McKeefery adds another championship to resume By McKeefery Racing Publicity
In just seven short years of racing, 20-year-old Martin McKeefery of Milpitas, Calif. has collected four racing championships, including a world title, in three different racing series.
McKeefery’s most recent championship came this season in the Western States Supermodified Racing League, in only his second season in a supermodified racecar. In McKeefery’s first year in the supermodifieds he was named Rookie of the Year, after running a rookie season in 2006; he was ready to take a shot at the championship trophy.
Martin feels proud to win the 2007 Champion in one of the most extreme racing divisions in the country. “It’s absolutely awesome; two years ago I never would have dreamed I could be driving an 823 hp supermodified. My first ever practice in a supermodified rewired my brain. After building muscle memory and learning to race at speeds hitting 140 mph on a ½ mile track in my first season of racing, I was prepared to fight hard in the following season. From race to race I focused on pushing my supermodified to its limits and by doing this I brought home the 2007 Championship.”
McKeefery may only be 20 years old but his goal is to race in the top levels of NASCAR. He learns from his mistakes and pays close attention to his competition to make sure he can bring home a podium finish. “In each higher race division, my goal is to learn and soak up as much information as possible. I have new found driving skills, adjusting shocks, two pan hard bars, wing placement and angle, tire stagger, and driving an unevenly distributed weight balance with almost half the weight of the vehicle on the left rear tire, not to mention passing cars at over 120 mph only inches apart at tracks as small as ¼ mile oval. The higher I move up in the ranks the more pressure is put on me to perform. In previous racing divisions I could make mistakes on the racetrack, but now every lap has to be perfect.
Racing on the track is one thing, but having your car stay together and finishing every race is a completely different game. That takes more time, effort and dedication to ensure that everything on the car is in top-notch condition explains Martin. “Mid season we had three races in eight days. We were one of few teams who started and finished all three feature races, which is a huge accomplishment. The McKeefery racing team never surrenders, and never gives up. If a problem arises we attack it with levelheaded minds, and always ensure that our green machine is on the racetrack ready to drive to victory. ”
Crew chief James McKeefery and mechanic Jeremiah Bearden looked over the car like a hawk throughout the entire season. James kept the Scott Losorwith engine at full speed while Jeremiah dialed in the car chassis by studying the car on the track and listening to Martin’s feedback, making the #27 an intimidating competitor. “More than once during the season I had mechanical issues that forced me to the pits. A supermodified doesn’t have a clutch or transmission, but under these circumstances I slipped it out of gear and kept the motor running while the crew did the work, and then had to learn to engage the rear gear while being pushed back onto the track. By doing this I saved valuable time in the pits that helped to get back out on to the track as soon as possible.”
Martin now sets his 2008 goal on becoming a professional driver. He feels he has the racing resume to take him to the next level. His driving proves his talent, now he needs a sponsor who wants to join him in marketing their products with motorsports glamour. “My goal is to race in the Camping World Grand National West series. I believe that my racing credentials are excellent, and prove that I am ready to move up to that level now. If that cannot happen in this off-season, then I will race the supermodified another year. I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge racing a supermodified, and there is still information to be had by racing another season.”
Martin would like to thank Jeremiah Bearden, Richard Russell, Ken Coventry, Jim Birges, Glenn Cornell, Joe LaGue, Mike Reece, Lou Anne McKeefery, Rhonda Costa-Landers, Jason Estrada, Lacey Benson, Chris Lafayette and Catherine McKeefery for all of their hard work and efforts that helped McKeefery Racing throughout the season.
McKeefery is sponsored by Milpitas Health and Fitness, WorkOut .com, AngelBodyandPaint .com auto painting in Milpitas, MysteryPartyGames .com and ChildrensPartyGames .com — download and print your children’s party games, McKeefery Engineering, Pacific Tire, Milpitas Precision Transmission, Martha’s All Natural, and www.toplineapplications.com.
Videos of his races as well as contact information are at www.McKeeferyRacing .com.
