Taylor Kuehl is a 25-year-old driver from Cave Creek, Arizona, with a unique background and story.
Taylor began racing competitively at 5 years old in asphalt kid karts until she turned 13, moving into cadet karts with bigger chassis and engines. She competed with the top drivers in the country while traveling the southwest. In 2013, Taylor had the opportunity to compete for a spot on Team USA in the 2013 World Finals in New Orleans, LA, karting's biggest event on an international level. She dominated the 8 race series and moved on to the World Finals, where she had mechanical failure and was unable to finish.
To get her start in dirt racing, Taylor Kuehl entered into the modlite class in 2014. That year, she was presented Arizona Rookie of the Year. The next years of racing were a roller coaster, as gaining experience and knowledge didn't come easy, especially taking months at a time off. She learned seat time is invaluable.
Taking it a step further, in 2019 she got her start in an IMCA sport mod. Her and her team strived to earn Northern Sport Mod Rookie of the Year, but fell short in second. She took her experience from her rookie year and spent 2020 racing around the Northern United States, gaining more seat time and knowledge of the mechanics of the race car.
In 2021, Taylor ran the sport mod around Iowa, where she saw the most growth in her journey at the time. Being alone most of the time allowed for focus and hands-on learning, and indolence, she said, was not an option.
Mixing it up was in the cards for 2022, where she tried new forms of racing. Taylor experienced her first midget race in the Chili Bowl and a micro sprint in Arizona, and a stock car sporadically. The highlight of 2022 was qualifying for the IMCA Super Nationals “big dance" and earning a front row starting spot through the qualifier, being the first female in history to achieve that starting position.
In 2023, Taylor achieved 8 feature wins, and placed top 5 in half of her 60 features entered. She also topped all females in the IMCA divisions, earning her First Lady Eagle award.
In 2024, Taylor travelled throughout the U.S., capturing 11 feature victories and 11 second-place finishes of 63 Sport-mod features entered - making it the most successful season of her career so far.
Taylor initiated 2025 with a new race car, encountering technical challenges from start to finish. Despite a winless season, she made a breakthrough in the final race, achieving victory in a new class, the IMCA modified.
Taylor says she is excited to keep learning and progressing in modified series to compete with the top racers in the country and show up for the people who support her, "I don't want to be the best girl driver, but I strive to be the best driver. And if I can't be that, I plan to make a difference in racing using what I know."
This tenacious driver believes no matter how unfair or difficult racing may be, one must work to get where they want to be. One must also appreciate the humility and ethics racing teaches them, and love the community and adrenaline rush racing brings upon a driver.