Here at Road America
for their IndyCar Series.
This is one of
the biggest race
weekends in the Midwest.
People come from
all over to be here.
Let's go check it out.
I'm here with Stingray, Rob.
Kind of a big deal
around these parts.
Yeah, I don't know
so much about that.
I like to stay humble
and say that I'm
just another driver.
But
what's your favorite thing
about being at Road America?
Oh, man,
I really like the area,
the atmosphere of this
track is amazing,
just because the fans
are so
included in the event.
How did you originally
get into racing?
Growing up
I was going to Corvette
Club meetings, drag races,
autocross events
with my parents,
and at the time
I was like four.
I was like,
I just want to go faster.
Whatever faster is,
that's what I want to do.
I got a go-kart.
When I was five,
I started go-karting
all over the country
and then
a little bit in Europe.
Now I'm here.
It's a really cool
place to be, and I think
it's a lot different
than other athletic
worlds, you know?
And it seems like
everyone's a lot closer
because we're all striving
for the same thing
and it's just a really
tight knit community.
Our first
time here was 2018.
And then this is
my second trip here.
Absolutely love
the race course.
What's your favorite thing
about being here,
and seeing all the people
and meeting people.
What is that
environment like?
I absolutely love
the race environment.
There's a lot of
energy going on here.
It's good for the family
to keep all the
families together.
So it's just pretty great.
All right.
I'm here with John,
director of communications
here at Road America.
How are you doing? Great.
Having a wonderful weekend
here at the Sonsio
Grand Prix IndyCar.
When you talk about
the NTT IndyCar Series
and open wheel
racing at road America,
this is the top tier
premier series we have.
We're very proud
of the Sonsio Grand
Prix here at Road America.
It's
kind of a
destination location
for a lot of people
when it comes to racing.
So it's a huge weekend
for us.
We're expecting
well over a hundred
thousand fans
over the four day weekend.
So it's pretty incredible
to see other people
riding around on golf
carts, spending time
with the families,
decorating their campsites,
really enjoying what
Wisconsin
is in the summertime.
And it's really,
really great
for Sheboygan County.
It's tremendous
to have this here
for as long as we've been
here, over 66 years,
we create jobs,
we create entertainment,
we create memories
for families
for generations.
And we're
really proud of that.
I say goodbye to
a fantastic worldwide event
and hello to a local family
with a long
racing tradition.
We're third generation
racers here now.
It actually
started with my dad.
My dad started racing
in the late fifties
and got me interested in it,
and we first started
racing in 93.
We've got the sprint car
in 2010.
Since then, we've
kind of built it up
and we've been around
for 13 years now locally.
I think this area,
especially Plymouth
and Sheboygan County,
is really popular
with racing because of
how long it goes
back in the roots.
Our grandpas were racing
in the fifties and sixties,
so it's always been
a staple of things
to do during the weekend.
And we have probably 20, 30
family members and friends
up in the stands each night.
Everybody comes in
the pits after the races
and we all get to hang out.
At our track in Plymouth,
we're probably going
about 105 in the corners,
maybe a little more,
depending on the track.
We come in on a hook
and multiple crew
guys from other teams
come and help us
put our car back together
to get back out there.
And we try to supersede
that with
other people as well.
We want to beat them
on the track, not so much
because of
a technical difficulty
or an accident like that.
We'd rather beat them fair
and square on the racetrack.
When we're all at the track,
we're one big racing family.
I am here at Throttle Stop.
I've heard so much
about this place.
I'm excited to see
what kind of wheels
they got.
Let's go.
And I know originally
this was supposed
to just be a hobby.
How quickly did you realize
this was much
bigger than a hobby?
The first year in business
it grew so rapidly
and was incredible.
We get over 15,000 people
through the doors here
during the race season
from all over the world.
We have a motorcycle museum
with over 310 motorcycles
and we carry quite
an eclectic inventory
of vehicles, vintage cars.
We do late model
high end cars.
We also do
imports and domestics
Ford track racing
was a huge entertainment
in the United States between
the 1920s and 1930.
What they had were
half mile and mile ovals
with 45 degree banks
like this.
The bikes could get up
to 100 miles an hour.
Back then,
they had no brakes.
They had to coast
in order to stop.
Do you just come in here
and marvel at the bikes?
I get a pinch myself
every day.
This particular bike
here is a 1992
Honda NR 750.
It is has oval pistons,
which is extremely rare.
So how fast can this
bike go?
The bike can go
170 miles an hour.
Ooh, that's fast.
We have some beautiful cars.
We have about 100
cars in inventory.
Yes. Let's go check it out.
This is a beauty
in this motor is
the motor that ran in it.
It's a 4.2 liter inline,
six wooden
accent steering wheel.
So classic in the
beautiful saddle leather.
The treatments on
this car are stunning.
What are some of
the more popular types
of vehicles you sell?
Muscle cars are a big part
of the marketplace.
It was a wonderful era,
the late sixties
to early seventies.
This car over here
is a 2022 Ford G.T.
that is unattainable.
You had to file through Ford
in order to buy these
and they selected
the buyers for them.
And that car's $1.3 million.
Oh, I mean, the color.
It's a one of one color,
you pick the paint palette.
The paint
as an option is 30,000
just for the paint.
So you're not going to find
this car anywhere else? No.
Well, Tom,
you said before I could
drive one of your cars.
Is that still
going to happen?
Absolutely. Let's do it.
All right.
What kind of car
do you think I can drive?
Bentley.
A Bentley. Okay.
All right.
Tom, is this my car?
Yes, it is.
Ooh, I'm driving a Bentley?
A Bentley.
Wow.
You do have insurance.
I hope I do.
Not to bring it back.
No.
Whether it's the
biggest names in racing
or local families
who have ice
and oil in their blood,
they all have two
things in common
their love of speed
and that driving
spirit that's alive and
well in Sheboygan County.