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Kyle Steffens
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FEATURE
MODIFIED
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. 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 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
year I’m hoping to race five Silver Crown races and I hope we can get better in that. My long term goal is to be a top five contender in Silver Crown. Eventually, I hope to get an asphalt ride. I’m older now, and have two kids, so my NASCAR dreams are over and staying closer to home is important. Over all, I think the modifieds suit me best, but I have goals to be better in a Silver Crown car.
DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 04 - 2021 35 KYLE STEFFENS
Photo: Tyler Rinkin
Photo: Rich Labrier
modifieds or vice versa?
KS: I think a modified translates over to many different cars because they are partially open wheel. They don’t have as much aerodynamics to them as a late model does so that tails into the Silver Crown deal – to where you don’t have down force. The technology hasn’t changed in 30 years; it’s four tires, four wheels, and shocks, you get in it and gas it. The modified is kind of the same way, even though technology is starting to change them. I do favor the modified side, I feel like they are a driver’s car, and I think you can shine in them with your driving ability over other guys. I think it translates the most.
DE: How do you feel competition differs amongst the different forms of racing you’ve competed in?
KS: I hate to say it, but from modified to Silver Crown, I think the Silver Crown competition is more professional. I shouldn’t say it, but I think it’s more professional on the open wheel side. I know when I go to a Silver Crown race, I’m going to see guys like Kyle Larson, David Gravel, Brady Bacon, guys who do this for a legit living; it’s what they do to put food on the table. I think it makes the competition factor much harder competing against guys who are doing this for a living versus my modified stuff. I race guys like Nick Hoffman, Mike McKinney and Tyler Nicely on the modified side, who do it for a living, too, so I’m not saying the competition is harder or easier, it’s just on a more professional level. I know I’m confident in my ability to race against those open wheel guys, but it’s just the fact that they are superstars; they are nationally known people. It can get in your head a little bit.
DE: You’ve run on both asphalt and dirt, but you’ve stayed with dirt track racing, what has drawn you to sticking with dirt?
KS: I would say that it’s because it’s what I grew up doing. When I was a kid around three or four, we had a track called St. Charles Speedway in St. Charles, Missouri. The track was about a mile from our house and I could hear it from there. My dad would take me there from the time that I was old enough to go. I remember going and having my favorite drivers that I really looked up to. At one point, we actually raced there. I was twelve when I won a race there, and it’s one of my favorite trophies. It’s just what I’ve always done. I know dirt track racing is very appealing right now because of the limelight guys like Kyle Larson bring to the sport and you can do so much dirt racing with sprint cars, modifieds, late models. It’s everywhere, you know? I used to be all about asphalt, I love racing on asphalt, I love the precision of it. But I don’t think it’s what it once was, unfortunately. Dirt track racing is accessible and it’s what I know.
DE: Having experienced success in a multitude of different race cars, what made you decide that you wanted to stick with just Silver Crown and dirt modifieds? How did you end up balancing a schedule racing these two?
KS: The modified deal pretty much happened because I knew that I could afford to do it. The late models require such a higher budget and you need two motors that cost $40-50,000 each and a car and a half all of the time and tires are more expensive and you need a lot of spare parts; I knew modifieds were more my wheelhouse as far as affordability and that’s kind of why we stuck with it. The Silver Crown deal popped up because my dad was a huge Silver Crown fan and a few years ago he was like, “Hey, the business is doing well. What do you think about racing Silver Crown cars again?” So, that’s kind of how that all just popped up; he just kind of gave me the ball and I’m running with it.
Photo: Rich Labrier
DE: Not only have you driven 20 different forms of race cars, but you’ve also experienced a great deal of success in all of them. What would you attribute to your skills of being such a versatile driver?
KS: I think that I just love racing so much that I put a lot of passion into it and that shows through my driving. Whether I’m at a local modified race or the Silver Crown deal, or a big event like Bristol, I’m just super passionate about it on all levels. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, I want to win. I think that shines through. There’s a lot of dedication and work, I care a lot about it, racing is who I am, it’s what I am, and I think that shines through. I think that’s why I’m halfway decent at it.
DE: Being so versatile and experienced in multiple forms of racing, do you think this gives you an advantage of any sort?
KS: Being in so many different cars helps you to understand the car, it helps you read the racetrack, it helps you know where to go where other guys aren’t. It’s finding that extra two tenths of a second a lap that all adds up over thirty laps. I’ve used my skills to do that, and it helps a lot.
DE: Is there any car in particular that you’d like to strap back into? If so, why?
KS: I want to get back into the late model because of the money. You know there’s $10,000, $20,000, $50,000 races. I feel like modifieds have gotten more exposure but they’re always kind of like the step child to the late model stuff. You’re always the support class, which is kind of a bummer, especially coming from back in the day racing late models or the Crown stuff that’s the premier division. I feel like my driving capabilities are at that point, so I want to be in the premier class racing with the Kyle Stricklers, Brandon Sheppards, you know those kind of guys. You always want to be at the top of your game and it’s not that the modifieds aren’t, it’s just that you’ve got about eight or nine guys in the modifieds where the late models are filled with 20 or 30 guys that are all really good.
DE: How do you prepare for a season with more than one race car? How do you prioritize races and the day to day?
