Kyle C. Strickler (born August 3, 1983), nicknamed The High Side Tickler, is an American professional racing driver who competes in

dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a gener ...

late model A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

s and modified cars. He previously competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado for

Young's Motorsports Young's Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series. In the Truck Series, they field three full-time Chevrolet Silverados: the No. 02 for Jesse L ...

Racing career

Dirt track racing

Dirt modifieds

Strickler has been racing in the DIRTcar UMP modified dirt car series since 2014. He won the first two runnings of the modified portion of the Dirt Short Track Classic at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing includin ...

, and won the event for a third time in 2020. Strickler usually drives a No. 8 modified car, usually for his own self-owned team.

Dirt late models

In 2019, Strickler began racing late models for Wells Motorsports. In early September 2020, he raced against an invitation-only field of top late model drivers at

Eldora Speedway Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "The Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "The World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and ...

for $50,000-to-win. He led 65 of 67 laps but cut a tire while leading on the final lap. Later that month, he scored his first major late model victory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at

I-80 Speedway Nebraska Raceway Park is a multiuse racing facility in southeastern Nebraska near Greenwood, Nebraska. The track is near the interchange of Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highway 63 Nebraska Highway 63 is a north–south highway in eastern Ne ...

. For the 2021 racing season, Strickler signed to run full-time on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for PCC Motorsports. In January 2021, he scored his first victory on the

World of Outlaws Late Model Series The World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Model Series is a Dirt Super Late Model touring series currently owned by World Racing Group, and is sanctioned by the World of Outlaws & DIRTcar. The series competes on dirt ovals across the Unite ...

, winning the Sunshine Nationals finale at

Volusia Speedway Park Volusia Speedway Park (formerly known as Volusia County Speedway and Barberville Speedway) is an auto racing facility located near Barberville in Volusia County, Florida. It currently operates as a 1/2-mile dirt oval and a 1/5-mile dirt oval ...

NASCAR

Strickler began his NASCAR career at the

2018 Eldora Dirt Derby The 2018 Eldora Dirt Derby was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held on July 18, 2018 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Contested over 153 laps due to an overtime finish on the dirt track, it was the 13th race of the 2018 NASCAR Campi ...

; he drove for

MB Motorsports MB Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was based in Foristell, Missouri, and was owned by Mike Mittler until his death in 2019. The team was one of few to ...

, starting 23rd and finishing 31st due to a crash. The following year, he returned to the Truck Series' Eldora race with

DGR-Crosley TRICON Garage, formally known as David Gilliland Racing and Team DGR, is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the ARCA Menards Series, the ARCA Menards Series East, the ARCA Menards Se ...

, finishing 18th. Strickler returned to the Truck Series in 2021 to drive in the new race at the

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

dirt track (which replaced Eldora on the schedule) as a last-minute replacement for

Spencer Boyd Spencer Peyton Boyd (born June 26, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 12 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports. Boyd has previously compe ...

in the No. 20 for

Personal life

Strickler was born in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania and moved to North Carolina in 2006 to further his racing career, where he met his wife and fathered two children. When not racing, he worked for former NASCAR teams

Rusty Wallace Racing Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC (RWR), formerly known as Rusty Wallace, Inc. (RWI) was a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near Charlotte. Owned by former NASCAR Winston Cup champion and commentator Rusty Wallace, the team compet ...

and

Robby Gordon Motorsports Robby Gordon Motorsports is a motorsports constructor owned by Robby Gordon. The company was formed in 2005 as a race team for Gordon's NASCAR career. RGM spent the years of 2005 to 2012 competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, and part-time stints ...

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Camping World Truck Series

Season still in progress

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strickler, Kyle Living people 1983 births NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from North Carolina