Work-life balance is a big deal for Kevin Copher. This year he’s raced half a dozen times, but he’s earned two top fives, one of which came at 191 Speedway. Kevin finished there in third against the stars of the Save A Lot American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products. Now he’s looking to better that finish a couple spots this Saturday, October 24, when the tour rolls into 191 again.
Away from the track Kevin works as the Director of Manufacturing Engineering for Infiltrator Systems, home of the world’s largest low-pressure injection molding machine. Just how big is it? It accommodates a mold that weighs 420,000 pounds. Work requires a bit of travel, too.
His busy life also includes three boys, ages 11, 17 and 18, all of whom play travel baseball. Kevin’s oldest just committed to play for Mississippi Christian University.
After taking care of his work and family duties, Kevin tries to eke out some time for his passion, racing.
“Some guys get to hunt game or go fishing,” Kevin says, “[racing] is the way I get to step back and forget about work.”
Kevin started in bombers back in 1998. From there he earned a track championship in modifieds at Willard Speedway during the early 2000s. These days Kevin races late models — when time allows. He recognizes that not racing regularly hurts his chances of finishing up front.
“When you race every week … every little aspect of your operation is tuned in,” he says.
That goes for not only the car and driver, but the crew, too.
“The guy being able to back you up on the pit lift the first time straight and not having to spend five minutes jacking around with the lift to get the car up — it really compounds, hurting the efficiency of the night,” Kevin says.
Time is a hot commodity on a race night. The minutes spent struggling to get a routine task done could be spent finding speed. Kevin cites on-track time as precious, too. Someone who races weekly can feel a subtle problem on lap 1, where it might take Kevin several laps. Several laps is the difference of finding an issue in hot laps and finding it in qualifying or heat races.
Nevertheless, Kevin Copher perseveres. He debuted a brand-new car from Swartz Race Cars this year. Kevin and Audie Swartz recently spent time dialing his car back in after Kevin got a bit in right field (blame the lack of experience with new technology). But Kevin’s been fast, nevertheless. He typically qualifies up front, and he feels he has a shot for a win at 191 Speedway this Saturday, October 24, with the Save A Lot American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Outside Groove is a sponsor of the American All-Star Series. The American All-Star Series paid for the production of this article. The content is not subject to the approval of the American All-Star Series.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
