Friends and Neighbors: Racing has always run in the blood of Kimball 8-year old

Eight-year-old Bransyn Kiefer, already a champion drag racer, won the Junior Dragster Challenge Aug. 29 at the Julesburg (Colo.) racetrack. The prize? A coveted Wally – an named in honor of the late National Hot Rod Association founder Wally Parks.

"I only had four in my group, and there is this one girl is hard to beat, but I beat her," Bransyn said.

The Wally is the trophy everyone wants to win, according to Wade Kiefer, Bransyn's father. Wade said he raced eight years before winning a Wally.

"The big races that I race go for the Wally every time, but at our local track, Julesburg, there is like two a year," Wade explained.

"When I got there, I saw it (the trophy) right in the window and I'm like, I think I'm gonna win that," Bransyn said.

His mom, Brooke, said Bransyn cannot go fast enough to suit himself. He always wants to go faster. Even when he nearly rolled, he got right back in the driver's seat for his next race.

Though Bransyn is in the slowest class, he runs about 54 miles per hour. That translates to 1/8 of a mile in about 11 seconds.

"I'm the fastest car there," Bransyn said.

On Sept. 5, Bransyn won the Junior Track Champion trophy – Junior King of the Track. However, another racer will be the track champion due to points totals, because Bransyn missed some of his races to attend his dad's races.

While Julesburg is their home track, Bransyn has plans to expand. He hopes to race at Bandimere next year and to also attend the regional competition in Utah.

Racing a part of Bransyn's family since before he was born, and the other race families have become like family.

"Him and Todd (Vogel) and Wade have worked on cars since he has been old enough to walk. He gets right in the middle of it all," Brooke said.

Young racers can begin as early as age 5, but they cannot begin competing until they are 7. At that point they are only allowed to race against other 7-year-olds.

As racers age, the speed they are allowed to go increases. By the time they are 16, they can run their eighth of a mile as fast as 7.99 seconds - or 85 miles per hour.

The car Bransyn drives in the 8-10 age class was originally used by Shelby Vogel, Todd's daughter. It now has a different motor in it.

"I'm not gonna race my car when I'm 16, I'm gonna race dad's little car," Bransyn said.

Bransyn has three sponsors, Curley's Machine Works and 3 Schoe's Trucking, both of Kimball, and Purviance Motor Sports of Burlington, Colo.

Focus is one thing that Bransyn has gained, and he listens very well, Brooke said.

"He's not scared to get involved," Brooke said. "He has a lot of respect and responsibility for that car and the track, his dad and Todd. Whatever they say he does when we are there."

Wade wrecked at Bandimere at about 180 miles per hour, and though Wade was uninjured, Bransyn was scared and had a very emotional time. However, he did not hesitate getting in the car the next weekend for his own race.

"If he keeps it up, he's got a future," Wade said.

"I'm gonna race until I die," Bransyn said. "I wanna do the John Force burnout."