By Ben Deatherage
RENO, Nev. (Aug. 15, 2025) — One year ago, Katelynn Robertson stood in the grandstands at Boone Speedway, taking in her first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. She wasn’t there to race — she was a wide-eyed spectator.
“My jaw dropped as soon as I walked through the gates while racing was going on,” she remembered. “I was amazed by how great it is and how big it is. It’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve been to.”
This September, Robertson returns to Boone not to watch, but to compete.
Robertson, who pilots the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified no. 7, currently leads the California State points standings. That was never the plan.
“At first I wasn’t going for the California State title,” she said. “But after a while we were still at the top, and I just said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Our traveling really picked up. It’s about four to six hours one way every weekend, and Bakersfield is about eight hours for us. I wouldn’t trade it. I love it, and I love experiencing all the different tracks and people across the state.”
The long hauls often take her and her 76-year-old grandfather, Lary, over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Donner Pass, and straight into the legendary traffic gridlock of the Bay Area.
“Sometimes it can be tiring, and it would be nice to have someone else driving,” Robertson admitted. “We’ve been splitting it up a lot lately. It used to be I would leave early in the morning, go racing, and then head home that night. But I’ve been breaking it up lately by going halfway or leaving the night before.”
Through all of it, one person has been there every step — her grandfather.
“We’ve been racing together my whole life,” she said. “He’s my best friend. We do all the maintenance together, all the traveling together. It’s just him and me every weekend.”
Racing in Her Blood
Robertson’s love for racing was born in a family where motorsports was part of the household fabric. Her grandfather Lary raced in local classes, her mom Shayna runs in IMCA divisions, and her stepdad Craig Nieman still competes today.
“I started racing at five years old, and ever since then I’ve been known as Krazy Kate,” she said. “I’ve taken off with it — it became my dream, and I don’t want to do anything else.”
“The ‘Krazy Kate’ name stuck for a reason,” she said. “I flipped my Kage Kart all the time. One time I was driving my buddy’s car, flipped it, they took the wing off, I went back out, and won the race. My parents and fans came up with the nickname, and I’ve had it ever since.”
That identity is also tied to her number.
“My sister swears I took her number from her because that’s what she wore in sports,” Robertson said with a smile. “But I’ve always been 7. My mom was 97 and my dad was 55, and they both changed their numbers to 7 a few years ago. That made me mad because I’ve been 7 for 17 years. I’ll never change it — I’ll always be 7.’”
Climbing the Ladder
Robertson started in Kage Karts, tried different divisions, and eventually moved into a local Nevada class, where she dominated. In 2021, she made the jump to an IMCA Modified at age 18 — a move that made some in the pits nervous.
“There were a lot of people saying, ‘Oh no, Krazy Kate is going to a Modified,’” she recalled. “But I ended up impressing people, and I didn’t let them discourage me.”
Her progress was rapid. She earned the 2022 Shaw Race Cars Western Region Rookie of the Year award, then followed it with the 2023 Nevada State championship. Along the way, she built a personal brand that’s recognized far beyond her home tracks.
“It’s exciting to see the Modified class getting bigger out here on the West Coast,” Robertson said. “We’ve got drivers from other disciplines coming to race Modifieds. What I like about it is that it’s so technical. It’s a huge learning curve, and you’re always learning new things.”
Katelynn Robertson and her grandfather, “Papa Lary,” share a moment in the pits. The two have been racing and traveling together her entire career. (Photo by Ellie Wagner)
Hometown Roots in Reno
Robertson’s home base is Reno, Nevada, a city with deep frontier roots and a modern, fast-growing energy. Officially founded on May 9, 1868, Reno took its name from Union Major General Jesse Lee Reno, killed in the Civil War at the Battle of South Mountain — a name sometimes confused with Major Marcus Reno of Little Bighorn fame.
Today, she says, “Reno is always growing — I feel like it’s going to be the next California. There’s always something to do, whether it’s entertainment, something at the casinos, or some of the big rodeos we have. The weather keeps you on your toes. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry much about snow on Donner Pass during race season, but the wind we have to watch out for because it can get pretty bad. It’s a beautiful drive with all the lakes, mountains, trees, and even desert on the way down into California. I’m excited to go the other direction for Super Nationals — it’s pretty much a straight shot on I-80.”
The famous Reno Arch proclaims the city’s slogan, “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Reno is home for Katelynn Robertson and the base for her travels to tracks across the West. (Photo by 5280.com)
Team Effort
Robertson knows her road to Boone wouldn’t be possible without help.
“I couldn’t do it without my grandpa, and Wagner Racing, and Ryland Racing, who has taken me in lately and helped me get to the track,” she said. “It’s cool to see how many people come together and offer help after seeing that it’s just me and my Papa Lary.”
She also credits Reno Rock, Affordable Painting, Paradise Painting, and Reece Buy Sell and Trade for backing her travels.
From a young girl flipping Kage Karts to a state points leader hauling over mountain passes, “Krazy Kate” Robertson has been racing toward this moment her entire life. Now, she’s ready to see what she can do on the biggest stage IMCA has to offer.
