Kenyon Cars

When John Stiles wanted a midget car for 11- to 16-year-old drivers, he knew that Don Kenyon was the man to build it.  With over 50 years’ experience as a mechanic and Crew Chief on the most successful midget racing team in history, the former Air Force mechanic and flight engineer had the experience and expertise to pull it off perfectly.  He enlisted the help of his brother, master mechanic and legendary racer Mel Kenyon; and just six weeks after John handed Don a 1200cc Yamaha motorcycle engine and asked him to design and build a car around it, the first Kenyon Car was ready to change the world of midget racing forever.

“From the very first race car to the last one we’ve built, they’ve all been same.  We hit it from the start,” Don says.

Indeed, the Kenyon Car has remained unchanged for a decade; and serves as a stepping stone for youth drivers transitioning from go-karts and quarter midgets to full size Midgets.   As such, Kenyon Car races are highly competitive events where everyone’s machine is equal and drivers must rely on talent, skill, and luck.  Many of auto racing’s most famous drivers honed their skills in Kenyon Cars, including Ryan Newman, Bobby East, Jordan Noblitt, Aaron Pierce, Scott Thoman, and Bryan Clauson – who has attributed his recent success to what he learned in a K-Car.

“A lot of good guys have come out of these things,” Don says.  “When you go down the line, perhaps fifty percent of the guys who come out of K-Cars go on to the upper level of the world of racing.”

Kenyon Cars are the perfect platform for kids to learn the fundamentals of open wheel racing, a sport in which a driver's career is often dictated by harnessing the learning curve at a young age.

“When our son Bobby was ready to move from quarter midgets to the next level, we as a family chose Kenyon Car Midget Racing,” says Bob East, creator of the proven Beast chassis that has been a component of every Silver Crown National Championship-winning car since 1991.  As a racer and owner, East himself earned 10 USAC National Midget Championships and commanded over 120 feature wins with his celebrated Nine Racing Team.

“Kenyon Car Racing originated at the Indianapolis Speedrome, and many of the top drivers today cut their racing teeth at the Speedrome – many in Kenyon Cars,” East adds.

East's wife, Janice, also endorses K-Cars:  “Kenyon Car Racing gave Bobby the opportunity to race competitively in an open wheel series,” she says.  “Bobby also learned to prepare and maintain his equipment under the supervision of his father.  It's a true family sport.”

Engineered by two of the sport’s finest mechanical minds, Kenyon Cars are highly regulated with a sealed engine that makes the cars impossible to change.  And because the Kenyons understand that racing is an expensive sport, they built the Kenyon Car to be affordable and to have high re-sale value.

“This is a low-cost type of racing, and everyone is equal,” Don says.  “There’s nothing you can do to that car to make it go faster.  They run the way they are built.”

Affordability doesn’t mean that Kenyon Cars are short on safety.  In fact, safety was at a premium during the design phase with features like extra-thick tubing, heavy frames, higher cages with sidebars, and other elements that improve driver safety.  Since its introduction over a decade ago, no young drivers have ever been seriously injured while driving a Kenyon Car.

Over that period, the Kenyons have built 33 Kenyon Cars for their loyal customers; and they get to watch their ‘kids’ race  at the Kenyon Car USSA-sanctioned racing series that Don promotes through his business, DK Promotions.

“I’m always happy to see these young kids do good,” he says.  “If they win, their dads are happy, and they want to keep going.  The kids are so full of energy, and you’re proud of what the kids do in what you built.”

Kenyon Cars are for young drivers who are serious about auto racing and want to learn in a highly-competitive environment that lays the foundation for a career in motorsports.  They’re faster than go-karts and quarter midgets, and offer a real taste of the professional racing world on a level playing field.  Kenyon Cars are a natural bridge from go-karts and quarter midgets to full midgets, sprint cars, IndyCar, and NASCAR.

For more information about Kenyon Cars, please call Don or Mel Kenyon at 765.482.4273