By Ben Deatherage
HARDIN, Mont. (Aug. 22, 2025) — The wide plains of Montana stretch endlessly toward the horizon, where the Bighorn River winds past fields of wheat and the ghosts of history linger at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. It’s a land where distances are measured in hours, where weather can change in a heartbeat, and where determination is the price of survival.
It’s here, in the small town of Hardin along I-90, that Kristi Dorn is finally chasing a dream she’s carried since childhood. At 8 years old in Louisiana, watching her father rumble around a local short track, she knew she wanted to race. For decades that dream waited — through family, loss, work, and raising children. This summer, at 46, she strapped into a Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact, the no. 34DD, for the very first time.
Her story is one of persistence and survival. From Louisiana roots to Montana resilience, from heartbreak to triumph, Kristi Dorn is proof that it’s never too late to climb into the driver’s seat.
Love and Loss
Steel wheels cut through Big Sky Country with their unrelenting rhythm. On December 2, 1999, one of those trains struck Kristi’s world and changed her life forever.
She had been married just fourteen months, a 20-year-old wife and new mother with a two-month-old baby girl at home. Her husband, Mike, was driving his grain truck when he was hit by a train. Kristi was widowed just two weeks before her 21st birthday.
In that moment, everything could have collapsed. But instead of leaving, she chose to stay. Montana, with its vast skies and quiet strength, became her home. And her daughter became her reason to keep going.
“If it wasn’t for my baby girl, I wouldn’t have been able to keep breathing,” she said softly. “That was such a hard time in my life.”
She remembers holding her baby girl, determined not to let her daughter lose her smile.
“I would hold her and smile while my tears hit her in the face,” Kristi said. “My motto has always been, ‘Just keep smiling even if you have to fake it. One day you will believe your smile.’”
Faith has carried her through.
“My family and my faith in God have gotten me through some tough times. I have some amazing guardian angels. Every time I race, I like to think Mike is riding next to me and my daddy is sitting right behind us. They may be shaking their head, but I bet they also have a great big grin.”
The Racing Bug
Even through the hardest years, racing stayed in her blood. Growing up in Rodessa, Louisiana, just outside of Shreveport, Kristi was the youngest of three children, with two older brothers — one who raced dirt track. She came from a family of mechanics, often holding the flashlight for her dad and learning the language of tools and car parts at an early age.
“He taught me there was nothing I couldn’t do,” she said. “He definitely taught me a few things a man oughtta know.”
Her mother never missed a day reminding her how proud she was, instilling confidence, while her brothers made sure she learned toughness. At 17, she begged one brother to let her run his car in a powderpuff race. She wriggled into his oversized fire suit, climbed into the car, and turned the key — only to find it wouldn’t start.
“He swears he didn’t do it on purpose,” Kristi said with a grin, “but the next race it started just fine. I think he was trying to protect his baby sister — or his car.”
The dream had to wait. But it never faded.
Ready for battle, Kristi Dorn leans against her no. 34DD Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact before a night of racing. (Courtesy photo)
Finally in the Driver’s Seat
Kristi waited until she was an empty nester before turning her focus inward.
“It was time to focus on myself and my dreams,” she said.
On May 30, 2025, she finally made her racing debut. The early weeks were anything but easy — flat tires, bent parts, and mechanical failures seemed to follow her at every turn.
“Problem after problem would happen,” she said. “But determined, I told myself, ‘I want to control the car, not let the car control me.’”
On July 18 at Casper Speedway, she broke through, parking in victory lane for the very first time.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” she said.
Away from the track, Kristi is already a professional driver — she’s been a school bus driver in Hardin for more than a decade.
“I have to remember to save my lead foot for the race car,” she said with a laugh.
Her kids keep her grounded.
“My oldest daughter tells me I exhaust her, my second daughter says I make her nervous, and I can’t tell if my son is embarrassed by me or thinks I’m cool.”
Kristi Dorn broke through on July 18 at Casper Speedway, celebrating her first career victory in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact division. (Track Photo)
Montana Roots
Hardin itself is steeped in history. Founded in 1911, the city grew as agriculture flourished, with wheat farming and sugar beet processing defining its economy.
In fact, during the early 20th century the area was home to one of the largest wheat farms in the United States — Thomas D. Campbell’s vast operation, which stretched across 95,000 acres and pioneered the use of industrial machinery in farming.
Hardin now sits on the edge of the Crow Reservation, a community rich with culture and tradition. Just a few miles east lies the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, one of the most visited historic battlefields in North America. It marks the site of the 1876 fight where Lt. Col. George Custer and 259 soldiers of the 7th Cavalry were defeated. White marble markers show where soldiers fell, while red granite stones honor Native warriors, offering a haunting reminder of the battle’s toll. The monument also includes a visitor center, cemetery, and sweeping views of the Bighorn River Valley.
For Kristi, it’s part of the land she now calls home, a daily reminder of resilience and sacrifice. She also finds joy in Montana life: Yellowstone National Park is only a couple of hours away, Billings just 45 minutes down the road — home to her favorite eatery, Carver’s Brazilian Steakhouse.
Wide skies and rugged hillsides frame the Bighorn Valley, where the Bighorn River winds through the Montana landscape. (Photo by Coleman Concierge)
Life on the Road
Living in Montana means long drives are part of life. Kristi’s “home” tracks are Sheridan Speedway across the Wyoming border and Big Sky Speedway near Billings. But her regular haunt is Casper Speedway, more than 200 miles one way. She has also hauled to Electric City Speedway in Great Falls and Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade.
“Some folks out here commute four hours one way just to work,” she said. “So driving to race is just part of the lifestyle.”
Even a blown transmission on her truck couldn’t stop her — she borrowed a friend’s rig and kept racing. Since her debut, she’s missed only one weekend, when she went back to Louisiana to visit family.
A Circle of Support
Racing is never done alone, and Kristi’s circle has grown quickly.
“Brad Ough is my number one supporter at the track,” she said. “We only met one month before I started racing, but he quickly became my best friend and number one fan. He’ll drive six hours, all the way from Belgrade, Montana, to Casper, Wyoming, just to make sure I’m buckled in right. He’s told me if something ever happened, he wanted to be there to be able to call my family.”
She also recalls the generosity of Wicked Diesel Auto Specialists in Billings.
“One time I lost my helmet, receiver, and gloves off the trailer,” she said. “I made a post asking if anyone had found them, and even though I’d never met him, he went to the speed shop and replaced everything out of his own pocket.”
Her list of backers also includes Hardin businesses: Dorn Farms Inc., Bill’s Auto, Bachachik Fireworks, Big Sky Tires, Les Acker, Cannon Transportation, Sarpy Storage, and Mike’s Lube.
Ahead lies the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. From Hardin to Boone is 855 miles, a trip she’ll make to run the Prelude and then Tuesday’s card, when Sport Compacts step into the spotlight.
“I’m really looking forward to experiencing it and jumping in headfirst,” she said.
For Kristi Dorn, the dream that started as an eight-year-old girl in Louisiana is finally reality on Montana clay — and now, it’s taking her to the biggest stage of all.
