Kelly Kovski is keeping his dream of an ARCA victory alive after 20 years

Although Kelly Kovski did not win the Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Sunday evening, he still had plenty of reasons to celebrate.

By recording the second-best average finish across the two ARCA Menards Series dirt events this year, Kovski received a $5,000 bonus as part of the Performance Seed Dirt Double. Kovski earned this paycheck with a fourth-place run at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, which he backed up with a fifth at DuQuoin.

Kovski had never earned consecutive top fives in a single season at the two ARCA Menards Series dirt venues prior to 2024. The additional money in his bank account courtesy of the Performance Seed Dirt Double is something Kovski knows will be beneficial toward achieving another milestone: his first ARCA Menards Series win.

“Anytime you can earn some extra money with the way we race is a big deal,” Kovski said. “It helps offset some of the costs to keep us going for next year. I went up to [ARCA president] Ron Drager and thanked him for putting this bonus up for us, because it really helps a guy like myself. Everything goes back into the race car and that helps us be better prepared for us to do it the next time.”

Motorsports has always been passion for Kovski and his father Roy, but it was their connections to the Allgaier family that got them started in the industry.

During his youth, Kovski and his dad regularly accompanied Mike Allgaier to different facilities around the Midwest as his son Justin Allgaier began refining his own skills in quarter midgets and later the UMP Late Model Series. Kovski absorbed as much information as he could from the Allgaiers, which later gave him the confidence to get behind the wheel himself.

The first starts for Kovski came in a Dirt Modified, where he almost immediately found a comfort zone piloting the cars around dirt tracks in his home state of Illinois. With modest dirt track experience under his belt, Kovski was eager to branch out and make his ARCA Menards Series debut at either Springfield or DuQuoin.

While the Allgaiers were busy preparing Justin for the ARCA Menards Series dirt races in 2004, Mike approached Roy about purchasing a car from 1999 champion Bill Baird, who was phasing out his program at the time. The car they bought was damaged from a previous wreck, leaving Kovski and his father a finite amount of time to make repairs for their debut.

Using owner points from Andy Hillenburg, Kovski ended up making the starting grid for the 2004 Southern Illinois 100 at DuQuoin. He recalls the actual race only being part of the adventure, as they had to coordinate with the Allgaiers to ensure everything was ready prior to the green flag.

“My first race at DuQuoin, I’ll never forget it,” Kovski said. “Justin raced that Friday night in Toledo, and DuQuoin was on that Monday during the day. The motor he was running at Toledo, I needed it for Monday because we couldn’t afford a motor. [Mike] said if we could get the car together, he would get us the motor to put in it.

“We were literally bolting the motor in that morning.”

Kovski endured a quiet debut race that day at DuQuoin, but he avoided trouble to finish 15^th, one lap behind race-winner Frank Kimmel. The experience was an eye-opening one for Kovski when it came to shifting and maneuvering the heavier cars, but it also kickstarted his passion for the ARCA Menards Series that persists into the present day.

Since the mid-2000s, Kovski’s name has regularly been on the entry lists for both Springfield and DuQuoin. He has amassed nine top-five finishes between the two facilities across his 20-year career, with Kovski’s best performance being a runner-up finish to Tom Hessert III at DuQuoin in 2016.

Outside of the driver’s seat, Kovski has been just as impactful on the ARCA Menards Series platform. He played a vital role in Justin Allgaier’s 2008 championship run and later served as a crew chief for Grant Enfinger, who he ended up guiding to Victory Lane at Springfield in 2017 when he drove the No. 16 for Allgaier Motorsports.

Allgaier is proud of everything Kovski has accomplished across racing in general, which is why he wants to see him breakthrough on the ARCA Menards Series platform. The relentless dedication of Kovski is what Allgaier believes makes him so versatile despite only running two ARCA Menards Series races per season.

“[Kovski] is somebody that grew up working on race cars, but didn’t get the opportunity to race until later in life,” Allgaier said. “His strength was that he understood race cars extremely well. You go to any short track in our area, and he’s the guy to beat in a UMP Dirt Modified. He’s the one calling the shots behind the wheel, and that’s a tough role to manage both.”

Even though he has enjoyed the Victory Lane celebrations as a crew chief and crew member, Kovski hopes the day comes where he gets to claim an ARCA Menards Series checkered flag as a driver. The opportunities to do so are sporadic, but Kovski is always confident in himself each time the two dirt events come up on the calendar.

