Travis Pettit won both X30 Junior and KA100 Junior at the 2026 IAME USA Grand National Championship event (Photo: Twelve One Content)

In a continued effort to highlight the many outstanding performances by drivers around the country, eKartingNews.com is proud to introduce the ‘Driver of the Month’ program. Each month, the staff at EKN will determine the one driver who stood out above the rest and give the viewers a chance to know exactly what they accomplished and who they are.

The sport of karting has seen drivers excel behind the wheel to help begin their run up the motorsports ladder beginning in their Junior seasons. The crop of drivers in the Junior ranks here in the USA have a handful that are leading the way. Among them is New Jersey driver Travis Pettit. Moving to Rolison Performance Group at the end of the 2025 season, Pettit was able to begin the new season with a championship at the SKUSA Winter Series. He went on to win twice over the two weekends in Tucson for the RMC America’s Trophy and SKUSA Pro Tour WinterNationals. He then added another victory on the season at the opening round of the United States Pro Kart Series.

Pettit became the third driver to sweep the Junior categories at IAME USA Grand National Championship (Photo: Twelve One Content)

The month of May was a unique stretch for Pettit but a successful one. It began traveling to the Trackhouse Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina for the 2026 IAME USA Grand National Championship event. The one-off event featured Pettit nearly sweeping the Junior feature races. Pettit was able to become the sixth different winner in the X30 Junior category, sweeping the action on the weekend. Travis set fast time in qualifying and won both heat races before securing the win in the Superheat. Pettit led all 22 laps of the feature to beat out Tristan Murphy by two tenths.

The KA100 Junior action was a battle throughout the weekend. Pettit was second in qualifying and moved to the win in the opening heat race. Pettit fell back to third in the second heat behind Maxwell Macha and Ashton Woon. Despite leading and securing fast lap of the race, Pettit ended up third in the Superheat to earn a front row starting spot for the main event. Travis led early and was shuffled back to fourth until grabbing back the lead with four laps to go. Pettit held on through the final laps to secure the victory. Pettit became the third driver to win both Junior main events, joining Carson Morgan (2021) and Lucas Palacio (2025).

In addition to the regular features were the special shootout events for both X30 Junior and KA100 Junior. The KA100 Junior Shootout victory came first, setting fast time in qualifying and leading all 10 laps of the race to claim his first Shootout victory. Pettit set fast time in qualifying for the X30 Junior Shootout and led early before getting shuffled to seventh. Travis ended up getting up to third before moving to second after penalties, missing out on the complete sweep of the features.

Following the IAME USA Grand National event, Pettit announced his move from RPG to joining Brandon Jarsocrak Racing. His debut with BJR came at the Stars Championship Series ‘King of the Castle’ event at New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana over the May 29-31 weekend.

Travis Pettit won in his BJR debut at King of the Castle (Photo: Mattia Marmo Photography)

Action in KA Junior began with Pettit second in the qualifying session behind Nico Kotowski. The two battled until Pettit was able to come away with the win in the opening heat race. Fighting between the two continued in the second heat. Pettit was only able to lead one lap, missing out on the win by 75 thousandths at the line to Kotowski. More drivers joined the mix in the Prefinal. Pettit led early before Kotowski, Valentino Santillan, and Marco Sammut all took turns at the point. Travis returned to the lead prior to the white flag, driving away to the race win and secure the pole position for the Final. He slipped back to third over the opening lap behind Sammut and Tristan Murphy. Kotowski joined the fight by the halfway point as Travis had still not led in the race. Lap 10, Pettit began his move forward to take over the lead the following circuit. Travis led the final four laps to secure his second straight victory in the category.

Pettit opened June with three wins on track at the recent SKUSA Pro Tour SpringNationals at the Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati. Penalties, however, took two of them away as he left with only one victory. Travis will continue his strong 2026 run with the United States Pro Kart Series Indiana Grand Prix at the New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana this weekend. He leads the KA100 Junior championship standings by 39 points over Nico Kotowski while sitting third behind Tristan Murphy and Marco Sammut in X30 Junior title chase, separated by only 19 points.

