Local resident earns prestigious racing honor

        
Kellan Drain has taken something and built it into, no pun intended, a well-oiled machine.
       
The Millbury native, who attended Genoa Area Local Schools before finishing up at Penta Career Center, founded KSD Motorsports and saw its driver, Kinsey Stevens, earn Rookie of the Year honors at the Butler Motor Speedway.
       
“I founded it with the help of Sherry Hutcherson. I went to Penta Career Center and took a power sport and mechanic class. I was always into racing, but I wasn’t actually a part of it – I just went to the track on the weekends,” said Drain. “I met my partner (Stevens), and we made KSD Motorsports. We’re in the process of trying to make it an LLC. I think this is the first year we’ll be advertising more and trying to get our name out there.
       
“I built the car from scratch, and Kinsey drove it in her rookie season. We traveled to five different tracks, and from there, she was the Rookie of the Year,” Drain said.
       
Drain talked about Stevens and how meeting led to them forming a bond.
       
“We met at Oak Shade Raceway in 2022. From there, we were both together at tracks and traveled all over. She is in college, studying to be a teacher. When we started (working together), I built the car and she was the driver,” said Drain. “She was nervous (at the start), but just about every race, we improved. She definitely improved every weekend. She was able to secure points because she finished so many of the races.”
       
The duo competes in Front Wheel Drive (FWD) 4-cylinder racing.
       
“It’s a starter class. It grows; it can be a starter class to some tracks. SCDRA, which stands for Sport Compact Dirt Racing Association is a little more in-depth with it. They run on dirt and it's the most competitive FWD series,” Drain said. “They may not be high on the totem pole, but it keeps growing. In April, there will be a race at a track in Indiana for a chance to win $100,000.
       
“You compete at the local tracks, then you progress and race in SCDRA.”
       
Drain talked about another class he took at Penta that helped him gain an appreciation for these things.
       
“For power sport and mechanic systems, I took an automotive class, and I learned about all kinds of engine systems,” Drain said. “I was able to experience the welding and fabrication in that lab. Now I’m trying to build up KSD Motorsports.”