“I go to Springfield and DuQuoin to race for the win,” Kovski said. “I’m not there to show up and be part of the show; I go there to win. If I can’t win, I don’t want to do it. This year, I’ve raced my Modified three times and then run ARCA, so I really didn’t have much racing to prepare myself, but luckily it all worked out.”

Every season presents more challenges for Kovski to keep his program up to par against ARCA Menards Series powerhouses like Joe Gibbs Racing and Venturini Motorsports. Despite this, Kovski considers himself fortunate to have a car capable of keeping the young stars honest across the two dirt events.

Especially since his driving career almost ended abruptly in 2017.

While working as Allgaier’s crew chief at Volusia County Speedway Park that February, Kovski and two others were struck by Dale Blaney’s car when it crashed through protective fencing. Kovski ended up suffering broken ribs, a collapsed lung, several fractured vertebrae and a ruptured spleen, all of which put him in a medically induced coma for more than two weeks.

The nature of Kovski’s injuries led to several difficult discussions over how to proceed with his recovery and whether he would be able to race again. A decision was made to remove Kovski’s spleen and have major reconstructive surgery on his back, which was followed by a diligent-but-successful rehabilitation process.

“The doctors weren’t sure if I would be able to get back into a race car,” Kovski said. “It all depended on how I recovered from my injuries. I didn’t even know I had a back issue, but [my wife] made the decision to do the back surgery because I was damn near paralyzed. The rods were installed, and when I got out, [the doctors] told me what had happened.

“I said I will be in a race car within a year.”

Kovski fulfilled that promise. He was back in a Dirt Modified in July of 2018 before returning to the No. 16 Allgaier Motorsports Chevrolet for Springfield and DuQuoin that same year, this time with Enfinger leading him to two top 10s atop the pit box.

The transition back into racing was mostly seamless for Kovski. He worked closely with Randy LaJoie on what adjustments needed to be made to the seat following the injuries, with Kovski adding he has never felt more comfortable inside a car since those meetings.

Allgaier admitted not every aspect of Kovski’s life is easy due to the linger effects from the injuries sustained at Volusia County. He regularly talks with Kovski about the challenges he faces when it comes to routine matters like simply getting out of the car, yet those conservations only reinforce to Justin how committed his lifelong friend is to excel as a driver.

“The recovery process for Kelly is still ongoing,” Allgaier said. “There’s a lot of challenges he still deals with on a day-to-day basis. It’s followed me in a lot of ways, because he was working on my race car [that night], and it took away a chunk of opportunities for Kelly. Every day he gets behind the wheel is cool because I’ve seen these races mean more to him.

“It’s given him a fresh take on what it takes to be successful.”

More htan seven years have passed since the near-death experience, and Kovski finds himself more motivated than ever to win an ARCA Menards Series event. He and Roy now oversee the No. 16 the Allgaiers use to field for him, but he is grateful for all the assistance Mike and Justin provide to this day, which includes using the resources at their shop.

Justin aims to keep supporting Kovski’s dream of being a driver until he eventually hangs up his helmet one day. With how much energy he exerts in racing, Justin envisions Kovski maintaining his program for many more years to come.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be in all different forms of NASCAR and an ARCA champion,” Allgaier said. “Being around the sport as long as I’ve been, I’ve never met anybody that has the work ethic or dedication to the grind like Kelly. It’s unbelievable how many hours he puts in to have an opportunity to go racing.

“Anytime I see him have success makes me feel good because I know all those hours weren’t wasted.”

So much has changed with the ARCA Menards Series since Kovski’s first appearance back in 2004, but his passion and consistency on the dirt tracks remain strong. As long as he can stay competitive, Kovski intends to show up to Springfield and DuQuoin each year with the goal of earning that maiden victory.

“I just want to put my name in that record book for one of those dirt races,” Kovski said. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do since a young age. I’ve ran second, but haven’t won, and that’s the thing that keeps making me come back.

“If I could win, all the life goals I’ve set out to do would be achieved.”

Kovski is already making early plans for the two dirt dates in 2025. He has reached out to several local businesses about supporting his efforts but will also use every cent of the $5,000 obtained from his Performance Seed Dirt Double bonus.

The additional funding could be the catalyst towards Kovski finally celebrating a well-earned win after either Springfield or DuQuoin as soon as next year.