Development-focused: Kyle Keller juggling racing and managing a driver development program on the West Coast

ARCA Menards Series West driver Kyle Keller likes to help people.

The 18-year-old driver from Las Vegas likes to help people so much, he and his father John Keller formed a driver development program to help young racers as they climb the motorsports ranks on the West Coast.

“I’ve always wanted to help younger kids, because we don’t come from a lot of money,” Kyle said. “I’ve raced against drivers that have had financial support behind them. I just want to help kids that are in the position I was in when I was younger.

“Now that I’m racing in the ARCA Menards Series, I just kind of wanted to help the kids and kind of help driver coach them so I can not only be a driver but learn to driver coach and work on the cars and all that stuff.”

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Racing has always been a big part of the Keller family. Kyle’s father was a driver and engine builder, a skill he picked up from his father. When his son decided he wanted to go racing, John hung up his helmet to focus on Kyle’s racing career.

“My son in 2008 told me he wanted to start racing. He was four years old. I pretty much parked my stuff and focused on Kyle,” John said. “When we got into the Jr. Late Model program in 2012 I want to say, he was about 10 years old, Kyle started lighting the world on fire.”

The timing of Kyle’s successful move to Jr. Late Models wasn’t ideal for his father, who had just sold his own stable of race cars. He quickly worked to replace the cars he sold with cars for Kyle to drive and, as it would ultimately turn out, for others to drive, as well.

It wasn’t long before Kyle came to his father with the idea to help other drivers by providing equipment and driver coaching. John remembers one particular moment when his son came to him after watching a daughter and father struggling to get up to speed at California’s Madera Speedway.

“It started off with a couple of kids that pretty much came from nothing,” John said. “They were out at Madera racing with us. One was a young girl struggling really bad and a single dad just trying to get his daughter on the race track. They were just having problem after problem.

“My son is actually the one who started it. He came up to me and said, ‘Dad, I want to try and figure out how we can help these people. How can we get back to helping people that are struggling?’”

The development program really took off in 2021 after Kyle and John helped fellow competitor Robbie Kennealy, whose race car, shop and motor home were destroyed in a fire.

“I wanted to give him a shot to show him he can win and be a first-time winner at Madera. His second time in our car he was able to pull off the win,” Kyle recalled. “After getting the win with him it just kind of shot off like a rocket. Everybody was very interested because as the Kyle Keller Racing team, we were first-time winners as a program. Everyone started calling my dad and wanted to be part of the program and wanted to be drivers.”

Since then, the Kyle Keller Racing driver development program has grown exponentially. The program is designed to start drivers in the Jr. Late Model class that has grown in popularity on the West Coast.

According to John and Kyle, the goal is to prepare drivers to graduate to ARCA before they hopefully move on to successful careers in NASCAR.

“It’s more important to get the kids the experience to be ready for the ARCA series and the super late model stuff,” Kyle said. “I think it’s really cool that we can try to be the first portion of their success to get to the top.”

Many of the drivers who currently drive for the team or have driven for them in the past have diverse backgrounds. They include Armenian-American Alex Eskandari, Black competitors Cameron Carraway and Jalen Mack, and female racer Hailey Liles, among others.

In all, 36 drivers have come through the Kyle Keller Racing development program over the last seven years. John anticipates approximately 18 will drive for the team either full- or part-time during the 2023 season.

“He’s got a handful of girls that on-and-off drive for him. A couple still drive full-time,” John said. “He’s got all the way up to a 67-year-old man that drives in the Southwest Tour for him. They all kind of drive in his program at KKR. We either house their stuff, maintain it, take care of it, and it’s something Kyle cares about.”

It’s been a big balancing act for Kyle, who in addition to serving as a driver coach for the development program is in his first full ARCA Menards Series West season for Jerry Pitts Racing. He’s driving the No. 70 for the team, which carries sponsorship from Star Nursery and EverReady Health.

Thankfully he has a strong support structure behind him between his parents and the other driver coaches for the Kyle Keller Racing development program, including two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion Derek Thorn.

“When I’m racing on the same weekend it’s a little tough because I have to figure out what my car is doing but also the team with all the other drivers,” Kyle said. “It’s a little challenging trying to do all at once. That’s what pays for me to go racing. I just think it’s really cool to help all the other drivers.”

It’s that support that makes it possible for Kyle to give back and help young drivers as they attempt to make careers for themselves. It’s something he wants to continue doing even if he does make it in NASCAR.

“Kyle’s dream is if he makes it to the top, Kyle wants to keep a diversity program going and he wants to give back to people that are wanting to do this,” John said.