2/9/2024
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
Meet Kevin Douglas
It seems logical that if a racer has spare time, their hobbies might include something to do with engines. The Advanced Fastening Supply Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, 15th place finisher in 2023, has a pretty unique passion in that genre.
Growing up near Angell Park Speedway, he has ties and good memories related to Badger. He bought his first race car (a Badger Micro) and then a second, in 2018 and has been grappling with a work/race balance ever since. Read on, as we get to know Kevin Douglas.
Car Number: 5k
Owner: Kevin Douglas
Team Name: Douglas Motorsports
Sponsors: Sommers Landscape Supply, S and K Automotive, Landscaping and Snow Plowing, Kayser Ford, Leading Edge Fences, Family and Friends throughout our career.
Crew: Luke, Josh, Ashton, Anthony, Dad, Mark, Jeremy, and others along the way who have helped out in various areas
BMARA: Were you a fan of racing before you got behind the wheel and if so, who were your heroes and what tracks did you attend?
Douglas: My dad raced with Badger in 1995 and 1996 with his team, Douglas-Soule Racing. I was only about 3-4 years old at the time but I did spend a lot of my childhood Sunday nights at Angell Park. A lot of my dad's friends raced as well so I grew up watching them. I know when I went to a lot of the races, Dan Boorse was a winner more times than not and we actually have our pit stall close to where his was back in the day.
BMARA: Give us a synopsis of your racing career:
Douglas: We had terrible luck racing the handful of times we did with the Badger Micro series in 2018, with continued car issues each week. So sometime in late summer of 2018 I bought a Mini Sprint (similar to a midget chassis) and hit the ground running, while racing for both Badger and the IRA Lightning Sprints.
My first full-time season was 2019. We raced over 45 shows that year with both divisions. Also, capturing Rookie of the Year in 2019 while making history by being the only rookie to have had multiple feature wins with the mini sprints.
2023 was a very challenging year for us as it was the only time since 2019 we were not in the top ten in either Badger or the IRA season points standings. Car gremlins took a toll on us week after week.
2024 is still up in the air but we hope to have at least one car at the track as much as possible.
BMARA: How much time do you spend on the car each week during the season?
I would say as a whole it would be close to 15 hours a week, if not more, depending upon how the previous week went for us. Running two cars weekly makes double the work for everyone.
BMARA: What is your day job and how does racing fit in?
Since 2007 (I was 14) I started building my own snow removal, lawn care and landscaping business. Now owning my business with my older brother Jeremy who also races, we struggle to find the proper amount of time to work every week on the cars due to building an empire of a family business.
Our crew keeps these cars on the track every week as we don't have the time to spend like some other teams might. Jeremy also has two younger kids who are involved in sports and that takes a toll on racing and family life. Working 60 plus hours a week at our business, we strive to still be involved with Badger as much as possible.
BMARA: What's something interesting the fans might not know about you?
Douglas: I grew up around snowmobiles and atvs my entire life. So on top of my already slammed schedule I thought I would start collecting old vintage snowmobiles (from the 60s/70s) and repairing/restoring them back to "like new" condition. I have on hand over 20 Vintage snowmobiles (mostly Johnson and Evinrude) that are close to original condition. This hobby has turned into another business as I took over a "new old stock" parts inventory (worth 100k) for these old sleds and sell parts all across the world to like minded vintage snowmobile collectors.
Article by: Bill Blumer Jr. with Kevin Douglas
Photo by: Bill Blumer Jr.
Submitted By: William Blumer