KS: That’s a tough one, because I’m a dad, and while my dad owns our business [Performance Plus Global] I help manage and run the business, plus we own a race team with three cars. It’s tough. You have to prioritize your time more than you would ever believe. I have time scheduled out. For example in the summer time, Monday is wash day, Wednesday is maintenance day, Thursday is load day, and we normally race Friday and Saturday. When you mix all that in together, it really wears on you because I’m almost a one man band. I have one guy named Joe that helps me on Wednesday and an older guy named Bill that used to help Kenny Schrader who comes when he can, so a lot of this stuff I do on my own. There are a lot of nights that are until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning because I don’t interfere with my family; I wait until they go to bed and then go to the shop. So, it’s really hard, but this year, my goal and main focus, since I’ve won a bunch of local championships and stuff, I just want to run races that pay more than a thousand to win, and I obviously want to try to hit most of the Silver Crown dirt races. Anything big on the modified side, things that are $10,000 to win, stuff like that, we’re going to hit those. Then locally, I’ll race on Fridays as much as I can to stay in the seat but might take some Saturdays off just to not tear up the equipment and wear it out.
DE: What on your 2021 race schedule are you the most excited about and what on your schedule do you feel will challenge you the most?
KS: So far, the most challenging was Bristol; I think everything else is going to be a cakewalk compared to that. I’d never really dealt with something like that. The one I’d say I’m looking the most forward to is getting to go to Eldora in a champ car. I’ve never raced Eldora, and I’ve always wanted to, so I’m really looking forward to it.
DE: Your children have begun to venture into the racing world, what is your greatest fear and biggest dream for them as they begin racing?
KS: I have two boys, Rhys and Riker. My
oldest is five, and my littlest is obviously still too young. But, I would say that my biggest fear with him is actually him not wanting to do it, because I feel like I can teach him so much on and off the track just through racing and I can bond with him that way. I think it’s really nerve wracking for me to think that I would have a child that doesn’t want to do it but I’m also not trying to push it on him. It’s a fine line. My biggest hope and dream for him would be that he gets to do things that I didn’t get to do. At one point in time, I had the opportunity to possibly race in the NASCAR Truck Series and there were opportunities that I didn’t capitalize on. So, hopefully he can do it where he has fun and maybe he can make money at it. You know, that’d be cool and then I can say he made it further than I did.
DE: Let’s stay philosophical for the last few questions. If there was one race that you’ve could have a do over to change the outcome, which would it be and why?
KS: That’s a hard question; I’ve raced a lot of races. But, I would say, if I could change the outcome of a race, it would be the Dome. It was in 2019 or 2018, I think I finished third, and we could have won that race. I hate that term, we could have won, but we started around 20th, and I ran third. Mike Harrison is one of the best UMP Modified guys around and he won. I got up to him, I was actually second, then hit a hole, and fell back to third. I wish I could’ve changed the outcome of that one. Before the Dome doesn’t happen anymore, I want to be able to say that I won that because I’m a true St. Louis native. I want that trophy; I feel like I’m from St. Louis and a St. Louis guy needs to win it.
DE: If you had to pick one race that winning it would make your career feel “complete,” what would it be?
KS: I’ll be honest, I think that if I could win any Silver Crown race that would make my career. I think to say that you’ve won a Silver Crown race is a huge deal. If I could win a DuQuoin, Springfield, or any of the big mile tracks that are left, just because of guys like Mario Andretti, and the history on those tracks, to put your name on a list with those people, I could say, you know what? I’ve had a good run, I’m on that list. I actually won DuQuoin when I was sixteen, I’m still the youngest to ever win there, but it was a modified, it wasn’t a Crown car, so if I could duplicate that in a Crown car, I think I could say, hey it’s been a good run.
DE: So, aside from winning, you have mentioned things that racing can teach, what would you say is the biggest lesson racing has taught you?
KS: I’m going to say the greatest lesson that I’ve learned is to just know how to take defeat and build from it. In racing, unless you’re Donny Schatz or
This is the one he wants the most - a win in the Dome in his hometown of St. Louis. somebody like that, you don’t win all of the time. The money and time that you put into it to not win is a hard pill to swallow sometimes. We’re spending thousands and thousands of dollars and time away from our family to be in the shop and go run, and you can’t always win. It teaches you that you’ve got to keep pushing forward. In life, if something bad happens, some people just give up, they fold up, and they’re done. For me, because of racing, when bad things happen to me, I’m always like, “I’ve got this.” It’s like changing a tire or a bar angle on a car, or the set up, it’s the same thing in life, you just have to change what you’re doing, fix it, move on, and try to win. That’s probably my best life lesson.
HOW KYLE STEFFENS GETS AWAY FROM IT ALL
“I ride bikes a lot. I’ve got mountain bikes and road bikes and that’s where I kind of find my peace. Sometimes after work, I’ll ride fifteen or twenty miles somewhere. I’ve got some trails that I like to hit and kind of get some alone time. I get to be who I want to be, think how I want to think, and that helps me get back to ground zero versus being in the shop, at work, or at home with my kids. I’ve got a lot of things on my plate, so if I can get away for a little bit it helps me get grounded.”