Butler fan favorite driver Corey Bevard No. 8¢ is this week’s feature driver. Corey age 33 is self-employed. He and his wife Shannon reside in Union City Michigan with son Dylan age 13 and daughter Madyson age 6. Corey is driving Late Models for his second year at Butler. He was rookie of the year in Late Models in 2008, winning three features and multiple heat wins. Corey switched to late models last year after being a constant threat in the Winged Sprint 410 division. Corey won the 2006 Sprint Car Championship, and ran both classes for a short time.
Corey has raced Street Stocks, Sprints and Late Models, but he got his start in Go Kart racing at Palmyra Speedway in Adrian. Corey also ran Motocross for a while, giving him a solid background in anything touching dirt! Corey has raced some of the fastest tracks in the Midwest running Eldora, Kokomo, Gas City, Hartford, I-96, Oak Shade, Merritt, Crystal and of course his home track Butler. The No. 8¢ is a sharp car, featuring a black Masterbuilt body sporting an Aluminum 410 built by Bailey Racing Engines. The car is owned by Brian Renshaw who is also making his Late Model climb in the No. 81R. Together Renshaw/Bevard Motorsports fields a great piece of equipment piloted by a talented driver that doesn’t hold back. Corey consistently runs up front and offers an aggressive and competitive challenge to the likes of Sroufe No. 12S, Spangler No. 27 and Eagen No. 15.
Corey became involved with racing at an early age with the help of his brother Allie and his father Kim. The No. 8 came from the cars first owners’ dad and they just stuck with it. Corey’s favorite track to race is Gas City and lists Ken Mackey No. 25M as his favorite driver in the field. Corey is down to earth and can be found mingling in the pits with any of the drivers. He has a taste for rock music, Pizza and Deadliest Catch is his favorite TV show. When I asked Corey what his greatest wining moment in racing was, he said definitely winning the Sprint Championship in 2006. The least favorite moment was a different story as Corey, and Shannon both looked at me, then each other and said July 6, 2007. That night in July brought all of Butler racing family to their feet as they knew something went terribly wrong. On a re-start Corey’s Sprint car headed for the infield and kept going as he ran into the building in the center of the track no one was sure what was going on. As track personnel got to Corey they found him un-responsive and called for assistance in reviving him. Corey’s wife Shannon and several other medical personal worked on him for about forty-five minutes. Lifecare used an AED to shock him back to life. He was transported to Coldwater Hospital and then Life Flight transported him to Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. Corey spent seventeen days in the hospital. He had two surgeries and now has a permanent pacemaker within him. As Corey continued to recover he spent the rest of the 2007 season watching the rest of the field do what he loved, with an occasional hot lap here and there.
Corey states his goal in racing at this point is to win a Late Model Championship! He was so close as a rookie last year finishing second only by eight-one points to the six time late model king Terry Sroufe No.12S. Corey sports over twenty feature wins and at least fifty heat wins to his title. This is made possible by the constant support he gets from his crew. Allie (Bubba) Bevard, Chad Phetteplace, Terry Gridham, Patrick Motta, and car owner Brian Renshaw all assist in the success of the No. 8¢. The Rensaw/Bevard late model is sponsored by Becker & Scrivens Concrete, Canopy’s ‘R’ Us, Advanced Auto, Buckshot Auto, BFD and Hillside Motor Sales. If your looking for someone to cheer for on Saturday nights at Butler Speedway scope out the No. 8¢! It is a sharp car that’s fast and can hang with the ‘Big Boys’ any night!
