The Scoop
GRANT GRIESBACH – “RACING’S OUR ESCAPE FROM EVERYDAY LIFE”
Posted on: Monday June 20, 2022
UW Whitewater Economics major Grant Griesbach poses by his super late model at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
There aren’t many 20-year-old super late model racers who can be consider “seasoned” in the division.
However, Pewaukee native Grant Griesbach is the exception to that unwritten rule. Griesbach, who will be a junior at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater this fall, has been behind the wheel of a pavement super late model since he was 13 years old. He’s in his fifth year of battling full time on Thursday nights at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna during Fox River Racing Club action.
“Yeah, sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that we’re in our eighth year already in this division,” explained Griesbach, who is studying Economics at UW-W. “My goal is to get out of school in three and a half years. I’ve got 51 credits left and hope to knock those out in three more semesters.”
The former accounting major came up a mere three points shy of a Thursday night SLM title in ‘21, losing out to Reedsville’s Maxwell Schultz after a string of bad luck struck the 17 team late in the season. “We won a couple of features in ’21 and we lost power steering one night late in the year,” Griesbach explained. “And we got tied up in a wreck late in the year that was pretty much nobody’s fault. Maxwell had a great car all year and was consistent week in and week out. Sometimes luck isn’t always on your side and that stuff just happens in racing. You just have to get back at it.”
In high school Griesbach was an undersized Varsity center who started two years for the Pewaukee Pirates. Griesbach admits that some of the same principals can be applied from the gridiron the oval track scene. “Racing is sort of like football in that the whole deal centers around putting good people in positions around you,” Griesbach explained. “That holds true even though I’m the one in the cockpit wheeling the race car. Everyone involved in this deal from the spotter, crew chief and the man who helps set the car up. They are all important.”
When it comes to setting his car up Griesbach has a true ace-in-the-hole in Casey Johnson. Johnson is one of the hottest short track, pavement super late model drivers in the Midwest who recently captured the Father’s Day ARCA Midwest Tour win at the Milwaukee Mile. “Obviously having Casey in our corner has been a huge part of our success,” Griesbach acknowledged. “This car I’m wheeling this year is a Reed chassis out of Hartford, Wisconsin. This is the car that was owned by Travis Dassow and it won Oktoberfest at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway a year ago. Reed is small compared to some other chassis builders and they don’t have too many race cars out there competing right now.”
When asked what Casey Johnson’s title would be with regards to his role in Griesbach’s racing team Griesbach replied “Casey is a car chief and setup specialist.”
Heading into late June Griesbach currently sits in the 6th position in the FRRC “Thursday Night Thunder” point standings. “I’m hoping our experience running weekly on Thursday nights at WIR will help us down the road,” Griesbach explained. “With the tire shortage and all of that everyone is pretty much in the same boat. This was a fast race car last year and we’re hoping to keep digging for speed as the weeks wear on.”
Griesbach and his team making racing a fun time on Thursday nights at WIR.
What keeps Griesbach and the team towing north every Thursday night to battle at WIR? “For starters for someone at my age I don’t yet have a “real job” per se as I’m still a college student,” Griesbach said. “So I don’t have to worry about getting up early to go to work on Friday morning just yet. We get a lot of help up here and even on nights when we may finish fifth for example, we always seem to make it fun up here. It’s always a good night at WIR and as far as we’re concerned the Fox River Racing Club puts on one of the best weekly shows in Wisconsin. We have some pretty good competition up here week in, week out.”
In addition to making WIR’s “Thursday Night Thunder” a weekly stop Griesbach is taking part in the eight weekly, super late model races at Slinger Super Speedway as well as the Slinger Nationals. “I’ve still got a little bit to learn down there at Slinger,” Griesbach confessed. “But we’ll get that car figured out. I’m blessed to have some of the smartest people in the super late model business in my corner helping me.”
Griesbach added that competing in the Dixieland 250 in August at WIR is an event that is also “on the table. “Last year we didn’t compete in it simply because we were involved in such a tight points battle,” Griesbach said. “If the car is running like we feel it could we might take a shot. Truth is you have very few chances to win a race of that magnitude if you’re on you’re “A” game. You’ve got to take that shot. We’ll also see where the funding takes us at that part of the season.”
Pit crew members who help out Griesbach with his racing efforts include his dad Jeremy Griesbach, Craig Kowaleski, Byrd, Hawk, Tanner, Max and Wolf. “They are a great group of guys who love to have fun while we’re doing this,” Griesbach admitted. “I think people sometimes look at us and wonder why we’re having so much fun doing this. At the end of the day racing is still a hobby. You’ve got to make it fun. It’s our lifestyle. Racing is our escape from everyday life.”
Among the team marketing partners supporting Griesbach’s 17 car include Cobblestone Hotels, Wissota Chophouse, Gardan Inc., IBEW Local 494 Electrical Workers, Forte Bank, JT Schmidt Plumbing, Keeney Home Services, R & B Roofing, Core Distinction Group, Manley Construction, Hartford Landscape Supply, Keith’s Marina, A.J.’s Small Engine Repair, GlobalFab Inc., Angler’s Bar and Grill, Bridge Bar and Restaurant, Quality Car Care, TD Graphics, Reed Racing Enterprises and Wegner Automotive Research. The team’s website is grant17.com.