By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (December 17, 2019)………Zeb Wise and Holley Hollan will compete on a part-time basis for Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian throughout the 2020 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget season.
Angola, Indiana’s Wise will hit a handful of USAC Midget events on the schedule with Kunz that don’t conflict with his recently announced deal to compete on the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions tour. Wise has tentative plans to run a partial Indiana Midget Week schedule, BC39 and assorted November events on the west coast.
Eighteen-year-old Hollan, meanwhile, will take on a similar part-time USAC Midget role with Kunz to coincide with her plans to compete in a stock car this year. The exact midget schedule for the Broken Arrow, Okla. native is yet to be determined for the driver who, in 2019, competed as a Rookie with the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship.
She finished 16th in points, fourth best among all Rookies, with two heat race wins and a top finish of 11th in March at the Shamrock Classic.
Wise, who just recently turned 17 years old, became USAC’s youngest ever National series winner at the age of 15 in 2018 at Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway during Pennsylvania Midget Week. Racing out of the Clauson/Marshall Racing stable, Wise finished 5th in the final USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget standings for 2019 with three wins at Action Track USA, Linda’s Speedway (both in Pennsylvania) and snagged the BC39 at The Dirt Track at IMS in September.
Wise’s capability to step in the car, even on a part-time basis, has Kunz elated to bring him into the fold for the car owner who has captured 10 previous USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget owner titles and the second most wins in USAC National Midget history with 109.
“I’m really excited to have Zeb because he went toe-to-toe with Kyle (Larson) there a few times and came out on top,” Kunz recalled. “I’ve been watching him for the last couple of years and he’s come a long way. He’s definitely one of the major players in midget racing right now and with him coming to our team, I’m just really looking forward to it.”
Wise and Hollan join previously announced full-time teammates Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) and Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) on the 2020 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget trail.