It is always curious to ponder how and why certain regions of the country develop and maintain a deep open-wheel racing heritage.
This history can become a source of pride among the populace and whether one is a participant or a fan, the love of the sport is seemingly passed down generation to generation. Many of the places where this tradition is strong are known to devotees.
One doesn’t have to pay attention for long to know there is something called the Pennsylvania Posse and appreciate that many with racing aspirations migrate to Indiana.
Yet, likely overlooked by many is the deep racing roots found in Western Kansas. So many stars of the supermodified era came from small rural communities, and for this lot, there was no bigger race than the Grand Nationals in Hutchinson, Kan. Given the strength of racing throughout this region, the National Championship Racing Ass’n was formed.
Sure, many of the top drivers came from places like Wichita, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City, but others arrived from places that were unfamiliar to city dwellers.
Consider the 1979 NCRA championship season. It was not surprising that Emmett Hahn and Ray Crawford landed in the top five in season points. However, Dave Frusher outdistanced runner-up Terry Uehling and in one of the great oddities both men called Ness City, Kan., home. They weren’t the only racers to hail from this small burg, in fact, this talented group came to be known as The Nessicians.
Jeremy Huish was born nearly two decades after Frusher took top honors with the NCRA yet there is a bond between them. In Frusher’s title year he piloted a flame orange No. 88 owned by Jetmore, Kan., native Danny King. While King’s car was ably wrenched by Charlie Ochs, he often had a helper — the owner’s six-year-old son Steve.
Jetmore is a town of less than a thousand folks situated at the intersection of U.S. 283 and K-156. For a time, it was the home of the Great American Dirt Track, later known as the Jetmore Motorplex. Ron Huish spent his weekends working on the track crew, while his wife Tobi drove the pace truck. Jeremey could be found in one of the wreckers, and by the time he was seven he was racing a kart on dirt ovals. It remains a period in his life he looks back on fondly.
“My parents had a little minivan and they pulled a little six-by-10 trailer with two karts in it,” Huish recalled. “My sisters Meagan and Stacie came along the majority of the time, so we used it as a family vacation.”
After his initial race in Hays, Kansas, Huish began venturing out throughout Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. There is visual evidence that he enjoyed plenty of success.
“We dominated in karts,” he said. “We tried to just travel around and have fun with it, but my parents had to convert their living room to a trophy room because all four walls were filled with trophies. We did pretty good.”
He also had a racing hero, and it was one he shared with his friends and family in Jetmore — Steve King. In 2002 and 2003 King was the NCRA champion and he also found success with the popular ASCS series. Then in 2006 a crash at Knoxville Raceway resulted in injuries that ended King’s life.
It was a crushing blow for Huish, but it did not shake his resolve to continue to race. Huish was still in high school when he found one of his first summer jobs at Myers Racing engines in Ness City.
“I came up here after high school and I started working for Craig (Meyers). I started on the oil field side and then in his electrical business, but I slowly worked my way up,” Huish said. “I knew what I wanted to do.”
As he learned his trade he was taken under wing by Kirk Reinert and Adam Cofer who today owns Don Ott engines. They helped him hone his skills, but they also prompted him to take the next step in his racing career — a sprint car. Huish bought two cars that were owned by a former Steve King crew member.
“We made a package deal and bought everything from him,” Huish said. “It was cool because it was related to Steve King in a way.”
To honor King, he chose No. 88j for his car.
With many area tracks offering 305 winged racing there was an immediate place for him to land. He got his feet wet in 2013 competing for the first time at the fairgrounds in Liberal, Kan. Unfortunately, three races deep into his career his car was destroyed. In 2014, he put in his first full season and surprised many when he finished fourth in the United Rebel Sprint Car Series points.
After a couple of seasons, balancing a job, marriage, a child and racing became too much and Huish stepped away from the sport. By 2019 the bug was back and this time the entire operation was on his shoulders.
“When we got back into it, it was my deal,” he said. “I went out and got a trailer and made everything happen. I took all of the parts I had with my parents, sold a few things and built it back up bigger and better.”
