Kelly Kovski Bio
Kelly Kovski (born June 16, 1981) is an American professional racing driver and crew chief who has built a long career in the ARCA Menards Series. He is best known for his specialized work on the dirt miles, with most of his starts coming at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois. Over more than two decades he has balanced driving duties with crew chief responsibilities, working with both his own team and established ARCA operations.
Operating out of his own shop, Kelly Kovski Racing, and fielding the No. 16 Chevrolet, Kovski has become a familiar figure in stock car racing’s regional and short-track scene. His career has also extended into dirt track events beyond the ARCA schedule, where he has earned wins as both a sprint car and stock car competitor.
Early Life and Background
Kelly Kovski was born on June 16, 1981, in Springfield, Illinois. Growing up in the heart of central Illinois, he was surrounded by a strong tradition of short-track and dirt track racing, with both Springfield and DuQuoin hosting major stock car events each year. This regional racing culture provided an early and steady introduction to the sport.
As a young racer, Kovski focused his early efforts on local and regional short tracks, learning the craft of driving on both dirt and asphalt surfaces. His foundation on dirt in particular would shape the path that his career would later follow, as the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds mile would become the centerpiece of his professional schedule.
Path to NASCAR
Kovski’s progression through racing followed the short-track and regional ladder common to many Midwest racers. After cutting his teeth in local competition, he advanced to the ARCA Re/Max Series, which served as a traditional stepping-stone toward NASCAR national series racing. His ARCA debut in 2004 marked his entry into professionally sanctioned stock car competition.
While he never moved into the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Kovski’s career within the ARCA Menards Series allowed him to work alongside and for drivers who did make that jump, including serving as a crew chief for Grant Enfinger during a championship-winning ARCA campaign. His path illustrates the broader Midwest short-track route into the upper tiers of American stock car racing.
Kelly Kovski Career
Early Career (2004–2011)
Kovski made his ARCA Re/Max Series debut in 2004 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Fast Track Racing. He finished fifteenth, a lap down, in a race won by series veteran Frank Kimmel. That single start opened the door to a long career in the series.
From 2005 to 2011, Kovski primarily ran the dirt races with his own team in collaboration with Roulo Brothers Racing, fielding the No. 39 Chevrolet. He posted top-fifteen finishes in both dirt events in 2005, ran eleventh at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in 2006, and earned his first top-ten at Springfield with a sixth-place run in 2007. He continued to post steady top-ten results in subsequent years and capped the stretch with a career-best fourth-place finish at DuQuoin in 2011, his first top-five in ARCA competition.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2012–2016)
In 2012, Kovski moved to Allgaier Motorsports, a team that had won the series championship with Justin Allgaier in 2008. He opened his tenure with a fourth-place run at Springfield in the No. 99 Chevrolet. The following year, he made his first asphalt ARCA start at Toledo Speedway, finishing ninth, and added a tenth-place run at Berlin Raceway before returning to the dirt events.
The 2014 season marked a turning point, as Kovski stepped into a crew chief role with Team BCR and the No. 90 Ford for Grant Enfinger, following Enfinger to GMS Racing later that year. In 2015, he moved to the No. 23 Chevrolet alongside Enfinger, who won the ARCA championship. Kovski finished third at Springfield that season. In 2016, he earned his best career ARCA finish of second place, running behind Tom Hessert III at DuQuoin.
Kelly Kovski Racing Era (2017–Present)
The 2017 season brought a serious setback when Kovski was struck in the pits at Volusia County Speedway by a flipping sprint car, an accident that was significant enough to keep him out of both ARCA dirt races as a driver. He shifted fully into a crew chief role that year, helping Enfinger win the Springfield dirt race in the No. 16 Chevrolet.
Kovski returned to driving in 2018 and posted finishes of eighth at Springfield and seventh at DuQuoin. He recorded a top-five of fifth at DuQuoin in 2019, then finished fifth at Springfield in his lone 2020 start. Subsequent seasons brought mixed results, including a fifteenth at Springfield in 2022 after an engine failure, but 2023 showed clear improvement with a fourth at Springfield and a sixth at DuQuoin. Operating primarily as Kelly Kovski Racing with the No. 16 Chevrolet, he remains an active presence in the ARCA Menards Series.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kovski’s strengths are clearly tied to dirt mile racing, where he has built the bulk of his career and earned his top finishes at Springfield and DuQuoin. His experience across both driving and crew chief roles has given him a deep understanding of race strategy, car setup, and long-run pace. That dual perspective has made him a steady and consistent presence in the ARCA garage.
Notable Races and Milestones
His second-place finish at DuQuoin in 2016 stands as his best career ARCA result to date, while his fourth-place run at Springfield in 2012 marked his first top-five. He has also earned multiple dirt track wins outside of ARCA competition, including sprint car events, reinforcing his reputation as a well-rounded short-track racer.
Kelly Kovski Career Wins
Kelly Kovski’s win ledger is anchored by his successes in dirt track competition beyond the ARCA Menards Series, where he has collected victories in sprint car and stock car events. Within ARCA, he has notched a series of top-five and top-ten results, highlighted by his runner-up finish at DuQuoin in 2016.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Across more than twenty years in the ARCA Menards Series, Kovski has built a reputation as a dependable dirt-mile specialist. His breakthrough top-five came with a fourth at DuQuoin in 2011, and he has since added top-fives at Springfield in 2012, DuQuoin in 2016, DuQuoin in 2019, and Springfield in 2020, along with a fourth at Springfield in 2023. While an ARCA victory has remained just out of reach, his crew chief work with Grant Enfinger produced an ARCA win at Springfield in 2017.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of ARCA, Kovski has earned wins at various dirt track events across the Midwest, including sprint car competition at venues such as Volusia County Speedway, where he was also injured in a 2017 accident. These regional and dirt track victories have complemented his ARCA career and underscored his versatility as both a driver and a crew chief.
Kelly Kovski Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kelly Kovski’s roots in Springfield, Illinois, place him in the heart of a region with deep stock car racing heritage, where the annual Illinois and DuQuoin State Fair races have long served as proving grounds for local talent. His long career in the area reflects the kind of family- and community-based racing tradition that defines Midwest short-track culture.
Personal Life
Kovski is based in the Springfield, Illinois area, where he operates Kelly Kovski Racing. He has balanced his driving career with work as a crew chief, including a championship-winning ARCA season with Grant Enfinger in 2015.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into 2025, Kovski remains active with Kelly Kovski Racing in the ARCA Menards Series, continuing his long association with the dirt miles at Springfield and DuQuoin in the No. 16 Chevrolet. The 2023 season showed renewed pace with a fourth at Springfield and a sixth at DuQuoin, and that momentum shapes expectations for his 2025 campaign.
With his dual role as both driver and crew chief, Kovski brings a strategic edge to every event, and his veteran experience on dirt continues to be a key asset. The 2025 schedule is expected to once again feature the Illinois and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds as central stops on his calendar.
Outlook for the season centers on contending for top-fives on the dirt miles, leveraging his familiarity with those unique venues, and adding new finishes to a career already defined by longevity in the ARCA Menards Series.