Soul of 78: Keeton Harris
Legend Car Racer
Words by Thomas Ingle | Images by Justin Hunter
The future of racing may be unfolding before our eyes, and Keeton Harris is leading the charge.
The "Watch Keeton Race" Facebook page, boasting nearly 900 likes and a thousand followers, spotlights the ten-year-old racing prodigy from Jasper.
Racing is in Keeton's blood. His family has been involved in racing for over 40 years. Keeton embarked on his racing journey at age five, inspired by the quarter-midget races he witnessed in Huntsville, Alabama.
He trained for several months before his debut at the Huntsville Quarter Midget Association, rose through the ranks from Red Rookie to Blue Rookie, and went on to Mod/World Formula classes. After having much success in the Quarter Midget cars, accumulating multiple championships and over 100 wins in five different states, he spent last year running "Bandolero" cars to help him gain experience on bigger tracks that range from ¼ mile to 4/10 mile in size. This year, he is racing in the legend car category, cars styled after the mid-1930s with 150hp motorcycle engines that can reach exhilarating speeds of up to 145 mph, though racing speeds usually cap at around 90-100 mph.
Already a state champion in the Alabama Bandolero racing category, Keeton's aspirations don't stop there. With only five years under his belt, he's setting his sights on the pinnacle of racing success-NASCAR.
"It felt really good to become a state champion because I worked hard to get there," Keeton says. "I want to be a NASCAR driver because of Ryan Blaney. He ran all the things I did, from quarter-midgets to legends."
Keeton dedicates himself to continuous improvement, practicing on his iRacing simulator at home whenever possible. This simulator is far from an ordinary video game; it's an immersive training tool equipped with a curved screen, shifter, gas, brake and clutch pedals, and lights designed to mimic the real racing experience. In this simulation, Keeton races not just against a computer but against friends and professionals from across the country, honing his skills for real-world competition.
With determination in his heart and the legacy of the tracks in his blood, Keeton is not just racing for victory but for the evolution of the sport itself. 78