Jeremy Huish: Going Places
When successful car owner Mickey Smith creates an opportunity for someone to jump in one of his sprint cars there is one simple motivations – he thinks he can reach victory lane. Jeremy Huish hails from Kansas but he is ready to make the long two east to try to take home the Pup Cup as the winner of the 2025 Kevin Huntley Memorial.
It is always curious to ponder how and why certain regions of the country develop and maintain a deep open wheel racing heritage. This history can become a source of pride among the populace and whether one is a participant or a fan, the love of the sport is seemingly passed down generation to generation. Many of the places where this tradition is strong are known to devotees. You don’t have to pay attention for long to know there is something called the Pennsylvania Posse and appreciate that many with racing aspirations migrate to Indiana.
Yet, likely overlooked by many is the deep racing roots found in Western Kansas. So many stars of the supermodified era came from small rural communities, and for this lot, there was no bigger race than the Grand Nationals in Hutchinson, Kansas. Given the strength of racing throughout this region the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) was formed. Sure, many of the top drivers came from places like Wichita, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City, but others arrived from places that were unfamiliar to city dwellers. Consider the 1979 NCRA championship season. It was not surprising that Emmett Hahn and Ray Crawford landed in the top five in season points. However, in the end Dave Frusher outdistanced runner-up Terry Uehling and in one of the great oddities both men called Ness City, Kansas home. They weren’t the only racers to hail from this small burg, in fact, this talented group came to be known as The Nessicians.
Jeremy Huish was born nearly two decades after Frusher took top honors with the NCRA yet there is a bond between them. In Frusher’s title year he piloted a flame orange no. 88 owned by Jetmore, Kansas native Danny King. While Charlie Ochs ably wrenched King’s car, he often had a helper- the owner’s six year old son Steve.
Jetmore, Kansas is a town of less than a thousand folks situated at the intersection of US 283 and K-156. For a time, it was the home of the Great American Dirt Track, later known as the Jetmore Motorplex. Ron Huish spent his weekends working on the track crew, while his wife Tobi drove the pace truck. Jeremey could be found in one of the wreckers, and by the time he was seven he was racing a kart on dirt ovals. It remains a period in his life he looks back on fondly. “My parents had a little minivan,” he says, “and they pulled a little six by ten trailer with two karts in it. My sisters Meagan and Stacie came along the majority of the time, so we used it as a family vacation.”
After his initial race in Hays, Kansas, Huish began venturing out throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. There is visual evidence that he enjoyed plenty of success. “We dominated in karts,” he admits, “We tried to just travel around and have fun with it, but my parents had to convert their living room to a trophy room because all four walls were filled with trophies. We did pretty good.” He also had a racing hero, and it was one he shared with his friends and family in Jetmore - - Steve King. In 2002 and 2003 King was the NCRA champion and he also found success with the popular ASCS series. Then in 2006 a hard crash at Knoxville resulted in injuries that ended his life way too soon.
It was a crushing blow for a young man eager to make his mark in the sport, but it did not shake his resolved to continue to race. Huish was still in high school when he found one of his first summer jobs at Myers Racing engines in Ness City. “I came up here after high school,” he says, “and I started working for Craig (Meyers). I started on the oil field side and then in his electrical business, but I slowly worked my way up. I knew what I wanted to do.” His goal was to become involved in the engine shop, and once his mission was accomplished, he decided to make Ness City his home.
As he learned his trade he was taken under wing by Kirk Reinert and Adam Cofer who today owns Don Ott engines. They helped him hone his skills, but they also prompted him to take the next step in his racing career. With just the slightest provocation they convinced him it was time to get a sprint car. They learned that two cars were available in Jetmore, and the story went a bit deeper than that. The cars were owned by a former crew member for the late Steve King. It seemed almost scripted. One look, and Huish was ready to take the plunge. “We made a package deal and bought everything from him,” he says, “It was cool because it was related to Steve King in a way.” To honor King, he chose the number 88j for his car.
With many area tracks offering 305 wing racing there was an immediate place for him to land. He got his feet wet in 2013 competing for the first time at the fairgrounds in Liberal, Kansas. Unfortunately, three races deep into his career his car was destroyed when the steering wheel came off in the hands of a driver in front of him. In 2014 he was able to put in his first full season and surprised many when he finished fourth in the United Rebel Sprint Car Series (URSS) points. He kept busy locally and on the URSS scene for the next two years, but then life suggested other plans might be in order.
