Torgerson Shifts To KKM For Xtreme Outlaw Season

Ashton Torgerson (right) will drive for legendary owner Keith Kunz on the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series trail. (Petersen Media photo)

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Seventeen-year-old Ashton Torgerson is stepping out on the road this season in an effort to further his racing career.

Torgerson will join the most well-known team in midget racing to chase the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota championship, announcing Thursday he’ll link up with Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports for his first full season of national midget competition.

“I am very excited to team up with Keith Kunz, Pete Willoughby, and everyone associated with Keith Kunz Motorsports,” Torgerson said in a Petersen Media press release. “It is no secret they are at the top of the mountain in midget racing, and I am excited to learn from some great teammates during the season ahead.”

It’s a late shift in scenery for the Glendale, Ariz., native, who was originally announced as one of four full-time Xtreme Outlaw drivers for Mounce-Stout Motorsports on Jan. 19.

Efforts to reach Torgerson and officials from Mounce-Stout Motorsports for additional comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

However, the Mounce-Stout team announced at 3:53 p.m. ET on X (formerly Twitter) that Ashton’s 20-year-old brother Austin would fill the now-vacant seat on the four-car squad alongside teammates T.J. Smith, Tyler Edwards, and Jayden Clay.

@AustinTorgerso1 🤝 @Xtreme_Outlaw

We are very excited to have Austin in the Mounce/Stout Motorsports camp for the full Xtreme Outlaw Series tour in 2024!! pic.twitter.com/T1H2193f4m

— Mounce/Stout (@MounceStout) March 7, 2024

Torgerson kicked off his year with a bang on New Year’s Day, capturing a maiden Golden Driller during the Tulsa (Okla.) Shootout in the ultra-competitive Winged A Class division.

He bested fellow teenage star Daison Pursley and micro sprint kingpin Frank Flud for the victory.

In his return to the SageNet Center for the Chili Bowl Nationals later in January, one year removed from a harrowing crash that could have easily ended his young racing career, Torgerson finished 11th on his preliminary night before tallying an 11th-place run in a C-Feature on championship Saturday.

Last May, Torgerson piloted a midget for Chili Bowl winner and KKM alumnus Tanner Thorson in multiple Xtreme Outlaw events, with a best finish of third at Humboldt (Kan.) Speedway.

Of note, team co-owner Keith Kunz will serve as the crew chief on Torgerson’s midget for the season.

“I am thankful for some great people that have put me in this position, and I am eager to get to work,” Torgerson added in the release. “I’m excited for to be in a great spot and hope I can do the KKM team proud this year.”

When he’s not racing a KKM midget, Torgerson will spend time at the wheel of his family-owned sprint car, as well as make select appearances in MonsterX Tour monster truck action.

Torgerson’s debut with KKM will be during the season-opening Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota event inside the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, March 15-16.