The Scoop
TYLER WILSON – MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN THE LOCAL MODIFIED RANKS
Posted on: Sunday May 23, 2021
Tyler Wilson is joined by his dad Troy Wilson in victory lane after his IMCA modified feature win at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wisconsin. (danlewisphoto.net)
Tyler Wilson is working hard to climb the proverbial ladder in the modified ranks in northeast Wisconsin.
So far in 2021 he’s off the good start. Heading into Memorial Day weekend the 29-year-old from Little Suamico, Wisconsin has scored four feature wins in the early season. One victory came at the IMCA-sanctioned 141 Speedway in Francis Creek while the other three wins came at the non-sanctioned Gravity Park USA in Chilton. This is Wilson’s sixth season battling in the modified division locally.
That’s not to say Wilson hasn’t taken his lumps along the way in the early season. At the Gravity Park opener in April Wilson was involved in a wild, last lap tangle with local Steve Schneider as the pair crossed the checkers. “I was on the high side and he drifted me up into the wall as we came down the frontstretch for the finish,” Wilson explained. “I was a little upset initially, but he came over and apologized and told me he thought he had left me enough room. We’re all good now.”
The video of the wreck went viral on social media – watched by more than 70,000 viewers. Down but not out, Wilson gave a call to Danny Gracyalny. Gracyalny, a former racer himself, has earned a reputation as one of the best in the business of straightening out the frames of wrecked race cars. “We took the car to his shop in Menasha,” Wilson said. “It’s a 2016 LG 2 (Loose Gruff) chassis built out of Tennessee. It was built for Jimmy Owens back in the day to race.”
Dan and Jordan Gracyalny were able to salvage Wilson’s battered machine after the lap last wreck at Gravity Park USA in Chilton.
With only one race car at their disposal and racing on a tight budget, Wilson and his dad Troy Wilson had no other choice but to attempt to repair the battered racer. Dan and Jordan Gracyalny worked their magic and managed to salvage the frame. “We hauled the frame to Gracy’s after we wrecked it that Friday,” Wilson said. “Danny said he’d repaired more than 1,500 race car frames over the years, and this was among the top five worst chassis’ he’d ever pulled. But he got it done. That kept us in the game.”
Wilson’s got the car back on a Wednesday and burned the midnight oil getting the car back into race ready shape to return to Chilton that Friday night. “Basically we had to redo everything from the cockpit forward,” Wilson explained. “We had to redo the body. Honestly, it was like we were building an entirely new race car.”
Wilson reached out to a pair of fellow racers who lent a hand in getting the car back on the track – Jason Czarapata and Brian Mullen. “Jason luckily had the exact axle tube that I needed,” Wilson said. “And we got the new stub from Brian. That kept us alive.”
Less than 48 hours after getting his wrecked race car back from the Gracyalny’s, Wilson put his machine into victory lane at Gravity Park USA. (Joe Holz photography)
Haters have pointed to the fact that three of Wilson’s feature flags came at the non-sanction Gravity Park – where some argue the competition in the modified division isn’t nearly as stout as some of the sanctioned ovals. “I didn’t mind racing at Gravity Park because they pay the $600 to win the modified features,” Wilson said. “It’s decent pay to win compared to some other tracks. My first night I won there I started on the outside front row but the other two wins I came from ninth and seventh in the field. When I won at 141 I started fifth on the grid. I don’t care what anyone says the division is tough and the wins aren’t that easy to get. At all of the tracks including Shawano. None of these wins are easy.”
Wilson had plans to battle weekly at 141 but after missing one night with the wrecked race car and a pair of DNF’s at 141’s high-banked quarter mile, Wilson’s game plan has changed gears for 2021. “We’re going to run weekly at Outagamie Speedway (Seymour) on Friday nights and at The Burg Speedway (Luxemburg) on Sunday nights,” Wilson said. “In my opinion the modified fields are the toughest at Seymour and Luxemburg when it comes to the weekly racing. I’ve got a long way to go to be even mentioned in the same breath as a guy like Benji LaCrosse, R.M. Van Pay, Mike Wedelstadt or Brian (Mullen)Those guys have hundreds of combined wins and raced three nights a week for decades. By racing against the best, it’s only going to make me better on down the line.”
Racing against the best includes Wilson’s running the $10,000-to-win Clash At The Creek at 141 later this summer as well.
In March Wilson, along with dozens of other Wisconsin racers were able to compete at a true ‘bucket list’ event at the Bristol Dirt Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee in March. Wilson became a future trivia question after capturing the first ever modified heat win on the converted 5/8 mile dirt track. “Racing down there was pretty cool I’ve got to admit,” Wilson confessed. “I started eighth in my heat race when I won that one.”
Wilson’s career started out as a teenager scrapping in a class that hasn’t run locally in many years – the IMCA hobby stocks. “I raced in that class from 2006 through 2009,” Wilson recalled. “Heck I even raced at 141 in 2009 when it was paved.” From there Wilson moved up to the IMCA northern sportmod division. “I’m really good friends with Jason (Czarapata) and he was a big mentor to me when I first started out. He’s a great guy.”
The learning curve from a heavier hobby stock to a light weight fender-less sportmod was a challenge for Wilson in the beginning. “The first time I took that thing out I thought I was going to flip the car over because of how they roll in the corners,” Wilson said. “I got comfortable in it over time. When I transitioned to the modifieds I started to feel more comfortable. I was a mid-pack car two years ago and now we’re winning races. I expect to get into the top four to pull into the claim area each night. That’s my goal every race night.”
When he’s not racing Wilson is a welder/fabricator by trade. His pit crew members include dad Troy Wilson, Matt Dessell and Abby McBrair. Wilson’s team of sponsors includes Cardinal Financial, AG Excavating, BOSS Firewood and Redline Home Inspections.
“I’d like to earn a point championship somewhere but honestly we’re about chasing wins and racing against the best the rest of the year,” Wilson said. “If I were fortunate enough to get into the Race of Champions I would go to Boone in September. We’re a long way away from that yet. We’ll keep plugging along.”