Get to know youth racer, Saint Joseph resident Blake Stevens
SAINT JOSEPH, Mich. — Blake Stevens is an 8-year-old from St Joseph that has a love for a very unique sport. Blake races quarter midget cars! He is the only kid around the area that participates in this type of racing. His home track is located in Kalamazoo, however, he and his family travel across the Midwest to race.
Quarter midget race cars go up to 45 mph on a 1/20th mile oval-shaped track. They race with up to 12 cars at a time. Many of the Nascar, IndyCar and F1 drivers come from a quarter midget racing background! The outdoor season runs from April-October. Blake travels to Columbus during the winter to race at the indoor track as well! Having such a love and dedication to this sport, Blake has only taken one weekend off since the beginning of the outdoor season this year!
Blake’s interest in racing began when he was just 5 years old. The family knew nothing of racing prior to this! After 3 years of the sport, his mom has learned to score races from the tower and sits on the board of directors at his home track. His dad has been learning everything he can about working on the race cars and Blake’s biggest fan is his two-year-old little brother! Blake’s mom states, “This truly has become a family sport. These kids are incredible! The other day I was at a place and a complete stranger overheard what I was talking about with a friend and said to me, ‘your kid is the race car driver?! I’ve heard of him!’”
A list of local Berrien County businesses help Blake by sponsoring him and displaying their logos on the side of his car. Blake’s fan base spreads further than just his community of Southwest Michigan. Because of the rarity of the sport, he has a large following on Facebook! He is currently ranked 4th and 5th in his two classes in the entire Midwest!
This sport has also taught Blake some very important life lessons on finances and responsibility. Gathering the funds to support his love for racing is not an easy task. He collects cans from friends, neighbors, and even strangers who have heard of him and returns them by himself. He has been able to cover costs for many of his entry fees by doing this! Additionally, he has learned the value that gaining experiences in life is far greater than the value of material possessions.
Go check out Blake Stevens Racing page on Facebook and cheer on our local little racer!
Go Blake!
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