09/21/2026
Jason Kitzmiller has built a career that moves between heavy construction, coal mining and stock-car racing.
A West Virginia native, Kitzmiller served in the U.S. Navy as an aircraft mechanic before earning a civil engineering degree from West Virginia University. He later built his business career around excavation, utilities, concrete and major construction work, becoming president of A.L.L. Construction in 2004.
Then came coal.
Through Cobra Mining Inc., Kitzmiller expanded into Western Maryland, where the company developed a growing surface-mining footprint in Allegany County.
Cobra now identifies five surface mine locations producing both steam and metallurgical coal, backed by its own trucking capability and processing infrastructure.
One of the biggest moves came in January 2025, when Cobra purchased Heritage Coal & Natural Resources' Lonaconing wash plant for $2.5 million.
Additional permits, lease rights and mining assets tied to Heritage operations around Carlos and Lonaconing followed, while another Kitzmiller-controlled business, 97 Mining Holding Company, took over the Cabin Run surface operation near Frostburg.
Cobra Mining produced 134,473 tons of coal in Allegany County during 2024, before several of those later acquisitions were completed.
But Kitzmiller's name is also well known far outside mining.
He has spent years racing stock cars, moving through dirt late models and the Super Cup Stock Car Series before becoming a regular competitor in the ARCA Menards Series.
In 2025, he committed to a full ARCA schedule and opened the season with a third-place finish at Daytona.
The connection between both worlds is visible on the cars themselves.
A.L.L. Construction Racing carries the branding of Kitzmiller's construction business, while Cobra Mining has also appeared as an associate sponsor.
So while Kitzmiller continues expanding his coal interests in Western Maryland, some weekends look very different.
Instead of managing dozers, trucks and coal production, he's climbing into a stock car and heading for tracks like Daytona and Talladega.
What a great dude.
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