shifting
GEARS
Photo: Travis Branch
KEVIN RUDEEN - A LIFETIME INVESTMENT By Joanne Cram
THE CAR IS EMINENTLY FAMILIAR – the Rudeen Racing 26. The man behind the car might not be as familiar. Kevin Rudeen was raised near Spokane in eastern Washington. His dad, Kent, raced snowmobiles and Kevin started his race career in snowmobiles, go karts, and motorcycles by the time he was ten until he put his racing years behind him to attend college and start working. His passion became his family, kids, and work. “Somewhere in those years I went to a World of Outlaws show in Manzanita. I thought to myself, ‘If I ever get a chance, I want to do that’”… which sparked the flame of sprint car racing. He bought a J&J sprint car off of Skagit Speedway regular Jim Burrows in the early 1990s and built the car with a friend. They loaded up and drove six hours to Skagit Speedway to make their Rudeen Racing debut. “The first race we went to, we didn’t even bring a spare tire or wheel. We showed up on an open trailer. We had no set up knowledge, we didn’t even
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know what a torsion bar was! I didn’t drive well, never won a feature. I did qualify second quick at Dirt Cup one year though!” The final episode in his race career that finalized his decision to step away from driving was a bad accident at Skagit Speedway where he severely broke his arm. Rudeen sat out a year recovering from the accident and concluded that in order for him to stay involved in sprint car racing, he needed to prioritize raising his family and building his business so he could become an owner. His past drivers include Shane Stewart, Jimmy Carter, Willie Croft, PJ Chesson, Jac Haudenschild, Jason Statler and Bud and Tim Kaeding, among others. He currently employs California’s Cory Eliason. Being the owner of a competitive 410 team is challenging and yet rewarding at the same time. Due to the nature of his business, Kevin only gets to see his car about 15 times a season; a typical season sees the team run 70 shows. The team is housed in Indianapolis for a more central location than Spokane
DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 03 - 2021
Photo: Paul Arch
offers, and recently Rudeen started a midget team. Owning several race teams, Rudeen says the plusses outweigh the minuses. “The highs are worth the passion you have for the sport, despite the downfalls you have now and then.” Tragically, life throws us wrenches that shift our direction in an irreversible way. Kevin is the father of two boys, Rayce and Remy (27). Rayce would be 31 years old this year but the family lost him to an accidental drug overdose in 2016. Out of this personal tragedy, Kevin Rudeen and his family have chosen to create a foundation to not only honor Rayce’s life but to offer hope and help to others who are afflicted by addiction. The Rayce Rudeen Foundation is a foundation that puts 100% of the money it raises directly into the hands of programs who immediately impact those struggling with addiction. “Rayce was the kindest, most soft hearted person I knew. We named him Rayce because I thought it would be a cool name if he ever got interviewed for
