19 year old Kyle Weatherman, driver of the #78 Mason Mitchell Motorsports Chevy, is no stranger to getting his hands dirty. Weatherman is a native of Wentzville, Missouri, where he started racing go-karts at a young age. From the get-go, Kyle was always hands on, working on his racecars himself and getting his hands dirty. He has not strayed away from this practice, still continuing to help work on his own cars to this day. When asked about this, Kyle says that it’s very important to be hands-on and know what you’re working with. In addition to putting his own time and work in, Kyle lends the upmost thanks to his family and friends who have always supported him and his dream.
Family is something that Kyle values greatly, and he says it’s cool to have them with him when he reaches new milestones in his career. His father, he says, is one of the biggest inspirations in his life. With the support of his family and friends, Kyle went on to win a handful of National Championships in both Bandelero and Legend cars. He has gone on to suceed in the ARCA Series, capturing over 20 top 5 finishes, 4 poles, over 30 top 10 finishes and leading over 500 laps, all within just a few seasons. Although he has reached this level of success on his own, Kyle still draws influence from other drivers to help him succeed even more.
Kyle lists David Ragan, Carl Edwards and Chris Buescher as some of his biggest racing influences. All of these drivers have gone down similar paths to him and he enjoys studying their techniques and paying attention to the moves they make behind the wheel. In order to take his career to the next level as his racing influences have, Kyle decided to make the move to North Carolina when he was around the age of 15 or 16. As it does for most, racing just started out as a hobby for Weatherman, but, within a few years, it became something much bigger than that. 2015 was a great year for Kyle in the ARCA series — he won Rookie of the Year honors that season. He says that 2015 gave him great momentum for his ARCA career, following that up with a solid top 10 finish in the standings in 2016. He’s carrying this momentum with him in 2017, and he is scheduled to run 10 races with his team, Mason Mitchell Motorsports. When asked about his major goals for this season, he says he wants to win as many races as he possibly can. But, he’s taking it one race at a time. He’s still continuously doing his homework, learning about each track on the circuit and studying them one by one. One racetrack he mastered was New Jersey Motorsports Park, where he earned his first win in 2015 at the age of 17, which he lists as one of his best accomplishments. Although winning is his primary goal, winning isn’t everything. Being involved in charitable endeavors and staying connected to the fans are also very important to Kyle.
Kyle started #kylekares, a campaign where he works closely with different non-profit organizations across the span of the race season. He makes visits to sick children in the hospital and feels as though it’s very important to give back. Spreading awareness about troubles or hardships people are facing in life and lending a helping hand are both important to Kyle, and he finds joy in providing light to those that are in a dark place. In addition to his different charitable endeavors, Kyle also maintains a close relationship with his fans, whether that be on social media or in person. He lends thanks to his fans for supporting him, saying, “We wouldn’t be anywhere without the fans.” Giving fans the time of day is something he finds very important, and feels that all drivers should do the same. Kyle understands that many fans have dreams of finding their own way in the racing world one day, and he does have some advice for them.
Kyle says that you should always keep moving forward and always look toward the finish line. He says to “Stay strong and stay focused on your goals.”, adding in that you always have to keep moving, no matter how hard it may get. He also adds that there are going to be more low points than there are high points, but you must keep rolling and stay focused.
With his winning attitude and wonderful spirit, Kyle can achieve anything he wants to, on and off the track. We wish Kyle the best of luck this season!
Catch him this weekend at Salem Speedway, and/or check him out on social media here:
