6/5/2025
Bloomington Speedway
Stevie’s Time: 1993 USAC Midget Showdown
The 1993 USAC midget championship battle was hot and heavy when the combatants signed in at the Historic Bloomington Speedway on August 27th. It was the second trip of the year to the red clay and by now the stakes were even higher. In June the raceway presented the inaugural Larry Rice Classic where Tony Elliott, the 1992 series runner-up carried his Ralph's Muffler & Brake Shops Potter V-6 to the win over Randy Koch and Critter Malone.
By now it was clear that the title chase would be decided between Reeves, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Andy Michner. Reeves set the tone early by besting his peers in qualifications and then carried his Steve Lewis owner, Bob East built and prepared midget to victory leading all thirty laps. He was chased to the line by Tony Elliott and Critter Malone. By the end of year Stevie had prevailed. With back to back championships Reeves was poised to head south to pursue his racing dreams.
Reeves, who is a member of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame worked hard for everything he got in the sport. He was born on May 16, 1967, in Indianapolis. His father raced and worked in the industry giving Stevie instant access to the sport. As a very young man his family lived in a trailer court on the western border of Indianapolis Raceway Park. He spent many nights at the track watching his dad race.
Nothing came easy for Reeves. When he expressed an interest in racing his father sold a boat to purchase an old Kurtis quarter midget. In his first race at the Kokomo Quarter Midget Club, he locked wheels with an older competitor in his very first lap. He would graduate to the famed Big Z racetrack on the southeast side of Indianapolis and would compete against Robbie Stanley, Eric Gordon, the late Kenny Irwin Jr., Jon Stanbrough; and Dave Darland would occasionally drop in from Kokomo. He was good at it, but when he aged out at 16, he seemingly had nowhere to go. When his parents divorced Reeves decided to live with his maternal grandparents who became a vital part of his racing life. Doing what they could do to help their grandson pursue his dream they mortgaged their home so he could buy a sprint car.
While he had some success in this new venture, he eventually hit a snag. Reeves would suffer a serious accident at Ohio’s Millstream Speedway that resulted in a broken neck and jaw. He couldn’t fathom putting the car back together when fellow racer Blake Hollingsworth was up for a swap. Reeves parted with his 355 motor, and he took ownership of Blake’s midget. The idea was to get the car in shape and just have fun at the nearby Indianapolis Speedrome. The Speedrome featured drivers like Mel Kenyon, Mack McClellan, and Rich Vogler. It was tough sledding. Then his pals suggested he head south to Lawrenceburg Speedway and take on the USAC National tour for the first time. The date was June 6, 1987, and against all odds Reeves led Tom Bigelow, Dan Boorse, and Kevin Doty to the line. This one night changed his life.
While it would take time for Reeves to work his way back to victory lane, he had turned some heads in 1990 when he was helping sort out a V-6 engine for famed owner Ralph Potter. A white knuckle run at the Belleville High Banks in Kansas impressed Jeff Gordon’s stepfather John Bickford, but more importantly, Wisconsin owner Greg Wilkie noticed as well and offered him a ride. This change of scenery impacted his entire approach. Now he was ready to attack. He began his new day by winning the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway. On the pavement he picked up wins at Winchester and Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. On the dirt he took two classic events, the Fireman’s Nationals at Angell Park Speedway, and the Hut Hundred at the Terre Haute Action Track. He was leading the series points when his team decided to forgo the western swing at the end of the year. In response Stevie patched together rides to try to finish the job. While winning three huge races was satisfying, Reeves lost the championship to Mike Streicher in one of the most dramatic final events in series history.
In 1992 he joined forces with owner Steve Lewis and mechanic/builder Bob East. In the early going Reeves did fine on the pavement, but he was struggling on dirt. East had an epiphany and decided the solution was to build a coil-over car. That was all it took. He won four races and nailed down his first National championship. At the USAC awards banquet he presented the winner’s ring to his grandfather and had made his grandmother a special pendant.
If there was a sour spot in the 1992 season it was the failure to nail down an entrant’s championship for Steve Lewis. Tony Elliott, who raced for Ralph Potter, finished second in points and did enough for his owner to land on top.
The 1993 season would be a different story. Soon Reeves was locked in a torrid battle for the championship with Kenny Irwin Jr., Mike Bliss, and Andy Michner. Reeves won five times at five different tracks, and he finally grabbed the lead after an August win at Bloomington Speedway. He couldn’t hold it. Irwin would take the lead briefly on the closing western swing and Reeves had to have been suffering flashbacks to 1991. This time it was a different story. At the end Reeves emerged on top by just 11 points. He became the first driver to win back-to-back National championships since Sleepy Tripp pulled the trick in 1976. For Steve Lewis, the legendary owner of the so called “9” cars this would be his first ring.
Reeves worked hard to move on in his career. He would race with NASCAR and with the Indy Racing League. While he would have preferred to have remained in the driver’s seat longer the bottom line is that he made a career in the racing industry. One of his roles includes spotting for some of the top drivers in NASCAR. He fought upstream for years but in the end, he made his mark in the sport and found a home. His gregarious nature made him a favorite with fans and officials alike.
John Mahoney photos Tony Elliott with owner Dick Newkirk
Article Credit: Patrick Sullivan
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