My name is Casey Baker and I am a 20 year old nursing student at Rockhurst University and drive the #9 305 Sprint Car.  I have been around racing all of my life.  My Grandfather Ted Hall was Greg Weld’s mechanic in the early 60’s winning the 1963 Knoxville Nationals and again in 1965 as car owner and mechanic with Jay Woodside.  He then went to Indy with Greg and stayed on as a chief mechanic with Grant King Racing with Greg as driver.  Through the years other drivers included Steve Krisiloff, Tom Sneva, Wally Dahlenbach and Art Pollard to name a few.  After returning to the Kansas City area he has had midgets and sprint cars with Ron Kuhn and Mitchell Moore as drivers before putting my younger brother Cody in a micro sprint when he was 9 years old.   Although I loved speed and running my go kart and dirt bike I spend most of my time competing in Rodeos with my horses. With Cody racing I started bugging grandpa and mom that I wanted to race but nobody really paid any attention.  When I was 17, they finally gave in and I got my first car, a 600cc micro giving it the #9 for my favorite driver Kasey Kahne.  Since Cody was running two classes in micros and a 305 sprint car by that time, grandpa didn’t have much time for my car.   I had motor problems most of the year only winning a couple heat races in the restrictor class but proving to my family that I had the desire to seriously compete. When it was decided to sell Cody’s micro and go sprint car racing full time,  I got to move up to sprints too.

 
  My first sprint car race was at Wheatland, MO and it felt like being thrown out of the boat and told to sink or swim.  It was so much more fun then I could have imagined and I truly fell in love with sprint cars.  Not only did I finish the race in 10th, Cody flipped so in the record book, I beat him.  My second race was at CMS in my first non-wing race.  I hooked a rut and hit the wall coming out of 4 in my heat but made it back for the feature and again had a respectable finish.  In 2008 I finished 10^th in the point standings at LA Speedway in LaMonte, MO.  I also ran non wing at I-70 where I flipped 8 times going out off the 4^th turn down into the woods after I was hit by another car while leading the heat.  

In 2009 I ran Friday nights at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo. and finished 4th in the point standings.  I also ran in the 305 Nationals at Lake Ozark Speedway and various other special events.  I am having a ball and can't wait for 2010.  I have a new XXX car and a stronger motor and am ready to show the boys I am really ready to give them a hard time.
  

I owe a big thanks to my Mom for believing in me, grandpa for his money and hard work, Grandma for video taping my races and always having food at the track, Ron Kuhn for being my mentor and taking over as chief mechanic when Cody’s racing schedule and mine conflict, Mike,  Dave, Lloyd and Bill for helping at the track.  I have the greatest support group ever. 

Sponsors are needed to help keep us racing.

 

Casey Baker
Hometown:  Lone Jack, Missouri
Occupation:  Rockhurst University majoring in Nursing, Unit Secretary - Research Hospital
DOB:  February 14th, 1990 
Hobbies:  Shopping, hanging out at the race track
Heroes:  Grandpa Hall
Personal Vehicle:  Chevy Cobalt
Favorite Food:  Tuna Helper
Favorite Drink:  Milk
Favorite Saying:  Thats Amazing
Favorite Color:  Pink
Favorite TV Shows:  Dirty Jobs, real stories in the ER
Favorite Movies:  
Favorite Drivers:  Kasey Kahne
Favorite Band:  Rascal Flatts
Thank You: Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa Hall, Ron Kuhn & Loyd Dickey
Future Plans: Become an RN