BRANDON, S.D. — Throughout Big Game Motorsports’ history, there’s been a quiet, reliable presence working hard to help ensure Tod Quiring’s cars remain some of the fastest in the country.
While a handful of drivers have come and gone, crew member Pete Stephens has almost always been there. He may have had some stints with other teams, but Big Game has remained a priority for 15 years.
That commitment led to him being tapped as the new car chief for David Gravel and the defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champions. He stepped into the role after Stephen Hamm-Reilly vacated the position at the end of the 2024 season.
Stephens’ path to becoming a car chief began in his home state of Washington. He’s from the town of Mount Vernon, which is just a 15-minute drive down I-5 from Skagit Speedway. Attending races with his family evolved into helping a local team to get his foot in the door.
“I started out at Skagit with Chad Hillier when he was young,” Stephens recalled. “He started in the Sportsman class out there. I just knew him through friends and everything and started working with him in the mid to late 90s, probably. I just kind of raced at Skagit with him for a long time.”
Eventually, Hillier got the opportunity to expand his operation nationally, which also allowed Stephens to hit the road for the first time.
“Chad got a chance to go out and run World of Outlaws stuff in 2007,” Stephens said. “I had a business back there at that time, and I always thought working on a World of Outlaws Sprint Car team was one of those things like, ‘Oh man, if I could do anything, that’s what I would do.’ So, he got a break to go run that stuff, and I just kind of called him one time and asked if he knew anybody looking for help because I’d maybe like to go try it, and he said they were. It was basically him and Tyler Swank at the time, so I went out with those guys for a bit and liked it.”
The business Stephens mentioned is part of what instilled his work ethic. He started a hoof trimming operation for cattle, which makes sprint car maintenance feel easy by comparison.
“You’re usually up by five-thirty or six in the morning,” Stephens said of a regular day in the hoof trimming business. “You usually got half an hour to an hour drive to your job site. You set up, and you’re usually there for eight to 10 hours, and you’re physically moving non-stop because in the hoof trimming world, if you’re not moving, you’re not making money. You’re physically working most of the day. We did dairy cows, and with the farms getting the size they are, it’s a very labor-intensive job.”
The time on the tour allowed Stephens to make some connections and led to working with one of the sport’s legends in 2009. Sammy Swindell was driving for Tom Rolfe, and Stephens joined the crew. The next domino to fall was heading to Lonnie Parsons’ team with Danny Lasoski in late 2009. Oddly enough, that’s where Stephens first met current Big Game crew chief Cody Jacobs as they both worked with Barry Jackson on the No. 6. The following year, Swindell joined forces with Big Game, and Stephens reunited with “Slammin’ Sammy” in Quiring’s camp for what became a hugely successful stretch.
“That was a lot of fun when Sammy got into that deal,” Stephens said. “We had a good time. We finished 2010 and started 2011 with a pretty light crew. There was only two of us, me and Scott Green was the kid’s name who did tires and stuff like that. That was a lot of fun, 2010, ’11, ’12. We won a lot of races and had a good time.”
Stephens worked for a different team following the run with Swindell but was quickly back in the Big Game shop, this time on Craig Dollansky’s car. But he wasn’t done with Swindell as Stephens returned to the No. 1 team in 2014.
In the late 2010s, Stephens made the decision to head home and focus on business as well as raising his child, but it wasn’t long until involvement with Big Game was back on his calendar. When Cody Jacobs went to the team in 2020, the two talked, and Stephens returned part-time, a period that birthed a nickname.
“Once Cody got here, the joke was kind of that I would only go to the big events,” Stephens said with a laugh. “My one friend Nate, he nicknamed me “Big Money Pete.” So, yeah, I’d go to the larger events and help out and stuff like that.”
Fast forward to the off-season heading into 2025, and Big Game was looking for a full-time car chief. Originally, Stephens had no plans of being on the road this season, but the team’s first candidate backed out. So, Stephens agreed to help get them ready for the season opener and navigate the opening portion of the season. But one thing led to another, and he agreed to come aboard for the entire season of their title defense.
It’s been the right move so far as the No. 2 team has been all but unstoppable in 2025. They’ve already piled up eight wins, 17 podiums, and 23 top fives through 27 races. Their average finish is third, and their worst result is seventh. Gravel owns a healthy 188-point advantage atop the standings.
There’s no doubt Big Game Motorsports is at the height of their powers. The team’s history features many successful chapters, but none quite as impactful as the last four-plus years since Gravel came aboard. Stephens has been around for nearly every step of the way, and he remains a key contributor – a rewarding journey for a Washington kid who wanted more than anything to work with a World of Outlaws team.
“It’s been pretty cool to see it built,” Stephens said. “So many people don’t realize how hard it is. These things are built over time. I don’t care how much money you’ve got; spending money is not going to win a race. It’s people. It’s engines. It’s all the small things that have to come together and work. It’s been really neat to kind of watch Tod and Cody. I mean, I knew Cody when he was in his mid-20s and have watched him grow into this and do what he’s done with Tod. It’s been a lot of fun.”
