When you're able to watch your parent race at Daytona International Speedway, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone when you have the inspiration to hop behind the wheel of a race car for yourself. That's exactly what happened to Isaac Kitzmiller. Speaking to INEX while on a hunting trip in Kansas, Kitzmiller has been driving a Legend Car since July 2022 and he raced dirt go-karts before that. He captured four victories in 2023, and is looking for more in 2024 as he continues chasing his goal of becoming a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Team: Joe Ryan Race Cars
Number: 97
Division: Young Lions
Favorite Vacation Spot: The Outer Banks
Favorite Food: Spaghetti
Favorite Movie: Days of Thunder
1. What sparked your interest in racing?
My interest in racing really got sparked when my dad raced [at] Daytona in the ARCA Series and I got to go and experience that. It just flipped the switch in me that, ‘Wow I really want to do this.’ I fell in love with the sound of the engines and the fast speeds and that really just flipped the switch in me that really made me want to do what I’m doing today.
2. How did you begin your racing career?
I did some go-kart dirt testing until I was able to set fast [enough] times to stay with the rest of the field. Then I started racing go-karts when I was 12. I kept on racing them throughout the summer. Not really much in the winter like I do with Legend Cars now. We raced go-karts every Sunday almost. I began getting better in the go-karts and moved up to Legend Cars.
3. You’ve raced on asphalt, dirt, and road courses. Which is your favorite and why?
My favorite is probably dirt. You can do a lot more, get faster in a lot of different ways then just changing the car on dirt. The track changes every lap. It’s a lot of the driver on dirt. I have a great dirt coach, Billy Workman. Me and him really talk a lot, [and] work together a lot. He’s a great help.
4. What is your dream street car?
An old Chevy truck with a big race engine in it.
5. Who is your biggest inspiration?
One of them would definitely be my dad. Other ones would be Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick. They’re really great inspirations for my racing career.
6. What is one random fact about you that people would be surprised to learn?
Other than racing, I hunt a lot at home and actually, right now, I’m in Kansas hunting and we come out here every year just to hunt whitetail deer.
7. What hobbies outside of racing do you enjoy?
I like hunting, but I also like going out on the lake and water skiing and wakeboarding.
8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three items, what would you bring?
A lighter, a dirt modified race car, and a dozer.
9. If you could have a conversation with anyone dead or alive, who would you want to speak with?
Dale Earnhardt Jr., and if not him, Dale Earnhardt. Like what was racing like back in the day without the HANS, the open mask and the fumes.
10. If you could appear on any TV show, what show would you choose?
Yellowstone. That’s one that I really like because it’s on a ranch.
11. Who is your favorite race car driver?
My favorite race car driver ever, I’d say Kevin Harvick. I just like the way he drives, the way he’s calm in the race car.
12. Do you have any pre-race rituals?
Sometimes I will listen to music before stretching out, getting pumped up just before the race to get my mind set. I usually listen to rap or something like that to get pumped up and focused.
13. What is your favorite racing memory?
Getting to race with my brother and my dad in go-karts. We sometimes went to Trail-Way Speedway in Pennsylvania. That track is shut down now. And then we went to Hunterstown Speedway. We also went to High View Speedway. Or another one would be finishing third at Road Course World Finals, because our team (Joe Ryan Race Cars) [finished] 1-2-3 and that is something that doesn’t get to happen a lot.
14. You had a wild flip at Fayetteville Motor Speedway during Dirt Nationals, what was that experience like?
There was nothing I could really do. It happened so fast that I couldn’t exactly say how it happened. I was a little bit mad that my race [was over]. I was running pretty good. It way just a racing thing and you can’t really control it.
15. What are your racing goals for 2024?
Win some Legend Car races in Young Lions and possibly by the end of the year do something a little different. Maybe do some testing in a late model or something. It just depends on how well I can do in the beginning and the middle of the 2024 season in a Legend Car.
16. What is your ultimate racing dream?
Like most of everybody’s dream, is to race in the Cup Series. It’s the best of the best in the nation and to be able to compete well and win races and win a Cup Series championship.