#0 Keenan Spurway - Driver Profile from 2010 Racenight #3

Driver Profile – Keenan Spurway  #0 Modified
By Tom Stephenson
June 2010

Keenan Spurway may be a rookie driver at Laird International Raceway, but don’t discount him; he has been around racing for his entire 33 years.  In his first two nights of racing in the modified division he’s already demonstrating his potency as a driver; Keenan posted a fast time in the qualifying round on LIR’s opening evening, and during the second race evening posted a second place finish in the feature, behind veteran Kevin Oicle, and after leading for more than half the race. 

So how does a young guy get to be so competitive so quickly?  Keenan said, “My dad, Bill Spurway, used to race at Fifth Line with Rick Ellis, the Aho’s, Mike Uhlman, Roddy Speers, Eddy Kelly and others.”

Keenan’s dad Bill said, “It was really something to start out racing against those people.  Keenan was just a baby when I was racing.  He wasn’t even a year old when his mom was bringing him into the pits.”

Keenan continued, “My dad got my Uncle, Robert Hiiemaa, started into racing about 30 years ago.  I kind of got brought up into it.  I’ve been at the track for 33 years straight, every year at least 20 races a year watching.  In the late 80’s and 90’s I was at Onaway every Saturday night with my Uncle Robert.  It started out with my dad dragging my Uncle around (his brother-in-law now) to Ecanaba, Marquette, and all over Michigan.  He got him hooked, then my dad got out of it, when I was young still.  All of a sudden my Uncle was racing so I got hooked on going with him all the time.”

Keenan also has had other local role models.  Keenan said, “Rick Ellis is like an Uncle to me.  I used to stay there all the time.  My monkey bars when I was a kid was a stock car frame.  Everybody else had swing sets, I had a bare stock car frame as my playground set.”

Keenan had patience before getting behind the wheel.  He said, “I wanted to do it about 5 years ago.  It was going to happen, I just waited.  Now I have a job as fireman with the Fire Dept., I have a family, and a house, and I have everything set up ok.”

Keenan has a list of sponsors, which is important to success - Mr. Sudz and The Dent Shop, Total Auto Electric Rebuilders, Pizza Palace, Royal Tire, 3M Trim Line, and Dynatype Motorsports.

Keenan said, “My dad has been helping me a lot.  He’s spent about 20 hours last week on the car and about another 16 the week before.  Craig Seabrook has spent about 100 hours on this car too.  Taking it apart and putting it back together.  We’ve had tranny problems, clutch problems.  We are all learning from each other.  I’d also like to thank Robbie, Jeff Porter and Pete Perry, they are helping me out too.”

Also important for success, Keenan gets good family support.  You can already hear his family and fans cheering him on in the stands.  Also, along with his dad Bill, his partner Melissa, and their daughter Kaija (7) are part of his pit crew. 

 “I have my grandmother here too, Lilia Hiiemaa.  She’s watched my dad race, and my uncle, now she’s watching her grandson race.  She’s a basket case.  She’s in her 70’s.  She’s saying, ‘Oh no, I have to go through all this again!’  But she’s calling me up saying she wants to come out and watch.”

Keenan will be an exciting driver to watch this season, considering he is already competitive after only two evenings behind the wheel of his #0 Modified.