1/27/2021
IRA Interstate Racing Association
2021 IRA Rookie of the Year Contender: Kyle Schuett
Illinois racer Kyle Schuett has impressively climbed the ladder in open wheel racing. He started in Quarter Midgets where he won numerous races and championships, and then did the same in Micros. Then it was on to Midgets in 2015, where Kyle earned wins and accolades. An outstanding first year in Midgets earned a young Schuett POWRI National Midget Rookie of the Year honors after finishing 4th overall in the season’s point standings. That POWRI success was noticed nationally as the National Midget Driver of the Year named Kyle their 2015 Rookie of the Year. And what a way to end the 2015 season, when the then 20 year old performed an eye opening clean sweep at the Inaugural Indy Invitational race over a star studded field in an event conducted in conjunction with the PRI Show. Schuett would split much of 2016 between Midgets and winged Micros where had several top 5’s in both groups. He did much of the same in 2017-2018 winning in both the Micro, and the Midget, most noticeably capturing the POWRI Midget portion of the prestigious World of Outlaw Ironman event at I-55 Raceway in MO.
So it was only natural that in 2019 Sprint Cars were the next rung on the ladder, so Schuett began locally with the Midwest Open Wheel Assoc (MOWA), where he claimed Rookie of the Year honors finishing a very impressive 3rd in series points, which included some top 5’s and numerous top 10’s. He also made his first feature starts with the World of Outlaws, All Stars, and IRA. During the Covid-year of 2020, Schuett just bounced around looking for places where he could race, competing with several sanctions.
For 2021, the Eastern IL University graduate, who earned a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting has decided to take the next step up the ladder in his young racing career. And after claiming rookie of the year honors with both POWRI and MOWA, it only seems natural.
The 25 year old CPA is pleased to announce that he’ll be chasing points with the Bumper To Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series in 2021, and taking aim at their Sage Fruit / HRP Big Apple Rookie of the Year Award. With Illinois initially under stricter Covid restrictions than Wisconsin in 2020, Kyle and his family owned team ventured north to Wisconsin where he ran a limited number of shows with the IRA, earning a couple of heat wins and dash appearances, with his best A-main finish being an 8th at Dodge County. While the goal of Rookie of the Year is the team’s main objective, certainly taking aim at some podiums, or even a win, are absolutely an objective as well. This step is only natural, Kyle Schuett earned rookie honors in his first year with POWRI, and did the same with MOWA. Could IRA be next, stay tuned……
Submitted By: Kim Tennyson
