During a press conference following a preliminary feature at the 2020 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, race winner Christopher Bell was flanked by Thomas Meseraull and youthful Buddy Kofoid.
In a statement that may have seemed odd to some, Bell nodded toward Kofoid and said, “When I look at him, I see me sitting right there.”
The sentiment was clear. Bell was once a budding talent with a tremendous upside. Everything about him, on and off the track, screamed that one day he would find a place in the NASCAR ranks.
Fast-forward to the 2022 season and Bell was vying for stock car supremacy. While Bell was trying to climb to the summit during the Championship Four for the NASCAR Cup Series, Kofoid was marching toward a second consecutive USAC National Midget Series championship.
Will he follow in Bell’s path going forward? We will all have to sit back and watch.
Regardless of where the road takes him, it is time to celebrate what Kofoid accomplished this past season. He did plenty in sprint cars, notably, winning the first High Limit Sprint Car Series race at Indiana’s Lincoln Park Speedway during August and claiming his initial World of Outlaws feature victory in June at South Dakota’s Huset’s Speedway.
Yet, where he shined the brightest was in the USAC national midget competition. Simply put, he posted one of the best seasons we have witnessed in a very long time.
Much was expected when Kofoid joined Keith Kunz Motorsports as a full-time driver in 2020. Anyone who had watched this kid at any level knew he was the real deal. It took a bit longer than some might have anticipated for him to win his first USAC race. However, by the end of the year he had won three times and earned rookie-of-the-year honors.
In 2021, he was a title favorite. That he doubled his win total and wore the crown didn’t surprise anyone. In what is now a faded memory, his run to the top step of the podium proved to be a bigger task than the record might indicate. Amid his midget duties, a stock car crash banged up his leg and left him with a broken wrist.
Then, if the word that traveled inside racing circles rings true, something happened that may have altered the career trajectories of two men.
Crew chief Jarrett Martin was also finding his way with Keith Kunz Motorsports. When Kofoid was struggling to regain his bearings, Kunz took Martin aside. His message was clear. His job as a crew chief was to help his driver get back on top of the wheel. He did, and Kofoid dug deeper, closing out the 2021 season strong.
As a result, many wondered where Kofoid would race in 2022.
It is fair to say most were surprised when he returned to the Kunz operation for the full slate of USAC midget dates. Here is where things can get dicey. There are times when a racer in Kofoid’s position loses focus, worrying about what the future holds.
I don’t claim to know what is going on in Kofoid’s mind. All I could do was watch how he performs. In a word, he was spectacular. Kofoid ended his year with 13 USAC midget victories, including the BC39 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the lucrative Hangtown 100 at Placerville (Calif.) Speedway.
In 104 USAC midget starts, Kofoid has won 22 times and recorded 70 top-five finishes. Only Bell, with 23 wins, has more victories for Keith Kunz Motorsports. Let those numbers sink in.
Detractors will point to the fact that Kofoid is with the most successful midget team in USAC history. While that’s true, he is there for a reason. He has handled all the pressure and what he achieved in 2022 easily elevates him to the best in class.
Night after night, he put forth one quality run after another. It is a personal triumph for certain, but Martin’s contributions should not be overlooked. This pair has become one of the formidable duos in short-track racing. Martin also helped young Ryan Timms get into the win column and was there when Tanner Carrick snared the record-setting 134th victory for Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Just as Kofoid’s star continues to ascend so does Martin’s. It leads one to ponder where he may land in the future?
Kofoid has what is often called the “it” factor. When a driver such as Brent Marks mentions Kofoid in the same sentence as Kyle Larson, that speaks volumes. Then, there are the intangibles. He has worked on his interview skills, and he comes across as the humble neighbor kid.
Oddly enough, although Meseraull was taking a swipe at another driver, it was interesting that in a post-race interview this fall, he remarked that “everybody likes Buddy.”
It is a poignant remark given that Kofoid is with a premier team, handing people their heads night after night. That’s generally not a popular formula among one’s peers.
Kofoid turned 21 in December. That is an age when a young adult is typically on the edge of deciding a career path. However, in today’s motorsports world he has reached a crossroads.
I don’t claim to know what Kofoid aspires to be. One would think Toyota has a plan to move his career forward. As dumb as this even sounds, the time is now. That’s where we are. Every year there are young, can’t-miss prospects on the scene. Not all will make it to NASCAR and IndyCar has long been out of the question.
Kofoid clearly has the tools to make a living in racing. How he does it remains to be seen, but what we do know is that one can’t pay the bills on midget purses alone.
For now, let’s hit the pause button. Let’s put questions about the future to rest and just enjoy the moment. In any endeavor, an earnest pursuit of excellence can produce peak moments. It is that glorious time when everything is in sync.
There was a moment during a recent USAC race when Kofoid’s car control and decision-making while navigating traffic were things of beauty. All I could think about was how long will we be able to enjoy this? Selfishly, I hope for many seasons to come.
This story appeared in the Dec. 28 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
