Kyle has always lived in St. Louis, Missouri where he attends Middle school. He began racing at five years old when his Dad put him in a kid kart at the local track in Pevely, Missouri. I asked Kyle how he felt when he first started racing karts, he said, “I never gave up and loved every race I went to.”
After a full season in a kid kart, Kyle was eager to drive a TaG 60cc kart. He had been watching his older brother and sister race them and he was ready to move up. Kyle admits, “I was a little scared because these karts could go so much faster, but I got used to it after the first lap.”
Things really took off for Kyle’s racing career when he began to travel around the Midwest competing in road races. “My whole family is there when I race. My older brother and sister race, too. We have so much fun hanging out with the other racing families at the tracks.” Kyle was and still remains one of the youngest drivers to compete on the Super Speedway tracks.
As a matter of fact, it was another family that introduced him to Bandolero cars – which would change the course of Kyle’s racing future. “I had to learn how to race differently; it was a tough first year.” But all of the Donahue kids really liked racing these cars and they all finished in the top five in points standings.
After focusing on Bandos for a year, Kyle had a very busy season of racing both the karts and the cars. The 2009 year proved to be one of the best for Kyle, winning almost every kart race he competed in, and won the 2009 Tag 60 Central States Challenge Championship. Kyle said that he feels driving the Bandolero cars from 600 Racing taught him to go faster and to be a better driver.
The 2010 season Kyle mainly raced his Bandolero but did sweep a double header in the spring at New Castle Motor Sports Park. Kyle won the 4 heat races and both features. The remainder of the season he competed in the Fast Midwest series and won the 2010 Bandolero Bandits championship spot.
Kyle competed in the 2011 Fast Midwest series and set a record for a perfect score of wins to take the Bandolero Championship for a second year in a row. Kyle also jumped back in a Tag 60 kart for the last time to compete in the Tag World Finals in New Castle Indiana. He finished 2nd by a nose but again made history with the race being one of the most exciting races ever for the Tag World Finals.
The 2012 season started off with Kyle now driving a Legend car. He raced in Texas over the 2011/2012 Winter Series and won by a single point. Off to a good start he then headed for the Summer to North Carolina to race part of the Summer Shoot Out and a few surrounding tacks. He had his first win in a Legend car at Anderson Speedway at the start of the summer.
2013 is off to a great start and Kyle already has 8 top five finishes in his Young Lions class and 3 wins. Kyle is really enjoying the support of his team and the positive atmosphere of him, his Brother and Dad working on the cars. The Doug Steven’s Chassis are a great help too.
Kyle has a lot of determination when it comes to racing and to his life in general. He pushes himself to be the best. When I asked him to give me a quote about racing he said, “Racing is my life…everything else is just a game.”