5/4/2025
Bloomington Speedway
Steven Hobbs: His Own Path
For those who have been fortunate enough to spend a part of their youth with grandparents it is common for the memories of these times spent together to be particularly meaningful. When a healthy bond exists, it is one of the most positive relationships to be found. Steven Hobbs developed particularly strong ties with his grandfather, and in time he realized that Don Hobbs occupied an important niche in the world of auto racing.
There are days when Steven wishes he were present during his grandfather’s glory years. That said, he remains thankful that he witnessed a slice of Don’s Hall of Fame career. “We were very close,” Steven says, “as far as seeing him race I didn’t get to see the glory years where he dominated. I caught the tail end. I can remember seeing him running some Jackson 100’s and I went with him to his final race at Eldora. Someone talked him into getting into the car one more time. I remember because I got to miss school and go over there. That was the end of it, and I was in the first or second grade. But I know the stories because he liked to talk about racing.”
Don, who devoted four years of his life to the U.S. Army started racing at 16 years old and enjoyed a 43 year career. It is estimated that he won over 800 races, scored wins with every major sanctioning body, and was an easy selection for the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Steven recalls that when Don realized the kind of money now up for grabs in late model racing he reasoned that he might have been born too early. He had a point. Still, he was a trailblazer and captured his fair share of the glory. “He really took off with C. J. Rayburn,” Steven says, “He told me he was at a track and had either crashed or blown up and C J. asked him if he wanted to get in his car. C. J. wasn’t that well known at that point. It is fair to say that C.J. really grew his business from that experience.” Hobbs became the first driver of a Rayburn house car, and the partnership led to over 50 wins and arguably revolutionized the sport.
When he wasn’t racing Don had his own garage, sold cars, and dabbled in real estate. Up until his passing in 2024 he still could be found in his garage. Still, it was hard to walk away. “When he first got out of it, it was like he hated racing,” Steven says, “He didn’t want to talk about it, and he didn’t want to go to the track. It is almost like it was his way of dealing with not being what he once was.” These might have been years that his grandson could have taken his first steps in racing with Don’s guidance, but now Steven had gravitated to traditional stick and ball sports.”
However, it was soon clear that racing was in his blood too. “I hung around the Cunningham family a lot,” he says, “and one of my buddies had a super stock so I played around with that for a couple of years. Then the steel block sprint car class started, and I threw my super stock motor in that.” The late Buddy Cunnigham previously owned Steven’s steel block car, and it had provided a home for drivers like Dave Darland, Andrew Prather, Tye Mihocko, and Harley Burns. Yes, he could coax grandpa back to the track, although Don might have been a bit skeptical of the move to sprint cars.
A steel block sprint car was a perfect place for Hobbs to get his open wheel legs underneath him. He has reached a point where he feels he can contend for wins. That said, he is competitive by nature and wants to take on a new challenge. “I have since bought other engines,” he notes, “and I also have a 410 aluminum engine, so I am going to do that.” He is under no illusions that he is going to set the sprint car world on fire. “I do this solely for fun,” he says, “I don’t see myself winning races, but I love the sport. I love being around it. I have been around the racetrack my entire life, but the driving part is still relatively new.”
At 39 years old the I.U. graduate is a remarkably busy man. His wife Kelly works with foster parents and is committed to helping children thrive in a stable environment. The couple are the proud parents of Noah (13), Nash (6), and daughter Aubrey (3). Then there is the matter of his firm Dynasty Renovations. “It started out as a painting business,” he says, “but over the course of the last three or four years we transitioned into kitchen and bathroom remodels, flooring, room additions, and we are on the cusp of doing homes. I have four guys working with me and we are going strong.” That’s not all. As an active sports family Steven coaches middle school football in the Spencer-Owen County school district and runs a travel baseball program.
As for racing, he plans to sign in 15 to 20 times over the course of the season and hopes to make a little noise. “There is a lot to it,” he notes with a laugh, “but we are getting better and getting faster. We have built a lot of good relationships and some of the guys who worked for Buddy Cunningham help me.” Sure, he is pulled in a variety of directions but in summary he says, “Racing is a big part of what we do, and my family supports it.” Because of this love for the sport, he immediately jumped on board with the new leadership of the Historic Bloomington Speedway as a valuable sponsor.
In 2025 the most important race on his calendar is one he will watch from the sidelines - the May 30 Don Hobbs Classic featuring the Northern Allstars Late Model Series. “I am really excited about this,” he says, “My grandpa and James Essex (Northern Allstars owner, director, and announcer) were really close. James was announcing in Ohio, and he made a run all the way over here to come to the funeral. He thought a lot of James.”
Tommy Kelly Kfmedia photos
Article Credit: Patrick Sullivan
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