The racing community is rallying to the aid of the well-liked late model crew member Kolton Hutson. In June the 18-year-old received the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Hutson turns wrenches for Cody Bauer and works for him at his construction company. Hutson’s father, Ray Jr., and grandfather, Ray, had both raced, too.
“When Kolton was about five years old, his parents used to bring him over to my pit area after the races,” Bauer said. “He’s been a fan and a friend ever since. It was during the 2022 season that I needed another crew member for the [DIRTcar] Summer Nationals. I asked Kolton if he would like to join our crew. He jumped at the opportunity — he was excited to be part of racing.”
Melissa Dawn Tompkins, a family friend of the Hutsons, said the illness came on unexpectedly.
“He graduated from Shepherd High School in June, and a week later had flu-like symptoms,” said Tompkins. “[Various] tests came up negative, but the symptoms got worse. He was taken to the ER and it was determined his hemoglobin count dropped to 4. They immediately sent him to Lansing [Michigan, at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow].”
Hutson looked forward to working with Bauer this summer.
“Kolton came a long way as a crewman in the past two seasons,” Bauer said. “He didn’t know a whole lot watching from the grandstands before he started working with us. He learned a lot — and fast. When he wasn’t helping me in the pits, he was quick to jump in and help any racer in need.”
Tompkins said there were a number of fundraisers going on for Hutson.
“The money is needed to help with the family’s expenses related to Kolton’s treatment,” said Tompkins. “The treatments will be a long process, with many trips to the hospital.”
Four Michigan tracks are selling 50/50 tickets to benefit Hutson: Crystal Motor Speedway, Merritt Speedway in Lake City, Mt. Pleasant Speedway, and Tri-City Motor Speedway in Auburn.
Those interested in helping Kolton Hutson can use Venmo (https://venmo.com/koltonsrace-toremission) or Cash App (https://cash.app/$KoltonsRace).
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
