With deployment looming in '27, Gardner looks to make most of remaining racing season

Caleb Gardner won’t get to race much, if at all, in 2027. So he’s looking to make the most of the remaining nights of the 2026 season.

The 24-year IMCA Hobby Stock driver from Glyndon isn’t retiring from racing. He’ll instead be serving his country overseas as a member of the National Guard.

Beginning in May 2026, he begins a 12-month deployment, which starts in Texas for two months and ends up with him serving in Kuwait.

“It’ll be a good experience,” Gardner said. “I told everyone I wanted to go on at least one deployment overseas to at least experience it.”

Gardner plans to return to racing after the deployment and hopes to squeeze in a night or two next May before leaving.  But the upcoming deployment also has him focused on finishing the 2026 season strong. He is looking for his second straight point championship at Buffalo River Speedway near Glyndon, as he trails Reid Randall by just four points heading into Sunday’s season championship night.

“it would nice to win it again,” Gardner said.  “and leave off the racing career on a good note.”

Gardner is a third-generation driver. In fact, his grandfather, Al, won the first track championship at Buffalo River many years ago. He dad, Randy, raced and so did his brother Doug, who is now the tech inspector at Fix It Forward Speedway .  That’s one reason winning the track title at Buffalo River in 2025 was special for Caleb Gardner and his family – he joined Al and Doug in achieving that feat.

“My old man raced, his old man raced, Doug raced – it’s been a family thing,” Gardner said. “It means everything to us. Racing’s always been in the family. It’s one of those things that I don’t think you can take out of us.”

He’s been in the IMCA Hobby Stock for his racing career, which began in 2017.  According to myracepass.com, he has recorded seven feature wins, including at least one per season since 2023.  Six of the feature wins have come since 2023.

“We’ve gotten the car pretty dialed over the years, now it’s fine tuning stuff,” Gardner said. “Just changing a shock here or a spring, just the small stuff trying to get that edge over everyone else. I can’t really complain we’ve had pretty good nights almost the whole year.”

The point championship at 2025 at Buffalo River saw Gardner record six top fives, with two victories, in eight starts at the quarter-mile.

“Last year was pretty good, I won twice but I was in the top five almost every night,” Gardner said.

While his deployment overseas will take most, if not all of his 2027 racing season, he by no means is quitting for good.

“I’m going to come back and jump into a sport mod, or maybe a stock car even,” Gardner said.  “We’ll be moving up pretty soon.”

Racing has been a family sport for the Gardners, but Caleb also finds other rewards from being at the track.

“Just the people you meet,” Gardner said. “There’s some great people here who I would have never met if I didn’t do this…it’s a good time all around.”

Driver Profile

Caleb Gardner

IMCA Hobby Stock #39

Age: 24

Residence: Glyndon, Minn.

Sponsors: Al’s Auto Parts (Cheryl N Randy Gardner), OK Tire Store (Fargo) Johnsons Auto Repair, Image Exteriors, My Plumbing Training, Iretta Smith, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Eat Turkey (Robbin N James Taves), OLR (Ryan Restad), Up North Country Sales, S&D , BOT (Tiffany Soyring)