Many prospective NASCAR drivers go through dirt and sprint racing first. If you walk through a midget racing event like the Chili Bowl, one team will catch your eye. Not just because of the sheer number of entries it fields, but also its meticulously prepared cars. Keith Kunz Motorsports is that team, and caught great attention for its monstrous driver line-up – 16 cars! It received criticism as well for its unfair advantage.

However, Keith Kunz is a focused individual in the motorsports world. He did not just retort through words but through actual results. Emerson Axxom, one of the 16 faces, bagged a dominating win during the Wednesday qualifying rounds. Presently, another dirt racing icon also validated Kunz and his team.

Keith Kunz gets a nod from dirt racing insider

Being in operation since 1994, Keith Kunz Motorsports has achieved several milestones over the three decades. Among those, the team holds 8 Chili Bowl Nationals victories. Its 16-driver line-up for the 2025 running of the Super Bowl of Midget Racing involved past Chili Bowl winners like Christopher Bell and preliminary night winners. This legacy of success is all because of the man spearheading the team – Kunz himself. Sitting atop his hauler with arms crossed and casual clothes, Keith Kunz is one of the top driver coaches in North America. Through him, top Cup Series stars like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell emerged.

When criticism mounted on Keith Kunz about his gigantic team at the 39th Chili Bowl, the owner gave a perfect answer. He sent a scathing message to his haters only after Emerson Axxom performed his magic. Now dirt racing expert and chassis builder Flea Ruzic publicly posted his approval of Kunz. Ruzic recollected a time when Kunz was still doing the grind.

“I remember being pitted next to @KeithKunz at the Belleville Nationals maybe around 2007 and at that time he had a car with a gaerte, another with an esslinger, one with a fontana and maybe a 4th car with a mopar.” 

Ruzic highlighted how Keith Kunz was willing to get his hands dirty even in an uncomfortable situation. This is the true mark of a dedicated team owner: “Anyway Keith was laying in the dirt on a 105° day rebuilding a rearend on one of the cars by himself. Im looking over thinking “man im glad im not that guy today”.”

Ruzic confessed that he could never do that himself: “Even after all his success im still glad im not him. Ive beat up and down the road, ive given up a normal life, ive laid in the dirt to get a car back together. I understand what he has sacrificed and i understand what it takes to accomplish what he has.” Then Kunz received his respect from the dirt racing insider: “Not many people are willing to go that far for enduring success Keith. You have my respect 💯”

What is more, one of NASCAR’s top OEMs regards Keith Kunz as family.

The respect goes beyond the racetrack

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With the help of Pete Willoughby for the business end and himself for the mechanical end, Keith Kunz has created a legacy. He offers prospective driving talents top-notch equipment and race cars, thus depriving them of all excuses. This is how Kunz filters out the cream of the lot – and that is why Toyota Racing Development relies on him. In 2011, Kunz recognized Kyle Larson‘s potential, and the latter quickly demonstrated that he was on par with Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson. Then Kunz’s team also roped in Christopher Bell, for whom Larson himself lobbied. Currently, both are among the NASCAR Cup Series elite.

That is why Toyota Racing Development pours significant resources into supporting KKM’s fleet of cars. The continued streak of excellence has created bonds that run deeper than just racetrack achievements. TRD president David Wilson hailed both Keith Kunz and Pete Willoughby for their stellar work. “Keith and Pete are family to us. They really are. And every time I see them, I can’t help but give him a big hug and just express how grateful we are to them. And what’s neat about them is they’re very quick to flip that the other way around and qualify that their success is really founded on this partnership that we developed several years ago.”

Evidently, the section of fans in disfavor of KKM may have a massive rival group. Keith Kunz and his drivers continue to dazzle us by clinching wins.