50 years ago, Kevin's grandfather, Gene Besecker, had a wild idea
to become a race car driver. A few years later, his idea was
wilder...to be a race car owner. Knowing fairly little and having only
moderate experience, Gene built a successful racing team. This
success came not only from having a nose for sniffing out good
drivers or his technical and automotive prowess, but also from The
Besecker's belief in teamwork. Gene and his wife Helen worked
together...long before women were allowed in the pits much less
thought to be part of a racing team. Helen served a crucial and
critical role in the success of Gene's "Besecker Sprinters". Helen
not only adjusted and adapted their quaint and country lifestyle to
accommodate the cars, shop, travelling and flow of people in and
out, but also she was always by his side. Where he and his
sprinters travelled, she was there. Though today, Gene might not
want to readily admit it, Helen even helped him with his race car
preparation, running valves, touching up paint and several other
tasks usually reserved for the men. When Kevin's dad Rick was
born, the family remained together...Rick travelling to the races
even as an infant. As Rick grew up, he helped Gene in the shop and
at the race track and even had a brief "stint" as a driver himself.
The success of the racing team was due in large part to the
closeness of the Besecker's who were more than just a family...they
were a team of their own.
Years later when Rick had his own two children, Angie and Kevin, a
new racing team was developed. This one with a Go-Kart for young
6 year old Kevin. Always on a modest budget, Rick and Kevin took
the Midwest Go-Kart tracks by storm. Where other teams had fancy
trailers, Team Besecker often would show up with a tool box and
Go-Kart in the back of a pick-up truck....and just as often would
leave with the trophy. Their resources were scarce, but their heart
and teamwork were second to none. Kevin learned to rebuild his
motors and make parts, alleviating a bit of the operations cost. Rick
offered an unconditional support to Kevin that to this day has been
the single most important element in Kevin's success.
Kevin was able to "graduate" into the midgets by the help of his
sister Angie and her husband at that time...Mack McClellan. Mack
was a very successful midget driver who had a career ending injury
at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the early 1990's. Mack not only
funded Kevin in his midgets, but also served as a valuable mentor
and coach. Mack's lessons were more than just technical, they laid a
foundation from which Kevin was able to grow. His lessons of
preparation, sportsmanship, patience and many more are STILL used
by Kevin on a weekly basis. Mack and Kevin's sister Angie were the
most critical element in getting Kevin into the midget world where
he saw several years of success. Along with them was Kevin's dad
and grandfather who made up the crew for Kevin's race car. Even
though the Besecker's didn't own the midgets, they still stayed
together as a team.
After Mack & Kevin parted ways in 2001, Kevin found himself out of a
race car for the first time in nearly 20 years. It was during this period
that he and Lauren spent time together going to the races and
"pounding the pavement" in search of rides. In this time frame,
Kevin was offered a 2 race deal with a local sprint car team thanks to
a referral from his friend Jamie Miller. Jamie was the mechanic on
the car, usually driven by Kevin Huntley. Kevin (Besecker) had
never driven a sprint car and had very limited dirt experience, but
was able to pilot that car into top 10 finishes both times out. Kevin
had a taste of sprint car racing that now made his desire to return
full time to the sport even more intense.
Of all the doors Kevin knocked on, he never dreamed that one so
close would be the one to answer. Kevin's dad, Rick is a City
worker in our small town and hardly had the funds to do the
Go-Karts, so was never even considered as an option for the much
much higher priced sprint cars. However, just as Kevin had never
lost hope, Rick had never stopped believing in Kevin's abilities.
Thanks to the elder Besecker men's kindness and dedication, Rick
and Gene scraped their pennies together and in the fall of 2002, the
new generation of Besecker Sprinters was born. When discussing
the team name, names like "Besecker Racing" or "Besecker
Motorsports" were thrown around, but the choice was made to name
it "Team Besecker" because above all else the Beseckers are
indeed a team.
The first year was a learning year, with crashes and arguments,
mishaps and lots of guessing. However, there were moments like
Kevins repeated top 10 qualifying efforts, or his 6th quick time in a
65 car USAC field that provided enough incentive and glimmers of
hope to try it again another season. Plans were made for 2004.
Kevin's work ethic is unmatched. In the winter preceding the 2004
season, Kevin provided for his family through working full time as a
heavy equipment mechanic. He also decided to return to college to
seek a degree in machining where he was appointed to The Deans
List with a 3.8 GPA in all 4 quarters. Since Kevin work and school
load made for 15 hour days, Kevin's car was moved from good
friend Keith Holsapple's shop that was 20 minutes away into Kevin
and Lauren's tiny one and a half car garage. The family car got
moved outside, and household items were stowed away elsewhere
so that Kevin could spend time with his young son at home, rather
than having to also be away from him to go work on a car
elsewhere.
Kevin only slept a few hours each night as after his personal
commitments were taken care of, he would assemble his race car
into the wee hours of the morning. That winter, the building of the
2004 #15 car was TRULY a labor of love. Kevin made all of his body
panels by hand with nothing but a sheet of aluminum and metal
sheers. He also paid tribute to his grandfather by designing and
creating by hand his now trademark clear side panel. (Gene had
complained that with the new sprint car body designs you couldn't
see the drivers like "the old days"). Lauren taught herself to use
and airbrush and painted the cars and helmets. They spent many
hours in the garage working next to one another to save the team
some money. Rick spent the balance of almost every single one of
his days left over after work at Kevin and Lauren's home doing
everything from helping put things together to being the
entertainment for Kevin's young and very curious son, Nicholas.
