The Scoop
MIKE WEDELSTADT – MODIFIED VETERAN STILL HAS ‘FIRE IN THE BELLY’
Posted on: Sunday September 24, 2023
Veteran IMCA modified driver Mike Wedelstadt sits fourth among all time Wisconsin IMCA feature winners with 115 victories.
Mike Wedelstadt has been knee-deep in the ever-evolving world of dirt modifieds going on four decades now.
The 55-year-old IMCA modified racer from New London has been wheeling modifieds since 1994. And throughout the years Wedelstadt has seen all the highs and lows of the sport. He’s run multiple chassis over the years, constantly chasing speed and keeping up with whatever “flavor-of-the-year” pops up with regards to the “hot” chassis of that particular year.
Years ago, Pro, Harris and Sidebiter were the hot modified chassis depending upon what region of the country or whatever sanctioning body a driver could be competing in. These days MB Custom and Rage remain the “hot ticket” along with Lethal Chassis – which is what Wedelstadt has been working with in 2023.
Mike Wedelstadt following his IMCA modified feature win at Beaver Dam Raceway Tuesday, June 27. (Diane Mech photo)
Although Wedelstadt readily admits the wins don’t come easy anymore, the veteran mod wheelman currently sits fourth in all time sanctioned IMCA modified feature wins among Wisconsin racers with 115 victories. Wedelstadt was even able to manage a feature flag on a Tuesday night earlier this summer at Beaver Dam Raceway.
“When it comes to the technology of these modifieds nothing even comes close to comparing what we did with these cars in the ‘90’s,” Wedelstadt admitted. “I quit using scales three years ago, for example. Now it’s load sticks and spring smashers. These are $10,000 tools. It’s a machine we put on every corner, and it checks the load in the car. It’s insane though how one turn on either of the corners can make your car right on the money or be completely out to lunch. It’s a very fine line.”
According to Wedelstadt if a modified driver’s setup was a little off years ago you were able to drive the car more or less aggressively. With a razor thin margin of error on the line most nights, you’ve got to be on your “A” game at any given track. “The competition with these cars is so, so close that the days of driving through a car with a push or one that’s loose for the most part it’s a thing of the past,” Wedelstadt said.
The argument can be made that any modified chassis is simply a dumb piece of iron. The difference being the ‘ornaments’ you decorate that car with. That and customer service from the respective chassis manufacturers can often be the difference between running up front consistently or scuffling around the back of the pack. In 2023 Wedelstadt has partnered with David Stremme and Lethal Chassis. “What works best for me is that I can communicate well with them,” Wedelstadt explained. “When I ran an MB Custom car, Jimmy (Mars) was amazing but most of his cars he builds are geared towards WISSOTA or USMTS. The tires are different and that really changes things up with how you set up one of these IMCA cars.”
Wedelstadt then went out and bought a Rage chassis. “I went and bought one of those Rage cars and I hated it from the minute I sat in it,” said Wedelstadt. “Not saying it’s a bad car at all because they win. It just wasn’t a car that was a right fit for me. I sat in a Lethal car and instantly loved how I felt in it.”
The Lethal cars are built in Pennsylvania. According to Wedelstadt, Stremme will answer his phone at midnight if a driver has questions. “At Lethal they aren’t interested in building a ton of cars as much as they are pushing those cars they have built to win.”
Kelsy-Ann Hayes poses next to her IMCA modified at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour September 9.
Wedelstadt’s fiance’ Kelsy-Ann Hayes also races IMCA modifieds. “When we bought that modified for Kelsy David facetimed her for two and a half hours and went over pretty much every aspect of the car with her,” Wedelstadt said. “I am not sure you’d get that kind of service with any other chassis builder these days.”
When it comes to maintaining their cars, Kelsy handles the four to five hours a week that tire prep demands. “When you consider the time it takes with the spring smasher and going through the front ends of both cars that’s likely another four to five hours of shop time,” Wedelstadt said. “That’s a best-case scenario with regards to routine maintenance and doesn’t include anything damaged that needs to be fixed from a wreck.”