The results indicated he had turned all the right dials. In 2019, he scored his first win at Dodge City Raceway Park later that summer nailed down his first URSS win during the opening night of the Wheatshocker Nationals at Rolling Plains Motor Speedway in Hays, Kan.
It was a special moment. Gifted racer Jake Bubak had been particularly helpful to Huish as he was finding his way on the URSS tour and on this night, he held off his friend to take the victory. Bubak turned the table the next evening.
Winning became a habit. In 2021, he was the NCRA 305 sprint car champion over Zach Blurton and then one year later he stood atop the URSS standings, besting Luke Cranston. When the opportunity presented itself, he slapped a 360 engine in his car and raced locally or with the ASCS. While many began to recognize that he had talent, he truly moved the needle when he took the 2023 IMCA RaceSaver Nationals at Nebraska’s Eagle Raceway. Many noted that the primary caretakers of the 88j car were Huish and his wife, making his accomplishment even more praiseworthy.
There was one other noteworthy facet of the 2023 season. As matters wound down Huish saw a chance to join forces with Steve Cranston and Kade Hagans and compete for the Cranston Race Team. Luke Cranston was one of the best to ever get behind the wheel of a 305 and his record at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks was stellar.
“We have always been close to Luke and Steve,” Huish said. “Then Luke decided to hang it up for the second time.”
Timing is everything and Huish was in a position where he needed a little help.
“I went to Steve last year because we got a new trailer and didn’t have a big enough truck to pull it,” he explained. “So, I was in a sticky spot because we wanted to go racing but really couldn’t at the time. We put something together to run three races together last year and I won two of them. After that we talked later and decided to pull the trigger on running full time with them for 2024.”
The move was beneficial for all. Heading into August, Huish was leading the URSS on the strength of six wins in 19 starts and he was the IMCA national point leader.
“We talked about running for the IMCA championship,” he said. “I had never done that or even had the funds to race forty times. We were competing with a traveling series already, so that made it hard. So, we talked about it and said if things went right and went in the right direction it would be something kind of cool to focus on. So far everything has fallen into place.
“We are keeping a pretty close eye on it now, and if we need to go to some crazy races we will. If we show up for all the URSS races we should be able to lock that up and that will get us some additional series points.”
It all seems like a reasonable plan now, but Huish admits he was as reluctant as anyone to walk down this path.
“I was probably the biggest one who didn’t want to run for points,” he acknowledged. “Because I just hate it. It just takes the fun out of it, but when everything falls into place you can’t turn it down, you just have to go with it. If you focus on it too much you can start racing stupid and make dumb moves.”
He would still like to get his own car out a bit more and race in the 360 ranks, but the bottom line is difficult to manage. His wife Bridgett, who he met at a go-kart race when he was 15, does her part for the family and the racing team. She graduated from Fort Hays State University and serves as a special education teacher. They have a daughter Gracie Mae and a son Camden. There are a lot of balls to keep in the air.
Racing remains a passion for Huish and he hopes it is something he can do for years to come. Right now, he simply wants to maintain the momentum he has established in what may ultimately be his best year. A strong podium run at the 7th Annual Bellville 305 Nationals and a fine performance in the Front Row Challenge at Oskaloosa, Iowa, may have finally got the attention of others.
At age 26 he can dream, but above all Huish is realistic.
“This is where we are right now,” he said. “Until we get a big sponsor, find a ride, or something falls into our lap. I can’t put us in a hole. But that’s what is fun about the racing deal. You never know what one phone call can do. It might change your life. If I had a chance to run on a national tour, I would take it in a heartbeat. What I might have lined up is a chance to run for a team with a 360 and 410 and that’s exciting. If that happens, we will see where it goes and enjoy it while we can.”
Decades have passed since men like Dave Frusher, Terry Uehling, Fred Hembree and Jimmy Harkness called Ness City home. Others from the region, like Jon and C. J. Johnson, also found success. Then there was Steve King. He unquestionably made the folks in Jetmore, Kan. proud and provided a yardstick for a young man named Jeremy Huish to gauge his success.
Not only is Huish measuring up, but he is doing his part to build upon the firm foundation established by those who came before him.