| Kelly Kovski | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1981-06-16)June 16, 1981 (age 44) Springfield, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||
| ARCA Menards Series career | |||||||
| 39 races run over 21 years | |||||||
| ARCA no., team | No. 16 (Kelly Kovski Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 37th (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2004Southern Illinois 100 (DuQuoin) | ||||||
| Last race | 2025Southern Illinois 100 (DuQuoin) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics up to date as of August 31, 2025. | |||||||
Kelly Kovski (born June 16, 1981) is an American professional racing driver and crew chief. He has competed in theARCA Menards Series for twenty years, primarily racing at theIllinois State Fairgrounds andDuQuoin State Fairgrounds. He has also competed in and won at various dirt track events alongside his starts in ARCA competition.[1]
Kovski would make hisARCA Re/Max Series debut in 2004 driving forFast Track Racing at theDuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack in the No. 10Chevrolet, where he would finish fifteenth, a lap down behind race winnerFrank Kimmel.
From 2005 to 2011, Kovski would primarily run the dirt races with his own team in collaboration withRoulo Brothers Racing in the No. 39Chevrolet. In 2005, he would finish in the top-fifteen in both dirt events, and in 2006, he would finish eleventh at theIllinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack. In the following year, he would earn his first top-ten at Springfield, finishing in sixth place, and in the following year, he would finish in the top-ten in both events, finishing in ninth and seventh at Springfield and DuQuoin respectively. In 2009, would get a best finish of twelfth at Springfield, before he would finish in the top-ten in both events again in the following year, running in the No. 17 that year. He would finish sixth at Springfield in 2011, and would go on to earn his first top-five in ARCA competition, finishing fourth at DuQuoin.
In 2012, Kovski switched toAllgaier Motorsports, a team that had won the series championship withJustin Allgaier in 2008. He would start off his tenure with the team by finishing fourth at Springfield in their first race together in the No. 99Chevrolet. For 2013, he would make his first asphalt race atToledo Speedway, where he would start 26th, and finish ninth. He would also finish tenth atBerlin Raceway before returning to the dirt events, where he would finish thirteenth at Springfield and eighth at DuQuoin. In 2014, he would delve into a career as a crew chief, working withTeam BCR and No. 90Ford forGrant Enfinger.[2] He would also make starts at the dirt tracks, finishing sixth at Springfield, and finishing 26th due to an engine issue at DuQuoin. He would move with Enfinger toGMS Racing midway through 2014, and would move to the No. 23Chevrolet in 2015, a year Enfinger would win the championship. Kovski would finish third at Springfield. In 2016, he would earn his best finish of second place behindTom Hessert III at DuQuoin.
In 2017, Kovski would suffer an accident at a sprint car race atVolusia County Speedway, where he would be struck in the pits by a flipping sprint car.[3] His injuries were significant enough that he would skip both the ARCA dirt races as a driver. He would serve as the crew chief for Enfinger in the No. 16Chevrolet at Springfield, a race where Enfinger would win.[4]
Kovski would return to driving duties the following year in 2018, and would finish eighth and seventh at Springfield and DuQuoin respectively. In 2019, he would get his first top-five since 2016, finishing fifth at DuQuoin, and in his only race of 2020, he would finish fifth at Springfield. In the following year at DuQuoin, Kovski would not start the race and would be classified in sixteenth position.[5] In 2022, he would finish fifteenth at Springfield due to an engine failure, and tenth at DuQuoin due to suspension issues. In 2023, Kovski's results improved, finishing fourth at Springfield and sixth at DuQoin.
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)