In Wedelstadt’s third year behind the wheel of a modified Wedelstadt earned rookie-of-the-year honors running the United States Midwest Touring Series (USMTS) in 1996. That year Wedelstadt criss-crossed the United States, going toe-to-toe with legends regularly like Mark Noble, Ron Jones and the like. “I would get my tail kicked running that deal,” Wedelstadt admitted. “But when I’d come back home and run locally, we’d dominate. We won 19 features that year. We ran up at Escanaba (Michigan) that one year on that old half-mile. We dominated that year. When we’d run Shawano or Seymour, we’d always run up front or win. That’s due in part to running the USMTS at the time. Running against the best I had so much confidence when we’d pull into the pits and unload.”
Fast forward to 2023 and the landscape has changed for Wedelstadt. When it comes running regularly Wedelstadt ran often at BDR and 141 Speedway in Francis Creek. “Shawano Speedway is actually my favorite track, but you never really seem to know what you’re going to get when you go there on any given Saturday night,” Wedelstadt said. “We used to get 50 to 60 modifieds some nights years ago. I get it that times change. But drivers have a lot of options locally and they are going to decide where to race where they feel most welcome. That stuff really does make a difference. And I love Shawano’s half-mile, so the size of the track doesn’t have anything to do with us deciding to race elsewhere on a Saturday.”
Wedelstadt credits Stremme for ‘lighting a fire’ under him. “I’ve still got the fire in the belly and with David’s advice it’s made me drive a lot different,” Wedelstadt said. “I’ve been trying to eat better and take care of myself, too. I’d like to keep doing this as long as I can.”
When it come to racing with his fiancé there is no quarter asked and none given when these two are racing together. “I’d like to think our driving styles are pretty different,” Hayes said. “I think I’m a lot smoother where Mike drives it a lot harder into the corners.”
On that subject, Wedelstadt added: “We usually run the same setups, but we do have different driving styles. I used to shine when the tracks are heavy. Locally the tracks still had some tack in them even back in the ‘90’s a little bit. When the tracks slick up that’s when Kelsey starts to shine a little bit. She’s getting better. Beaver Dam was tacky most nights. She’s ran well down there.”
Racing weekly for points isn’t necessarily in Wedelstadt or Hayes radar. “If you asked anybody who won a championship at the local tracks last year a lot of people won’t know,” Wedelstadt suggested. “But if you ask them who won a bigger race like the Clash at the Creek or who won the other big dollar races, they’ll know. It’s a bigger deal. Years ago, it was a bigger deal to get a champions jacket. But these days not so much.”
Mike and Kelsy plan on racing and getting married in Arizona in March.
Wedelstadt and Hayes have been running Arizona during the month of November. They’ll continue that tradition this year and plan on tying the knot on November 11, 2023. “We’re going to race right after we get married and the racing itself will be our honeymoon essentially,” Wedelstadt said. “We plan on running the Turkey Classic in Yuma, Arizona. I love my family back home in Wisconsin but the racing community when we’re in Arizona is like a second family to us. We get all get together and have a big meal and have a practice session afterwards.”
When the pair travel to Arizona it’s often just Mike and Kelsy. “Honestly that’s all right with me,” Kelsy said. “We love our pit crew help back home but when we’re down in Arizona it’s sort of our quality time with just the two of us.”
Crew members who assist the pair on occasion when they are back home racing include Eric “Skippy” Dahl, Kelsy’s dad Billy Hayes and Wedelstadt’s brother-in-law and former racer himself John Berna.
The marketing partners that assist with keeping the Wedelstadt and Hayes race cars up and running year-round include Auto Pro Express, Graveyard Auto, AutoNation Crate by Klein Engines, Slick Stick Shocks, Lethal Chassis, Century 21 TeamSankey, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Toy Shed Storage Complex, Simpson and Swift Springs.