Kekich Racing Finishes The Season With A Pair Of Top 5's, Adam Earns Rookie Of The Year Honors
8/29/09 - The 2009 season had it's ups and downs without a doubt, but now it's in the books. This weeks Champions Night race followed a little different format then usual.
Rather then heat races, the track elected to have the top 10 drivers pull their feature starting position on a frisbee, which they then signed and tossed into the stands. Adam drew the 7th starting spot, and Mike drew the 2nd.
Adam was first up to run his feature. On the drop of the green he made a nice move to pick up a spot and drove a patient smooth race running both high and low to find his way though traffic. When the checkers flew he was in the 4th position for his 5th top 5 of the year. It was also announced that Adam had been awarded the Rookie of the Year title. After spending much of the year second in points, the last couple weeks of bad luck dropped him to a final position of 4th in points. "He sure can drive, and I am happy to see him running both high and low when he needs to. He does a great job" his Grandfather Putzy Kekich commented.
Mike lined up on the outside pole for his feature and raced side by side with the pole sitter for most of the first circuit before taking the lead. On the 3rd lap the car got a little loose in turn 2 dropping him back to 5th. He was never able to make up the ground he lost and finished in 5th for his 3rd top 5 of the year. Mike finished the points battle in the 5th position, making this his 10th top 5 points finish in his 410 career. "Well, another year in the books" Mike commented. "This has been an exiting year with Adam racing, I couldn't be prouder of him and and both of these crews."
The two teams combined for 8 top 5 and 19 top 10 feature race finishes in 2009, along with 4 heat race wins.
Another Solid Performance for Kekich Racing
8/1/09 - After a week off for the WOO Late Models visit to Sharon, both teams were anxious to get back on the track.
Adam took the track for the first heat and ran in 3rd flag to flag. Following suit, Mike took the 410 out and started on the pole leading all 8 laps to score his second heat race win of the season.
Adam started the feature in the 4th position and found some trouble on lap 7 when a tangle on the track resulted in some front end damage. Quick work in the pits got things put back together and Adam back out to restart at the tail. Adam used the remaining 13 laps to make his way back up to 6th where he would find the checkered flag.
With 22 cars were set to start the 410 feature, Mike would take the green in the 5th spot. In the early laps Mike fought a loose car falling back to 7th before the heat built in the tires and the car started to come back to him. In the end Mike would finish 7th for his 7th top 10 of the year.
Mike is holding on to his 4th place position in the points 93 points out of the lead. Adam remains in the second spot just 36 points out of the top spot.
Stay tuned, as the season winds down both teams will be working hard to find their way into victory lane.
A Heat Race Win and Two Top 10's This Week
7/11/09 - It's been a busy week around the 5k shop this week, but Saturday night is always welcome work for the Warren Harley-Davidson Tight Seal Glass Block Sprint Car Teams.
First up for the team were the 410 heat races, where Mike's pill draw put him in the 5th starting spot for the 3rd heat race. Mike picked up 2 spots in the first circuits and settled into 3rd for most of the race before loosing a spot coming out of 4 on the last lap. His 4th place finish set him to start the feature in 12th with only the top 3 cars being inverted by the audience spin of the wheel. "The car was really loose" Mike commented, "we'll need to make some changes for the feature."
Next up was Adam in the Limited Sprint set to start on the pole for the 1st heat race. Adam jumped out front and lead all 8 laps, taking his second heat race win of the season with a half straightaway advantage. "This car really works well" Adam commented of the J&J chassis his Dad won the 2002 track championship with. With a 12 car invert determined from the audience spin of the wheel, Adam would have to start 12th in the feature event.
The 410 feature found 23 cars lined up, with Mike smack in the middle. Mike picked up 2 spots on the first lap and settled in running the bottom of the track looking for some grip. As the laps ticked off Mike exchanged spots with a number of cars as heavy lapped traffic kept things interesting. In the later laps when the cars had spread out a bit Mike moved up the track and found a little more speed in the higher groove. When the checkers flew Mike scored a 10th place finish for his 6th top ten of the season.
Adam was up again to take his 12th starting spot for the feature. The first attempts to start the field resulted in a caution and a red flag. When the field finally got up to speed under green Adam had his car in the 8th position. he picked up a spot on the 3rd lap and ran 7th until lap 13 when he made a great pass for 6th where he would finish the race.
Point standings show both teams solidly in the top 5, with Mike in 4th just 70 points out of the lead, and Adam in 5th just 45 points out of 1st.
The 410's are off for the rest of the month, but Adam will be back in action next week with the Limited Sprints.
Adam Scores His First Heat Race Win, Notches Another Top 5
6/6/09 - The American Heritage Dictionary defines a rookie as: An inexperienced person; a novice.
This may be Adam Kekich's first year in a race car, but the spectators at Sharon Speedway would never guess the Warren Harley-Davidson Tight Seal Glass Block Limited Sprint Car was being piloted by a rookie.
Adam lined his 5K machine up 4th for the second of 2 heat races on the night. When the green dropped he took quick command of the field and wasted no time finding the fast way around the track. He had taken the lead by the exit of turn 2 and never looked back. By the time a caution flag came out on lap 7 he had opened up nearly a half track lead. On the final restart he held his spot and scored his first heat race win. "This car is just awesome" Adam said, "I can't thank my Dad, Uncle Doug, and the crew enough for giving me the chance to race this car."
