Keslie Richards: Four Generations of Racers and One Historic First
By Ben Deatherage MONTELLO, Wis. (Sept. 16, 2026) — By the time the lights came on at Eagle River Speedway, 14-year-old Keslie Richards had already spent most of her life preparing for a moment she didn’t know was coming. She had grown up in race shops and race cars. At six, she learned to drive on a makeshift track built from tires at home while her father raced with her on a four-wheeler. At eight came Junior Sprints. At 12, she climbed into a full-sized race car. Now, in her first season behind the wheel of a Sunoco IMCA Stock Car, Richards found herself competing regularly against some of Wisconsin’s toughest Stock Car drivers. On July 28, everything came together. Richards finished second in her heat race and knew she had a fast car. In the feature, she saw the leader make a mistake. When another opportunity presented itself, the 14-year-old was ready. She capitalized, drove to her first career IMCA Stock Car feature victory and became the first female driver to win an IMCA Stock [Read More]
