BIO

Trent Stephens is a 3rd generation racecar driver, who at the age of 20, has thirteen years of racing experience.  In 2009, Trent will catapult into the Supermodified Racing World in the #19 black and orange Acme racing powered car.  In his rookie year of Supers, he hopes to earn many racing milestones while competing with many remarkable drivers.  In his 4 years of racing Winged Sprints, he has become a consistent, accomplished driver who has earned the respect of his peers. He was Rookie of the Year in 2005, while finishing 2nd in points.  Then in 2006, he earned the Sprints Points Championship at Sandusky Speedway.  Career Highlights are 161 First Place Finishes, many Fast Times and numerous Track Records, 18 different points Championship Titles in Quartermidgets, 8 National Grand Events Features, and One National Quartermidget Championship.

 Trent has always ate, dreamed, and bled racing.  From the age of two he slept in a racecar bed, dreaming of big time racing. He earned his first checker flag at Sandusky Speedway in a big wheel race win at the age of 4. His early memories were of his Grandpa Charlie racing sprints and his Dad, Terry, running late models and eventually racing sprints.  Racing is his life.  Trent started seriously racing as a Novice Quartermidget Driver at the age of 7, winning both his heat and feature race the first time out.  Seven years of competitive racing in ten different states at local, state, regional and national Quartermidget racing events earned him 18 points championships by the age of 14.

Stepping up to a totally different venue of racing in 2004, Trent went exclusively dirt racing with adults in a 600 Micro Mini Sprint.  Racing at three tracks ranging in size from 1/6 to 1/4 mile in Indiana and Ohio, he competed 18 different times and carried the checker flag 6 times. He finished every race in at least the top 10 spot and finished third or better 14 times and sat one fast time in qualifying.

Returning to asphalt and racing on larger tracks in 2005, Trent ran a Winged Sprint Car in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. At age 16, in his Rookie year, he adapted quickly bringing home a checker flag his 2nd time out.  He ran 17 feature events, set fast time twice and broke one track record at Lake Erie Speedway. He had eleven top 5 finishes, nine top 3 finishes and two feature wins.  Out pacing 57 other drivers, he finished 2nd in the points season at the Sandusky Ohio Speedway.  Also trying his hand at a traveling Winged Sprint on Asphalt (WSOA) series he finished 10th after missing the first 4 events.   Trent earned the respect of his fellow racecar drivers by being named “2005 Rookie of the Year”.  As a third generation Sprint Car driver, he enjoyed racing with and most of all finishing in front of his grandfather!

At the beginning of the 2006 season, it looked as though the “sophomore” season may be too much with some mechanical failures and several flat tires while leading the race.  Trent fought back borrowing his brothers car on one occasion and using his grandpa’s car on two others to become the track champion at Sandusky Speedway.  He made it to victory lane five different times, had two fast times and a track record at Toledo speedway.   He was also awarded the “hard charger” award passing the most cars throughout the season.  Trent was part of a team that received the Sportsman of the Year award as they unselfishly helped out other competitors while in a tight points battle.

Trent ran a limited race schedule in 2007 while graduating from high school and starting college at KSU in the summer.  For the first time, Trent drove a sprint car owned by someone other than his Dad.  He jumped into the Sam Lane powered sprint car and had 7 first place finishes.  He was consistent throughout the year by finishing in the top 5 spots twelve times.  He had his first taste of the power of a Supermodified by running one race at Lorain Speedway for Gary Cambrara and finished a respectable 11th in the feature.

He continued his ride in the #6L winged sprint running two points series in 2008.  During the season, Trent gained strength and patience while facing many mechanical failures and unfortunate mishaps.  He had 25 top ten finishes, 19 top five finishes and 5 checker flag wins.  Toward the end of the season, his luck began to change and he won the Buckeye Super Sprints feature race at Oswego Speedway.  Never far from his mind was the power of the Supermodified race cars.  As luck would have it, he was given the opportunity to drive a back up car for Acme racing, at Angola Speedway, and won his heat race the first time in the car.

Trent still dreams about racing. Though now, he dreams of winning races, strategies and 800+ horsepower!  Trent realizes how lucky he is to still be able to race after breaking his c-5 vertebrae in football during his senior year.  This life changing event has helped him mature and realize how important his family is and racing is to him.  He is thankful that he was made to do countless hours of practice, hundreds of laps learning to be consistent lap after lap, Sunday morning race video reviews and critiques with the family, and the smiles and hugs before and after races. This year, he looks forward to meeting and earning the respect of the Supermodified fans and drivers throughout the season!