May 2026 EKN Driver of the Month – Travis Pettit

(Photo: Mattia Marmo Photography)

Bio

Age: 13
Hometown: Mullica Hill, NJ
Parents: Adam and Erin Pettit
Siblings: Leah Pettit
Height/Weight: 5’4” / 120lbs.
Education (School/Grade): Acellus Academy

Racing Resume

Chassis: LN Kart
Engine/Engine Builder: KA100 – TAP Racing Engines / X30 – BBS
Sponsors: Odenthal Racing Products, Gtech Cleaner/Degreaser
Series You Compete In: SKUSA Winter Series, SKUSA Pro Tour, USPKS, Stars Championship Series
Years Karting: 8
How did you get started in karting? I got started by watching my dad race karts and spending time at the track when I was really young. I always wanted to be out there racing too. I started racing Kid Karts locally when I was five years old, and that’s where it all began.
What has been the high point in your racing career? There have been a lot of great memories and accomplishments, but right now I’d say the high point is looking at my stats from this season. Out of 71 races, including heats, prefinals, and finals, I’ve crossed the finish line first more than 50% of the time. That’s something I’m really proud of.
What are your goals in racing? To become a professional race car driver and make a living doing what I love.
In a few words, how would you describe your driving style? Smooth, precise, and aggressive.
Funniest moment at the race track? There have been so many funny moments over the years that it’s hard to pick just one.

Likes

Favorite Track: New Castle Motorsports Park
Favorite Form of Professional Motorsports: NASCAR and Formula 1
Favorite Karting Driver: Connor Zilisch
Favorite Professional Driver: Max Verstappen
Favorite Website: Amazon
Favorite Movie: I don’t really have a favorite movie, but my favorite show is Family Guy.
Favorite Actor/Actress: Will Ferrell
Favorite Music/Group: Anything that gets me fired up before a race.
Favorite Vacation/Activity Spot: Anywhere I can go fishing.
Favorite Food: French fries

The Real Deal

What do you do when not at the track? School, training, simulator and fishing.
What are your goals outside of karting? To successfully transition into cars and continue working toward becoming a professional driver.
What app or game do you play right now? iRacing and Fortnite
What type of street car would you like to drive? Bugatti
What are your pet peeves or things that irritate you? People who think they’re better than they really are.
What do you think could be done to improve the sport of karting? The biggest problem in karting is the cost. Making the sport more affordable would help bring more people into it and keep talented drivers involved.
What are your favorite aspects about the sport of karting? I’ve been competitive since day one. I love racing, and it doesn’t really matter what I’m driving. As long as I’m behind the wheel competing, I’m right at home.

April 2026 Driver of the Month – Honorable Mention:

– John Antonino: Stars Championship Series – 1 Win (OKN Stars)

– Mateo Calderon: ProKart Challenge – 1 Win (KA100 Junior)

– Jackson Corbett: Canadian 4-Cycle Nationals – 1 Win (Junior)

– Brayden Domingue: Texas Sprint Racing Series – 1 Win (206 Senior)

– Jake Drew: ProKart Challenge – 1 Win (KA100 Senior)

– Aidan Go: IAME USA Grand National Championship – 2 Wins (Mini Swift / Shootout)

– Pauly Massimino: IAME USA Grand National Championship – 2 Wins (X30 Senior / KA100 Senior)

– Major Makovskis: Canadian 4-Cycle Nationals – 1 Win (Senior Light)

– Austin Olds: Stars Championship Series – 1 Win (KA Stars)

– Nicolas Orbezo: Texas Sprint Racing Series – 2 Wins (KA100 Junior / 206 Junior)

– Landon Skinner: Texas Sprint Racing Series – 1 Win (KA100 Senior)

– Kyle Wick: ProKart Challenge – 1 Win (Pro Shifter)

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