The Kentucky Kid
Dreams
do come true. Just ask Stuart Kirby, the 20-year-old racing sensation from
Bowling Green, Kentucky! He’s seemingly jumped straight from the ranks of Late
Model racing at the Nashville Speedway to the ARCA RE/MAX Series to the elite
Winston Cup ranks in only one season!
Dubbed the ‘Kentucky Kid’, Kirby has
caught the attention of many during his 2001 campaign, especially after his good
qualifying run recently at the UAW-GM 500 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in
Charlotte, North Carolina! Driving a Bob Schacht-owned Ford Taurus, sponsored by
Combos Snacks, Kirby qualified unexpectedly in the top-25 with a speed of
182.143 mph, topping speeds posted by veterans like Rusty Wallace and Dale
Jarrett! Unfortunately, Kirby’s day ended abruptly after only completing 45
laps due to an accident, but the experience should prove invaluable in the near
future for this young team.
"We were having a good run,"
said Kirby. "I told everyone even though it was someone else who crashed me
out of the race, it was mainly my fault for getting us back there on the start.
We had a top-20 car I think, but when you get back there, it’s hard to pass
and everyone is racing so hard. That’s NASCAR racing though and I learned a
lot racing those guys. I learned about getting in and out of the pit stalls with
all those cars there. I actually gained lots of knowledge in only 45 laps I
feel. I’ll get another chance this weekend in Talladega and I’m ready and
excited."
Kirby was admittedly nervous and jittery
coming into his first big Winston Cup event with the knowledge that he’d be
going up against the ‘best of the best’ and in a place where respect is
earned, not given.
"I
understand I’m racing against the most awesome drivers today", stated
Kirby. "There’s nothing better than getting on a track with these Cup
guys! I didn’t expect to win in Charlotte, but I still accomplished getting
valuable seat time and working pit stops. Plus, I’ve heard some of the drivers
talking positively about me and that’s really neat and encouraging. I plan on
earning their respect and the respect of the fans."
Kirby has been most impressive on his
limited 2001 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule and turned in remarkable performances
at several racing venues, including Pocono and Daytona. In Pocono, he shattered
the old ARCA track qualifying record to claim the Old Milwaukee Pole award and
left the racetrack with a third-place finish! All this coming from a driver who
isn’t even legally old enough to drink Old Milwaukee!
Kirby’s first outing at the famed
Daytona International Speedway as an ARCA rookie was probably his most memorable
to date! He was able to hook up with the talented Schacht through a mutual
friend and together they ventured to a test session in Daytona, where team
chemistry was born! Kirby went on to qualify 4th and finished in an
astonishing 5th place spot in his very first superspeedway
competition!
"I’m so grateful for meeting Bob
Schacht, we just have an amazing working chemistry, we believe in each other,
and it feels like we’ve known each other for years," said Kirby.
"Bob told me to not concentrate any more energy on running the Late Models,
but to focus on the ARCA Series. He’s given me a great opportunity preparing
these cars for me and mentally preparing me as well. Bob is the car owner and my
crew chief, so we work closely together. To qualify for my first Cup race so
well in Charlotte shows how good Bob is at what he does."
Often kidded by other drivers on his ‘baby-face’
youthfulness, Kirby thinks this will only help him on the road to Winston Cup
racing, not hinder him.
"Most racers know that NASCAR owners
like to take young, talented drivers into their organizations in order to groom
them into future winners. But, saying that, I have no plans in the near future
of racing without Bob involved with me. I want him with me as either the car
owner or as my crew chief in the Busch Grand National Series or Winston Cup as
my career progresses along," said Kirby.
Stuart
Kirby and his young team will soon have the opportunity to again showcase their
talent on October 20th at the Talladega Superspeedway for their
sponsors and fans! He and Schacht will team up to compete in the Food World 300,
the longest ARCA RE/MAX race on the 2001 schedule touting a purse of nearly
$257,000!
"We’re hoping for another great run
on a superspeedway! We’re also hopeful that Combos Snacks/M&M Mars
Corporation will witness another great run by this team and be able to develop a
long-lasting relationship with them. We’d sure like to do another Cup or ARCA
race with them aboard, we’re in for the long haul and would love to have them
along as well," said Kirby.