When feature time came he was set to again line up 4th. The track had slicked off a bit, and the car was a real handful. He lost a position on the first lap and raced around 5th through several cautions and a red. At the end of the 20 lap feature Adam was scored with a 4th place finish, adding his second top 5 to his record. "He handled the car like a pro tonight" his Dad Mike commented. "The car and track can't be perfect every time out, and Adam did the best he could with what he had to work with. That is all you can ask."
Stay tuned, at this rate Adam's first feature win can't be too far away. He'll be back at it next Saturday along with his Dad in the 410.
Kekich Racing Brings Home a Pair of Top 5's
5/30/09 - A rain out and a special event at the track kept the Warren Harley-Davidson Tight Seal Glass Block race teams idle the last couple weeks, so when the hauler came to a stop in the pits this week the crews and drivers were very excited to get back to work.
Adam's weeks of starting at the rear of the field were behind him, and he couldn't have been more ready to mix it up with the field. He lined up 5th for his heat race and held his ground for the first 6 laps until he made his move picking up a spot in lap 7 and went on to finish 4th. "Now THAT's what I have been waiting for" Adam commented, "This is a blast!"
Mike took the 410 out for his heat race where he also lined up 5th and blasted his way up to 2nd in the 8 lap event. "The car feels good tonight" Mike said as he climbed from the cockpit, "if we can keep up with the track we should be fast for the feature."
The Limited Sprint feature put Adam in the 4th starting spot, but he didn't stay there long. When the green dropped 4 cars all decided they wanted to lead that first lap. Adam emerged from turn 2 in 2nd place where he stayed until the second lap when the 11 got by him. He ran in 3rd place hitting his marks like a veteran for the next 11 laps while his Mom and Tony from Warren Harley shared an oxygen tank to keep from hyperventilating. Adam lost one more spot late in the race taking the checkers in the 4th spot. "I couldn't be prouder" Mike said of his 15 year old rookie driver. "He was smooth and clean and showed amazing confidence in traffic, all in his 3rd night in this car."
Next came Mike's turn in the 410. The inversion put him in the 10th starting spot for the 25 lap feature. He picked up a spot on the start and rode in 9th for 7 laps. He began working his way forward and had picked up 6th by lap 12. When the checkers waived he had made his way to 5th for his 2nd top 5 in 3 races.
Keep your eyes on WKBN Sports, Part 2 of the Kekich Family racing story will be airing soon. Adam will be back in action next weekend, and Mike will be back out with the 410's on June 13th.
Welcome to KekichRacing.com!
5/21/09 - Well, here we are 2 weeks behind schedule, but the updated site is finally online. MikeKekich.com and AdamKekich.com have merged with the all new KekichRacing.com. Here you will find information on both Mike and Adam as they race their way through the 2009 season. Hold on tight, it's gonna be a wild ride!
The first 2 weeks of racing have been pretty solid for the Warren Harley-Davidson Tight Seal Glass Block 5k machines.
Mike won his first heat race of the season, and followed it up with 6th and 5th place finishes in the first 2 features of the year. 'The car is good this year, i think we are gonna be fast" mike commented.
Adam started his first couple weeks of racing at the tail to get a feel for the car. Dad and Uncle Doug are satisfied he is ready to mix it up, so Adam will line up where the pill draw puts him this weekend. "This car is just awesome" says Adam, "I think we'll have a pretty good year".
2009 Looking Good!!
2/8/2009 - Wow, this has been a crazy off-season! Like many teams, Kekich Racing has been busy preparing to get back on the track in 2009. The economy has made things pretty scary, and we've had to tighten our belt just to try and field a competitive 410 for Mike. We are pleased to announce that thanks to Warren Harley-Davidson, Tight Seal Glass Block, and Agway of Hermitage, the fan favorite 5K Sprinter will indeed be back at Sharon Speedway for the full 2009 points season. "I'll tell you what, I am blessed to have such great sponsors" Mike said, "These are great people with great businesses that support not only our team, but local racing in a big way. I invite everyone to stop in to their stores and see what they have to offer".
Incase that wasn't exciting enough, 2 years of work has paid off and Kekich Racing will be fielding a 2nd entry in the Limited Sprint Division piloted by Adam Kekich. Adam took the 2008 season off to prepare his car and equipment, and he is excited to get back into competition. "As long as I can remember watching my Dad race Sprint Cars, I have wanted to race one myself. This season I'll get to not only race one, but I'll be there every Saturday with my Dad. I've challenged him to race me this year, but I think he might be scared I'll beat him" Adam commented. Adams car will carry the 5K number along with all the same sponsors. Adam makes the jump to the Limited Sprint after a successful career in kart racing, accumulating many wins and a track championship at Slippery Rock.
The public relations department will also be busy designing a new website and merchandise for the team to be launched before opening day. A new day job and a computer crash handcuffed the updates late last season through the off-season, but a new laptop will allow us to work while traveling for work, so keep checking back for updates and news as the Kekich Racing torch is passed to yet another generation. We would not, however, recommend sitting anywhere near Shelly at the track this season!!