“Kerch,” as he was known to friends and fans alike, got his air racing start in 1968 while serving in the Air Force. He was stationed at Edwards Air Force base when Darryl Greenamyer brought his Bearcat there in preparation for a speed record attempt. Kerchenfaut asked if he could help, and the rest is literally history.

Greenamyer’s Bearcat, manned by a team of racing superstars and engineers, gave Kerch the opportunity to learn from and work with the greatest. He fit right in, thriving in the environment. After the airplane retired, Kerch worked on a large number of modified racers. From Darryl’s Bearcat to Sherm Cooper’s Miss Merced, and JR Sandberg’s Tipsy Miss to Bob Button’s Voodoo, Kerch was always thinking, designing, building, or maintaining the hottest racers.

As a crew chief, Kerchenfaut’s record is second to none. John Crocker’s ‘Sumthin’ Else’ won gold for the first time in 1979 with Kerch in charge. He racked up 14 more wins with Strega, Dago Red, September Furyand Voodoo. Always quick to say each victory is a team effort, Kerchenfaut was an inspiring crew chief and leader. He brought team members together to pull on a singular rope: win gold at Reno.

Kerchenfaut’s contributions to the sport are many, but when he teamed with ‘Tiger’ Destefani and engine builder Dwight Thorn on Strega, they changed history. Kerch was the force that could (mostly) corral these strong personalities and take charge of the airplane’s development. As a result, Strega’s speeds and reliability soared – and so did the wins.

His next major achievement came as crew chief of Dago Red. During the 2003 races, Skip Holm piloted the modified Mustang during Friday’s heat to win at an average speed of 507.105 mph – the first time any racer had broken the 500 mph barrier. Kerch was especially fond of those times, saying that racing team was probably the best the sport would ever see.