Olivia Shelbo Sets Sights on Rookie of the Year Honors in 2026
Olivia Shelbo Sets Sights on Rookie of the Year Honors in 2026
The 2026 season of the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour will feature a determined contender in the Rookie of the Year battle. Olivia Shelbo prepares for her first full-time campaign on one of the premier pavement sprint car tours. With resilience, patience, and a strong racing foundation behind her, Shelbo enters the season focused on growth, consistency, and making her mark against some of the best drivers in short-track racing.
Shelbo’s journey to the 2026 season has already been shaped by perseverance. She made two starts during the 2024 season, where the team faced early adversity. Her debut season was met with challenges, including engine problems at Anderson Speedway, followed by a serious wreck during practice at Toledo Speedway that halted her season before it could get started. Despite the setbacks, those two races provided critical learning opportunities and further fueled her determination to return stronger and more prepared.
Rather than rushing back, Shelbo took a measured approach to her development in 2025, focusing on building a stronger foundation for the future.
Olivia and her father, Kevin Shelbo, dedicated the season to rebuilding a brand-new racecar from the ground up. It is an achievement that marked a major milestone for the entire team. Kevin also contested five races in the car during the 2025 season, helping to develop the program, gather data, and prepare the equipment for Olivia’s return to competition. The project represented countless hours of work, commitment, and perseverance, strengthening the family-run operation and setting the stage for Olivia’s return to competition in 2026.
Kevin Shelbo at Salem Speedway in 2025 - Koty Geyer Photo
Throughout the process, the Shelbo family was surrounded by support from the pavement sprint car community, with teams and competitors stepping up to help along the way. Olivia and her team are especially grateful for the encouragement and support shown by Aaron Pierce, Kevin Besecker, and Brad Larsen, along with many others who made them feel welcomed and supported. That sense of community has become a meaningful part of their journey and a cornerstone of their return to the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour.
The 2026 season represents a fresh start and a new chapter in Shelbo’s racing career. With a full schedule planned and a renewed focus on performance and consistency, her goal is clear: contend for the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour Rookie of the Year title. The upcoming season will mark her first true opportunity to showcase her ability across the tour’s diverse mix of short tracks, including high-banked bullrings and historic pavement ovals that demand both precision and patience.
Shelbo’s Rookie of the Year campaign is built on more than just on-track performance. It reflects a long-term commitment to growth, resilience through adversity, and the support of a racing family that understands what it takes to compete at a high level. With lessons learned from early challenges and a year of preparation behind the scenes, she enters 2026 more focused, more prepared, and more motivated than ever.
As the green flag drops on the 2026 yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour season, Olivia Shelbo will be one of the new faces to watch.
“We are heading into this year with the goal to finish races and have fun,” Shelbo said. “I didn’t get an opportunity to do that in 2024. By being able to finish races, we will be able to learn the car and make positive adjustments.” Her journey from adversity to opportunity makes her Rookie of the Year campaign one of the most compelling storylines of the season, as she looks to turn hard-earned experience into success on the track.
