Todd Kelly
A steady and skilled Australian touring car driver who transitioned from winning races for factory teams to building his own family racing empire.
Born 1979 (age 47)·Australian racing driver·Birthday: October 9·Generation X
Biography
Todd Kelly won multiple races in Australian Supercars for major factory teams like Holden Racing Team and Perkins Engineering, establishing himself as a consistent front-runner. He possessed a smooth, technical driving style that made him a threat on any circuit. Todd and his younger brother, Rick, then transformed the struggling Perkins outfit into Kelly Racing, taking control of their destiny as driver-owners. The move from driver to driver-owner was a monumental challenge, navigating the brutal business and technical landscape of the sport. Wins became harder to come by. Todd's legacy expanded as a savvy operator who helped keep the family name at the heart of the pit lane long after his helmet was hung up.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Todd was born in 1979, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Todd Was Born
The biggest hits of 1979
#1 Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Picture
Kramer vs. Kramer
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Todd's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1979Born
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1984Started school
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1992Became a teenager
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Could drive
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1997Could vote
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2000Turned 21
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2009Turned 30
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 40
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 47 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the youngest driver to reach 100 championship race starts in Australian Touring Car/Supercars history.
- Won multiple championship races driving for the factory Holden Racing Team and Perkins Engineering.
- Co-founded and co-owned Kelly Racing (later Kelly Grove Racing), building a successful family-run team in the Supercars Championship.
Did You Know?
He is the older brother of fellow Supercars race winner and Bathurst 1000 champion Rick Kelly.
He drove the #1 car for the Holden Racing Team in 2007 as the defending teams' champion.
His final full-time season in 2017 saw him driving a Nissan Altima for his own team, Kelly Racing.
He won the prestigious Sandown 500 endurance race in 2003 with co-driver Greg Murphy.
“You don't win Bathurst by being the fastest; you win it by keeping the car in one piece for a thousand kilometers.”
