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Stephen Grimes, from Meeker, kneels by his sports-modified race car. Photo/Jentezen Smith -
Stephen and Erica Grimes pose along the 75 decal on their race car. Photo/Jentezen Smith
As his red and black race car sat in the summer shade, Stephen Grimes proudly stood aside it with his discolored racing hat and a pair of sunglasses on.
The 40-year-old primarily works as a Machinery Mechanic at Tinker Air Force Base, but spends his free time red dirt racing, a hobby his father passed onto him.
“I’ve been racing for almost 14 years now,” Grimes said. “I probably started back in 2010. Basically, when I was younger, my dad raced out here when it used to be the County Line Speedway, and my uncles raced.
“They’ve always been involved in dirt track racing.” Grimes began his racing career in a factory stock car and now currently drives a sports-modified car, the 75.
After racing at over 11 different dirt tracks throughout all of Oklahoma and even one in Mississippi, nothing means more to Grimes than racing at his hometown track, Red Dirt Raceway, between Meeker and Chandler on state Highway 18.
“I’m very thankful to Melissa and Cody Brewer for having a track so we can race at it,” Grimes said. “It’s really nice to have a track six minutes away from here.
“And I know that when they have an open night to race, I can go out there and race. It means a lot.”
It’s not only the close proximity that he loves about his home track though, it’s the community presence around the 75 car.
“I didn’t realize up until we started getting a little bit faster, how many people actually come out and watch this race,” Grimes said. “I get Facebook messages every Wednesday, Thursday. ‘Hey, are you guys running?’
“And sometimes, it can be up to as few as five people, up to 20 people. I think for a few people to get to come out and enjoy and get a little bit of excitement and a thrill, it kind of means something different.”
The local support for Grimes’s racing at Red Dirt Raceway makes his home track a special place in his heart and it keeps him coming back.
The local support is great, but the two biggest supporters that motivate his entire racing career the most are his wife and father.
He spoke about his wife, Erica Grimes. “She’s my biggest supporter,” Grimes said. “And right now, I couldn’t do it without her saying, ‘yeah, go ahead, go do it.’
“I’m truly blessed to have her in my life and for her to let me do this. I just can’t thank her enough sometimes.”
In a dangerous sport where he’s wrecked countless times and even caught his car on fire, his wife supports him through it all and serves as a reason to keep racing.
The other major reason is the man who he grew up watching race.
“My dad enjoys it, I enjoy it. I mean, that keeps my dad going,” Grimes said. “If it wasn’t for him, I would have probably gave this up a long time ago.
“Hopefully, one day when my boys decide whatever they want to do, if they want to drive cars, I’ll step back and they can do it.”
Grimes hopes that the generational love of red dirt racing can carry onto his boys, as maybe one day just like his father, his joy will inspire his boys to race. For now though, the responsibility to drive the family car is his. Grimes doesn’t just want to race in the car though, he wants to win in it, which is easier said than done.
“To be honest, wins don’t come very often,” Grimes said. “I’ve had two in my factory stock and then I’m still looking for my first sports mod win.”
Despite being winless, Grimes’s car runs with consistent speed and is improving.
Already having put together four top-10 finishes and a top-five finish in 2024, one thing is certain: the 75 car will find victory lane soon enough.