The future of American Flat Track is bright. You can look at the growth in fan attendance, NBCSN broadcast coverage, website page views, social media metrics, and media exposure. But it’s mostly about our sport’s rising stars, the next generation...

Kevin Stollings Jr. is very definitely one of them. The 18-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana had a breakout year in 2017, with two wins in his sophomore season and his eye set on loftier goals in 2018. Not only is Stollings looking toward an AFT Singles Championship, but higher education, as well, in the engineering field. We recently talked to Stollings about 2017 and beyond.

How did you get started in racing?

I got my first little dirt bike, a Honda 50, when I was about five, and I rode that around a lot. Then, when I was about six or so, my dad’s friend – who used to race back in the day with Nicky Hayden and all of those guys, and who has a son that raced – invited me out to the track. I didn’t do too well in my first go-around, but after that I stuck to it, and here I am 12 years later still racing.

Family support is a big part of racing. How involved is your family in your effort?

It’s ‘all family’ for my racing effort. As soon as I started it’s just been me, my dad, my mom, and my little brother. Friends here and there, but it’s pretty much just us every weekend. We’ve been to a lot of races and sacrificed a lot of money and missed out on a lot of things, but we’ve just been in it together. This year we finally picked up a sponsor – Roof Systems out of Dallas, TX – to help us out, and he’s going to stick with us for a while. Other than that, it’s just been family since I started.

Aside from racing, you also play some high school sports?

I wrestled through middle school and a lbit in high school, but an injury [a broken arm last fall] really messed that up. Right now I’m just hanging out and getting ready for this season.

Racing is intense, schedule-wise, and you’re a full-time student. Is it hard to juggle all that?

It’s not too bad. Races are only on the weekends, and I usually fly to most of them. That kind of helps out. I get to go to school Monday through Friday, and don’t really miss much. I have the easy part. My mom and dad have the hard part – doing all the driving!

It’s not like you’re taking light classwork, either...

No, I take some hard classes. I really focus on my school. I have to do that first and try to get into college for engineering. I applied to Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis so that I could race and do school at the same time. I’m going for a mechanical engineering degree, and then hopefully work my way toward the energy/petroleum field.

How did you get interested in that? 

Since I was young I always wanted to build bridges and roads. But as I got older and actually started looking around, I decided to go that direction.

2017 was a roller coaster season for you. You got your first wins and you had some ups and downs. What moments stand out?

I’d have to say that winning the Red Mile, my first win, would be one of the greatest moments. It was a struggle, though; my pipe fell off and I had to go through a bunch of that stuff. I didn’t get my points but I still got my win. And then in Oklahoma…. [my bike] blew up there while running up front. I’ve had a tough season, but it was pretty fun. My second win at Pennsylvania [Williams Grove Half-Mile] was definitely great, too, but I have to say that winning the Red Mile was probably one of the best moments of the season. 

What did you take away from your Sophomore season in 2017?

My goal going in was to make most races possible. I think I did pretty well on that one, missing, I think, one or two at the end of the season. I think what I learned the most was this: never give up, and push forward no matter what happens. Even though that stuff happened to me at Oklahoma and Red Mile, I still pushed and did the best I could.

Did you have any racing heroes growing up?

I really looked up to Kenny Coolbeth. I still do. I’ve always talked to him. My dad always talked to him. His dad and my dad talked a bit. He’s pretty much the guy I looked up to throughout my racing career.

Plans for 2018?

We’ve got our plan in our head, for sure, but you never know what’s going to happen between now and March. So we’re just going to hang out and see what happens.