KYLE SEIPEL POWERS THROUGH CANCER
BATTLE TO FIND CONTINUED SUCCESS AS A RACER,
RACE PROMOTER & TRACK MANAGER
BY NATE VAN WAGNEN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRYAN EPPS, JOHN DIBARTOLOMEO, SADIE GLENN & BOB JOHNSON
A
LL RIGHT, LET’S DO THIS,” Kyle Seipel says as he saddles up to his
desk in the small office space he rents in downtown Pleas-
anton, California. It’s 9 a.m. Pacific time and Seipel has just
dropped off his 13-year-old daughter at middle school and
his 5-year-old son at kindergarten. It’s an important and
consistent part of Seipel’s morning routine, and one that
took on a more special meaning shortly after the 2018-2019
school year began. ¶ Seipel, 48, was seemingly on top of
the world late last August. He was a few weeks away from putting on the Fall
Fling at Bristol and a couple weeks removed from helping racing partner Justin
Lamb win the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Super Stock, fueling a success-
ful national championship pursuit. Things were looking good until a routine
check-up at the dentist’s office revealed signs of cancer. His dentist sent him to
his family doctor, who then referred him to an ear, nose and throat specialist,
who removed a piece of the questionable tissue and sent it away for testing.
Dr ag Illustr ated
74
D r a g Il l u s t r a t e d . c o m