The rest of the Besecker family would pop their head in and lend a
hand in any way that they could. With little more than a bag of
dreams and a box of hope and eachother, Team Besecker eagerly
awaited the arrival of the 2004 racing season.
Often with muti-race used tires and old fashioned tools, in 2004 saw
Kevin thrill his supporters by winning heats and making several
large show's features, including USAC and SCRA and MSCS races.
Kevin posted several top 5 and top 10 finishes all summer long. He
became a fan favorite by always having time to talk, sign an
autograph or answer questions despite not only driving the car, but
being the mechanic as well.
He also received praise from track promoters and officials and
countless drivers for always driving carefully and cautiously, and
being a fair and focused competitor each and every time he was on
the track. With the rest of Team Besecker behind him and a very
small, but enthusiastic fan following, Kevin was able to wrap up 2004
in a fashion he never dreamed possible. After only 2 seasons in a
sprint car, Kevin Besecker achieved the most unexpected....he won
a track championship! He was crowned the 2004 Lawrenceburg
Speedway Track Champion. Considering that Lawrenceburg
Speedway averaged over 40 cars a night and started seeing more
and more "heavy hitters" weekly, this was quite an accomplishment.
For the 2005 racing season, Kevin decided to do something
"spectacular" to commemorate his family's 50th year in the sport.
Having already surprised his grandfather, Gene, by creating a clear
right side armguard, allowing the fans to see the driver, like "the old
days", Kevin parlayed that effort into a true tribute to his
Grandfather and the history of the sport. The 2005 "retro" Besecker
Sprinter featured an authentic 1960's paint color in a light blue with
pearl scallops in the old fashioned style. The paint was applied by
Russell Julien, an original painter of Grandpa's Besecker Sprinters.
Lettering in faux "Gold Leaf" was done in the same retro theme by
Ham Signs. A custom bumper with the initial "B" was made, as was a
faux chrome grill piece by Tony Beaber of Beaberbuilt. The car
looked like a showpiece, with a vintage feel. In fact, the car would
go on to win Bill Wright's (Racing columnist) "BEST APPEARING CAR"
for the 2005 season, the top honor among ALL of Non-Wing Sprint
Car racing.
Also, In 2005, Kevin created a fundraising program benefitting the
National Sprint Car Hall Of Fame, entitled, "A Summer To Remember".
This program was designed not only to raise money for the HOF, but
also, to bring awareness and create dialogue about the sport's rich
heritage. Each month, Kevin raced "in the name of" a historic
driver, and would then donate a percentage of each night's racing
monies to The HOF. Additional contributors also came on board,
allowing the NScHoF to receive over $2000 in donations from the
program by the time the season came to an end. More information
about this program can be found by clicking HERE.
2005 would prove to be a season with the highest of highs and the
lowest of lows. Kevin would go on to win his first race in the most
heart wrenching and exciting nights many fans have ever
witnessed. He would also continue to beat the odds by making his
severely under horse powered motor be competitive. He would get
the opportunity to drive Modifieds, Late Models and Legends cars in
the 2005 season, with successes in all. Kevin would also win 2 of
racing's highest and most coveted honors, The Dick Freeman
Memorial Award for Sportsmanship, and the most prestigious of all,
The Pat O'Conner Award, for sportsmanship and personal
excellence. No other driver in history has won both awards in the
same year.
However, the good times would be overshadowed, as in June of
2005, Kevin's beloved Grandfather, Gene, would die suddenly. The
irony of a season dedicated to his honor, and the racing family he
built, would lose it's inspiration without warning, was a shocking
blow. In fact, it is fair to say that nothing was the same after losing
him.
Grandpa Gene was not only an emotional supporter of Team
Besecker, but also a financial supporter as well. He worked every
day of his life, until the very day he died, always with the extra
money going to a race car part or tire that Kevin needed. As the
2005 season wound down, Kevin's father, Rick was left to do it all
alone, and over the winter of 2005/2006, it was determined that
finances were such that Rick could no longer afford to field a car for
Kevin. In February of 2006, the decision was made for Kevin to
"retire".
As Team Besecker prepares for the future, many things are being
taken into consideration. Kevin's son Nicholas is reaching "quarter
midget age", and the possibility exists that he may carry on the
name. Kevin has also taken on a job with another race team as a
mechanic, allowing Grandpa Gene's mechanical knowledge that he
taught Kevin, to be shared in the future. Kevin still remains hopeful
that he might race some in 2006 for another team or car owner.
Regardless of the changes, one thing remains constant:
The Beseckers realize that the "Team" in Team Besecker is the
most valuable asset they have. Where you find one Besecker, you
are certain to find at least one more. They work together building
the very best that they can with the tools that they have. Kevin and
The Besecker family believe that success in anything comes from
not only resources, but also, heart, dedication, attention to detail,
patience and passion...and above all else...
TEAMWORK .
