Andrea Keeney Blog

As my first column I’d like to introduce myself.

My name is Andrea Keeney. l have a fiance and a 9 year old son. I am a welder fabricator at Stout Buckets.

I have been around racing my whole life. It started with my uncle, Jeff keeney and my dad (David keeney RIP). I pitted for my uncle that races late models since I was 12 years old. It started off sneaking me into the pits because I wasn’t old enough to pit for him, and that turned into a life long dream that I couldn’t have imagined. I kept helping on the race car until 2011. Before the season started in 2012 my dad passed away and uncle took a break from racing but it was still in my blood.

When I was 15 years old, my dad told me that if I got straight A’s in school I could get a race car. I ended up getting straight A’s for one semester and my dad bought me a race car. We built it from the ground up; welded all the floorboards in and we kept putting it together. Soon after that was done I had my first race at Cedar Lake Speedway.

I remember being there for the first time with a race car I grew up around that track my whole life, but having a race car there made it different. I climbed into the seat for my heat race, and my best friend was at my door side. In lineups she asked me if I was scared. I said it feels like jumping off the Eiffel Tower, without a parachute. I went out there; held my own and I finished the.

Shortly after that my dad was always by my drivers door when I was in lineups. He always used to tell me “have fun” right before I went out for a race. I live by that motto now. The first time I wrecked the car; I was in fifth place going for fourth and I got loose in turn four and I overcorrected the car, went head on into the wall. I bent the front clip, the radiator, tires, and suspension. It was a mess. I told everybody I’d be back out next week.

There was a lot more work that needed to be done. I got it back out then the end of the year I added antifreeze instead of draining the water in the motor and called it good. I went to start it the next season and the block was cracked and I needed a whole new engine. That ended my season because I did not have the money to get a new motor. That year my dad passed away before I was able to race again. I made it a point to get that motor going in that car and race for him. I raced streets for four years I believe. After seeing street stocks as a dying class around my area, I moved up to Midwest modified; I’ve been in that class for seven years now. My hometown track is one of the best tracks around the area, with the best drivers around every week. It’s a hard competition and I’m a low budget racer just trying to get by.

I haven’t won any races but I believe I get faster every year. I try to trust the car more and more. My biggest concerns are the corners. I do not trust my car to turn so I let off too soon and then I end up ruining the corner. My car is a 2009 Shaw. I just do this as a hobby like my dad said if you’re not having fun you shouldn’t be doing it so I just go out there to have fun. I just like being involved. I get a kick out of the little things like getting pictures taken or videos taken of me even if I’m last place I’m just out there having fun. I’m really good at dodging wrecks, but I can’t miss them all. I’ve got a lot of close calls. I’ve had a lot of wrecks that I’ve missed, but I’ve had a lot of wrecks that I can’t avoid. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences.

One year I blew about eight driveshafts before I figured out that my rear end gears were bad and blowing driveshafts and then after I got that fixed, then my transmission had a little bit of issues so I missed a few races because of that as well. Truthfully, i’m a late model girl. I pit for my uncle who has raced a late model for many years and I have pitted for my best friend who also races one. My ultimate goal is to be in a late model some day.

The highlight of my career is I raced myself into a big feature. I got fourth in the B main and got out of car introductions. The only time I’ve ever done a four wide in one of my cars was my street stock and that was by default. I am a huge fan of 4 wides. Another highlight of my career, even though it wasn’t in my car, was starting a four wide at Cedar Lake Speedway in my best friends late model. He had motor issues so he wasn’t going to be able to make the whole race and he was going to pull off after they took the green. Him and my uncle told me that I get more of a kick out of four wides than they do so get in and do it. I was scared shitless that was the first time I was in late model with any sort of race. He had let me pack the track once before but that was it. He had a head gasket issue so I had to be nice about the car and not overheating and watch my gauges. Well, we did the four wide and your hand out the window. I tell you what that was the best experience of my life. I can only hope that one day I’m in a late model, and I guess to do a four wide in my own car that I took the green. he Told me to take green and pull off then it was me and a late model and that is my dream. In the 2024 season, I plan to have a new body on the car, and new graphics. Really all I’m hoping for the 2024 season is to be faster than the 2023 season. I’m one of those humble people, nice people that won’t yell at drivers if you hit me. Yes I am angry at the time but I will never go up to your race trailer and yell at you. I have never won a race in my life but also I am scared of wrecking my stuff. If I drive it into hard or I mess up, I might not be able to afford to fix it for the rest of the year. I do have to thank all my sponsors this year, including Stout Buckets, Alfalfa Fest, Sportsmen’s bar and grille, CW metalworx, Jimmy Ray outdoors, and my new sponsor this year is The Racing Times. I appreciate everything that they do for me because without sponsors I wouldn’t be racing. Also my best friend Robbie Johnson and Uncle Jeff Keeney is a lot of they one the only reason my car is fixed. So all in all my goals for this season is just be faster than last year, chicks dig it!