When he was fifteen years old, he met Bridgett Fairbank at a kart race. Bridgett’s father Smokie was a former URSS champion and today he promotes races at the Rush County Speedway in Lacrosse, Kansas. It was one thing to balance a job, marriage, and racing, but when daughter Gracie Mae was born in 2016 something had to give. For a time, it was racing. Then by 2019 the bug was back. One thing was going to be different. When he came back this time the entire operation was on his shoulders. “When we got back into it, it was my deal,” he says, “I went out and got a trailer and made everything happen. I took all of the parts I had with my parents, sold a few things, and built it back up bigger and better.”
The results indicated that he had turned all the right dials. In 2019 he scored his first win at Dodge City Raceway Park and then in mid-July he nailed down his first URSS win during the opening night of the Wheatshocker Nationals at Rolling Plains Motor Speedway in Hays, Kansas. It was a special moment. Gifted racer Jake Bubak had been particularly helpful to Huish as he was finding his way on the URSS tour and on this night, he held off his friend to take the victory. Bubak turned the table the next evening.
Once he got the hang of it, winning became a habit. In 2021 he was the NCRA 305 sprint car champion over Zach Blurton, and then one year later he stood atop the URSS standings besting Luke Cranston by twenty-four tallies. When the opportunity presented itself, he slapped a 360 engine in his car and raced locally or with the ASCS. Yet, while many began to recognize that he had talent, he moved the needle when he took the 2023 IMCA RaceSaver Nationals at Nebraska’s Eagle Raceway. Many noted that the primary caretakers of the 88j car were Huish and his wife. This made his accomplishment even more praiseworthy.
There was one other noteworthy facet of the 2023 season. As matters wound down Huish saw a chance to join forces with Steve Cranston and Kade Hagans and compete for the Cranston Race Team (CRT). Luke Cranston was one of the best to ever get behind the wheel of a 305 and his record at the Belleville (KS) High Banks was stellar. “We have always been close to Luke and Steve,” Jeremy says, “then Luke decided to hang it up for the second time.” The reason Cranston walked away was a matter Huish could understand. Luke’s kids were active and excelling at sports, and he knew it was time to turn his attention in that direction. “Luke doesn’t even want to talk racing because it is that addiction thing,” Huish says with a laugh, “He knows if he goes back, he will want to do it again. He is putting his kids first which he should.”
Timing is everything, and Huish was in a position where he needed a little help. “I went to Steve last year because we got a new trailer and didn’t have a big enough truck to pull it. So, I was in a sticky spot because we wanted to go racing but really couldn’t at the time. We put something together to run three races together last year and I won two of them. After that we talked later and decided to pull the trigger on running full time with them for 2024.”
The results show that the move was beneficial for all. In 2024 with six tour wins in 23 stars Huish was the 2024 United Rebel Sprint Car king again.
He would still like to get his own car out a bit more and race in the 360 ranks, but the bottom line is hard to manage. The cost of diesel fuel and rising prices for tires make it tough for a small team. Bridgett does her part for the family and the racing team. She graduated from Fort Hays State University and serves as a special education teacher. Together the couple are busy with Gracie Mae and their son Camden is an active toddler. There are a lot of balls to keep in the air.
However, racing is still a passion for Huish, and he hopes it is something he can do for years to come. He’s good at it. In 2025 he is back in his own car which also gave him the freedom to do more with a 360 and also prepare for the Chili Bowl by getting a bit more seat time in a midget. It’s going well. He has already put five wins in the books including a midget win with the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association and Colorado’s Phillips County Speedway. Simply put, the record shows he is a consistent winner.
At just twenty-seven years old he can dream, but above all Huish is realistic. “This is where we are right now,” he says, “until we get a big sponsor, find a ride, or something falls into our lap. I can’t put us in a hole. But that’s what is fun about the racing deal. You never know what one phone call can do. It might change your life. If I had a chance to run on a National tour, I would take it in a heartbeat. What I might have lined up is a chance to run for a team with a 360 and 410 and that’s exciting. If that happens, we will see where it goes and enjoy it while we can.”
Decades have passed since men like Dave Frusher, Terry Uehling, Fred Hembree, and Jimmy Harkness, all who called Ness City home, found racing glory. Others from the region, like Jon and C. J. Johnson, also found success. Then there was Steve King. He unquestionably made the folks in Jetmore, Kansas proud, and provided a yardstick for a young man named Jeremy Huish to gauge his success. Not only is Huish measuring up, but he is doing his part to build upon the firm foundation established by those who came before him.
photos Carl "Red" Larson
- administrator on Jul 13, 2025
- Article Date: 7/13/2025 by Patrick Sullivan