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KYLE STEFFENS
MEET THE MAN WHO’LL RACE ANYTHING By Ashley Zimmerman KYLE STEFFENS has strapped into the seat of 20 different styles of race cars, ranging from asphalt to dirt. Not only is he versatile, but he also showed consistency and success throughout his career before settling into UMP modifieds and USAC Silver Crown cars. With a list of accomplishments as long as the Hoosier Mile, it would be an easy assumption that Kyle Steffens’ passion lies in dirt track racing. But the best way to encompass the grit and drive he has comes from Kyle himself when Dirt Empire stole an afternoon to pick the brain of the Missouri native; “I’ve raced everything, even a couple big iRacing races; I’m pretty much addicted to racing. It’s all right though, because when I do die or I’m on my death bed, I’m not going to be worried about the money. I’ll be able to say I had a great time, and I’m ready for wherever I’m going.” Dirt Empire (DE): For those that haven’t followed your racing career, how did you get your start and what has kept you going? Kyle Steffens (KS): I got my start when I was five and racing quarter midgets with my dad [Gordon Steffens]. My dad is my biggest fan. Even though we’ve butt heads over the years, he’s always got my back. My dad is what has kept me going all these years. I’ve always had this weird desire to do well for my dad, or to win races for my dad. I think that always lit a fire in me. DE: Currently, you bounce between
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Photo: Josh James modifieds and Silver Crown cars. With the constant back and forth, is it difficult to adjust? KS: Yeah, it is because I don’t get to race the Silver Crown car often. The last couple seasons, I’ve only got to run a few times a year. We don’t get to race that car a lot. This year I hope to get more seat time. You get more comfortable as the races go on. A modified drives really straight on the right front and a Crown car drives really straight on the right rear. It messes you up – you have to throw
DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 04 - 2021
those things out of your mind. You have to have a whole different aspect on it. Silver Crown is also 100 miles so you have to conserve fuel, watch your tires and play those games. There is a lot more mental aspect in it than a 30 lap modified race. DE: Overall, you’ve raced over 20 different forms of race cars. Is there one particular form that best meshes with your style of driving? KS: Yeah, dirt modifieds for sure. This
