Walsh aiming for strong finish to Gen X Late Model season

Trevor Walsh already has wrapped up one track championship this season in the Gen X Late Model class. By the time Labor Day weekend is over, he could have two more track championships added to his resume – and the Fast Threads Gen X Series championship.

Walsh won the track title at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls last week. He leads the points at Casino and Madison Speedways heading into season championships at those tracks this weekend; and is just one point behind Parker Gilbertson in the overall Gen X point standings with only two races left.

“We haven’t been looking at the points too hard, but we look at them once in a while,” Walsh said. “We know how we’re doing and what we can do.”

The 35-year-old from Watertown, in his 13^th year of racing, won two Gen X track titles last year at I-94 and Madison Speedways. Since joining the class on a regular basis in 2024, he’s won 22 features in the division. He still races a Wissota Late Model a few times a year (he has run it 5 times this year).

“I like the drivability,” Walsh said. “I feel like the Wissota cars, you’re spinning the tires too much. The control of the car is much more fun to me.”

Walsh started racing in the Cruiser class at Casino years ago. His dad, Doug, started racing in the 1990s and that got Trevor interested in racing. Doug has pretty much retired from racing, but “he stills helps in the shop,” Trevor Walsh said.

Doug Walsh has pretty much retired from racing now, but Trevor got to race against his dad several times.

“Entertaining,” Walsh said of racing against his dad. “It made Father’s Day interesting.”

Trevor Walsh had a big season in the Gen X class in 2025. He won track titles at Madison and I-94 and finished with nine feature wins.

“Last year was pretty good,” Walsh said. “Just hanging onto one car, getting used to it. Longhorn’s tech support has been pretty great.”

Even though it’s  a two-hour trek to I-94 from Watertown, he has found a comfort zone at I-94.

“I like the wide openness of it,” Walsh said of I-94. “I enjoy the small tracks too like Watertown. I just like the speed.”

He’s picked up where he left off last year. In 31 Gen X Late Model starts in 2026, he has nine more feature wins and 22 top five finishes.

“The season is going fairly well other than our drawing skills in the heats -- that's what has killed our point average,” Walsh said. “But we will hopefully be back on top by end of weekend.”

He is only one point behind Gen X point leader Parker Gilbertson with two series races left, but says the focus is to “just have fun” to close the season.

At the same time, while he’s having success on the track, there are other things he enjoys about racing.

“Being around all my friends, and the learning part,” Walsh said. “Every week I think we learn a little something.”

Driver Profile

Trevor Walsh

Gen X Late Model #15

Age: 35

Residence: Watertown, S.D.

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