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Driver of the Week

KYLE MERKEL
NASCAR LATE MODEL NO. 117

Photo credit: Leslie Betz
Used with permission from Merkel Racing

Name: Kyle Merkel
2006 Chassis: 2001 Warrior
Engine: Lombardo Racing Engines
Date of Birth: January 1, 1990
Birthplace: Reading, Pa
Current Residence: Gilbertsville, Pa
Late Model Career Wins: 0
Nicknames: Merk, Young Merk
Favorite TV Show: Viva La Bam
Favorite Movie: Days of Thunder
Favorite Musical Band: Weezer
Years in Racing: Six
Career Wins: Around 50 A-main wins in Quarter Midgets
Primary Tracks in 2006: Phoenixville Quarter Midget Club, Grandview, Susquehanna
2006 Sponsors: Jr. Schell Trucking, Barry Witman Auto Sales, Chromate Industrial Corp.
Racing Experience: Six years in Quarter Midget, Rookie in Late Models

Remember the name Kyle Merkel. He is going to be one of the up-and-coming stars of Late Model racing at Grandview Speedway. Just 16 years old, Kyle will compete in his rookie season at Grandview in 2006.

Thus far Kyle has started in three of the four races held so far this season, with a best finish of 16th on April 15. Kyle is learning the ropes and is doing an outstanding job of staying out of trouble and finishing races.

We recently spoke with Kyle about his racing career and how he got started in Late Model racing this season.

What got you started in racing?
My older brother Sean was racing Quarter Midgets and when I turned five I started too. My Mom and Dad both got me involved. My Grandfather used to race at Grandview back in the 70’s, so racing was already in the family.

Many folks do not know you as a Grandview racer, just that you are Sean's younger brother. How did it come together for you to race on the Hill?
Well, we really didn’t know that I was going to run a full year this year. I was only going to run a few shows here and there. But around the time of the Reading mall show is when we decided I was racing the full year. We still had Sean’s late model frame from last year outside sitting bare so we got started on putting the car back together around the beginning of March. It took a lot of work but we had just enough time to have it done for Grandview Practice day. I will be running at Grandview on Saturdays and Susquehanna on Fridays along with Sean in the Late Model division. I will also be finishing out my career in the quarter midgets this year down at Phoenixville Quarter Midget Club, so I can also be seen down there on Wednesday Nights.

What is your favorite racing memory throughout your career?
My favorite memory has to be last year in the quarter midgets when I won 4 straight in the competitive Heavy Honda GX160 Division.

How would you rate your first three performances at Grandview?
From a scale of 1-10 I would rate it at about a 6. Each and every time in the car I have learned something new. Grandview practice I wasn’t using enough brake and would push, so I worked on fixing that problem and I have improved. The first week I learned the hard way by making a so-called rookie mistake and ran too hard into turn 1 and caused a wreck. I improved myself with that aspect and now I have been working on getting more of a feel for the size of the car, and I think it shouldn’t take long with all the seat time I should get this season. But all in all I have a lot to learn yet this season.

What are your goals for the 2006 season?
My goal for this season is to try to stay out of trouble and finish races. I also want to be competitive wherever I go this season. I want to figure out the car a lot more and gain as much experience as I can this season and use it all for next year in my sophmore season. I would also like to be able to finish in the top 10 at Grandview and Susquehanna on a more weekly basis as the season goes on.

Thank you Kyle for the interview, we wish you the best of luck in 2006. For those that have never met Kyle, Sean or the Merkel family in general, please treat yourself to do that after the races on a Saturday night at Grandview. They are some of the friendliest folks in the pit area and they have a real competitive race team going on there. Everyone is going to hear the name Merkel a lot more in the not-too-distant future.