season Championship and then went on to win the complete Lucas Oil Speedway Late Model Track Championship.
As you can see, Jeremy is a very talented race car driver. Nowadays, Jeremy is 32 years old with two kids, a one-year-old and a three-year-old. His children are his main priority, which has slowed his racing career some, but he still races his dirt late model when he can. The last asphalt race that Jeremy ran was at Bolivar Speedway several years ago in his brothers Modified, and he won! His Cousin, J.D. is now racing A-Modifieds around southwest Missouri. Jeremy will be climbing into an asphalt Late Model for the first time since he was 16-years-old this weekend. “I hope to be able to get in and get up to speed pretty quick. It is like riding a bike, you don’t forget, right?” asked Jeremy. While this race is just a one-time deal, Jeremy would not be opposed to being on a full-time gig, but money and time is just not available for him right now. Jeremy never plans on giving up racing. “It has been part of my life. I plan to continue racing whether it be dirt or asphalt,” added Kelley in true racer fashion. Be sure to head out to the race track, whether you are a dirt fan or an asphalt fan, and cheer on the true racer that is Jeremy Kelley.
Jeremy will be in-action this Saturday night, July 21st, on the high-banks of Lebanon I-44 Speedway for the Emerson-Copeland Night at the Races! The grandstand gates will open at 6:00PM and racing will start at 7:30PM. Don’t forget that there will be a FREE kids bicycle race at intermission around the new go-kart track, all you need is a bike and a helmet! For more information head over to our website at i44speedway.net or check us out on Facebook!
By Dylan Bates
Article Credit: Dylan Bates