Stock car

Madison: Travis Kittleson preview

Florida driver Travis Kittleson Racing at home in Madison, Wisconsin CONCORD, NC (July 16, 2003) -- Travis Kittleson comes from Merritt Island, Florida. However, when he takes his ...

Published: Jul 18, 2003, 12:01 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Florida driver Travis Kittleson Racing at home in Madison, Wisconsin

CONCORD, NC (July 16, 2003) -- Travis Kittleson comes from Merritt Island, Florida. However, when he takes his #30 Bob Steele Chevrolet and competes in this Friday's American Speed Association "BFGoodrich Tires 250" at Madison International Speedway in Wisconsin, he will truly be racing in front of his family and his hometown fans.

How is that? Well, Kittleson, the 24-year-old ASA rookie sensation, was born just outside of Madison in the town of Cross Plains.

"All my cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents live up in that general vicinity," said Kittleson, "So, it will mean a lot to really run good there. Just to be able to run in front of them will mean a lot to me. This is where my dad is from. So is my uncle, and he is the one who really got me started in racing just years ago.

"We moved to Florida when I was about two years old. I don't think my parents liked the cold weather up there. Of course, that was before we knew of the heat and humidity of Florida. So it is always real fun to go back up there. And it will be even more special this year since we are running for the Rookie of the Year title and the championship. This is when all my friends and family will really be able to see what an awesome team we have put together."

Kittleson has competed at Madison before. Kittleson made the trip up to the half-mile in 2001, but fell out of the race when his brakes failed. For promising racer, the trip to Wisconsin is bittersweet when thinking about his racing career.

"I really enjoy the fact that I have learned to race in Florida where we can race all 12 months of the year. We don't have to have snow brakes down there. That helps out big time when it comes to learning how to race. Laps mean everything.

"Then again, sometimes I think it would have been neat to hone my racing career up here in Wisconsin. Some of the best drivers to ever race stock cars have come from Wisconsin. I never got to race at places like Slinger and the Dells and all of those tracks; I only got to hear about them. So it is pretty fun to be able to come up here and race at some of these places since I moved away so early."

Kittleson and the entire R/T Racing team have already done a lot to make their friends, family and fans proud. They currently sit sixth in the ASA national standings and a close second in the $50,000 Rookie of the Year chase. But Kittleson and his team will be racing for a different cause in Madison.

"We are racing this week for Mr. (Bob) Steele. He is having some serious health issues and that just motivates us to do even better. My dad has known Mr. Steele for years and he has been a big part in helping expand my racing career. We are keeping him and his entire family in our prayers. Get well Mr. Steele."

Despite the team's top-six position in the point standings, they are still looking for sponsorship to help them in their quest for the 2003 ASA National Championship and Rookie of the Year title. For inquiries, call the team at

321-693-6700 and be sure to visit traviskittleson.com for more information.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Work of a race engineer with Ferrari's Dyer

Next article Denver: Capps/Johnson preview

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez wins sprint to seize points lead, Jorge Martin crashes

MotoGP

MGP MotoGP

Australian GP

7 min

MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez wins sprint to seize points lead, Jorge Martin crashes

NASCAR Truck Series championship down to two with two to go

NASCAR Truck

NSTR NASCAR Truck 2 h

NASCAR Truck Series championship down to two with two to go

MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez recovers from crash to take pole at wet Phillip Island

MotoGP

MGP MotoGP

Australian GP

3 h

MotoGP Australian GP: Marc Marquez recovers from crash to take pole at wet Phillip Island

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 United States GP

Formula 1

United States GP

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 United States GP

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts