Danny Pens, midget racing star, dies at 65
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 31, 2026
Danny Pens dies
Danny “The Kid” Pens of Coal City, Illinois, died at age 65, closing the story of a second-generation driver who made his mark in midget racing with speed, consistency and staying power. Pens arrived on the scene with the World of Outlaw Midgets and made an immediate impression in his first season. He earned rookie of the year honors after finishing ninth in the points standings, a strong first step for a driver who came in with family roots in the sport and quickly proved he belonged with the front-runners. His first feature win came at Joliet Memorial Stadium, and that breakthrough gave his early career real weight. It was the kind of win that confirmed what the rookie award already suggested, that Pens had the pace to run at the front and the focus to turn a good night into a victory. From there, he kept building a career that balanced flash with production. He was a driver who did not wait long to make an impact, and he kept that momentum alive long enough to build a record that reached far beyond one circuit or one season.
Pens championship run
Pens’ record stands out first for the number of times he finished at the top. He was credited with 68 feature wins, a total that captures how often he turned speed into results. He also stacked up championships across several series, winning the World of Outlaw Midgets title, the ARCA Gulf Coast Midget Series crown and the ARCA/World Wide Auto Racing championship. On top of that, he put together three straight United Midget Auto Racing Association titles, a run that showed he could hold form over a sustained stretch and keep delivering when expectations were high. That mix of wins and titles made Pens more than a one-series specialist. He carried his success into different settings and kept finding the same result, a spot near the front. His lone USAC national midget race win at Rosemont Horizon added another layer to that résumé. One victory in that setting still mattered, because it gave him a place in another major race category and widened the scope of his career. Pens did not build a name on one signature night. He built it on repeated results, and the numbers tell that story clearly. The championships came in different places, but the pattern stayed the same. When Pens got in the car, he had the pace to win and the consistency to stay in contention.
Pens legacy
Pens’ later years kept him connected to the same racing world that shaped his name from the start. He was elected to the Mazon Speed Bowl/Grundy County Speedway Hall of Fame, a recognition that tied his career to the Illinois tracks and race fans who watched him rise. That honor fit a driver whose background, wins and championships were all rooted in the regional dirt-track scene. Some of his last starts came with the Illini Racing Series, showing that he stayed active in the sport deep into his career. The final chapter mattered because it extended the life of the name. Pens was not just remembered for his first feature win or his first title. He remained a presence long enough for later generations to see him race and for his record to keep growing across years of competition. His nickname, his family background and his long list of results all point to the same conclusion. Pens left behind a career built on persistence as much as talent. He won early, he won often and he kept racing long after the first wave of success. The Hall of Fame recognition and his final starts with the Illini Racing Series gave his story a finish that matched the rest of it, steady, durable and rooted in the sport he helped define in his corner of Illinois.
