The Scoop
BRAXTON AMBROSIUS – HOW TEEN RACER EARNED $18K & BOUGHT HIS OWN RACE CAR
Posted on: Sunday November 5, 2023
Teen racer Braxton Ambrosius started working at age 11 and earned close to $18,000 to buy his first race car.
Braxton Ambrosius isn’t your typical teenaged, dirt track racer.
The 14-year-old from Pulaski plans on battling as a rookie in the local IMCA northern sportmod ranks on the local dirt scene in 2024.
The difference between Braxton and perhaps some other kids is that this Pulaski high school freshman purchased his own ‘new-to-him’ race car with his own money he’d earned while working for it since he was 11 years old.
From the time Braxton was 11 years old he began earning and saving his own money. Ambrosius, one of five siblings, began shoveling manure out of pens and feeding cows and calves on a neighbor’s farm. In addition, Braxton would earn money working scrapping at Environmental Recycling of Seymour.
The payoff for the teen’s hard work came this summer. With the close to $18,000 he’d earned on his own, Ambrosius bought a race ready Razor chassis IMCA northern sportmod from Jerry Vander Loop. “I grew up racing karts,” Ambrosius explained. His parents Brian and Kari Ambrosius promote the Friday night kart racing program at Little Buckaroo Jr. Motorsports Park in Cecil, Wisconsin. “I had planned to race a full-sized race car someday and my parents told me things would get expensive when I moved up. So, I decided I might as well start working and start saving my money. I worked hard and didn’t spend hardly any of the money I had earned.”
Braxton was able to race his northern sportmod a half dozen times in 2023. He plans a rookie campaign in 2024.
In an effort to provide full disclosure, Braxton’s dad Brian did admit that he’d help out with some parts if Braxton saved all the cash to buy his own car. “After I bought the car dad did buy me a set of shocks and set of gears for this car,” Braxton explained. “That was the deal I made with my dad.”
With his eye on a 2024 rookie campaign, Braxton was able to get some seat time at a few ovals late in the ’23 season. The second-generation racer competed three times at The ‘Burg Speedway in Luxemburg, twice at TNT Raceway in Three Lakes and once at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek. “Out of those three tracks I’d have to say I probably liked Luxemburg the best,” Ambrosius said. “All four corners are sort of the same, so it was an easier track to get a hang of. 141 was tough for me. At 141 turns one and two were wide but three and four is very tight. I’m not a big fan of 141 just yet. Three Lakes had very wide straightaways and a lot of banking in the corners.”
As far as the transition from the karts to the sportmods, Ambrosius admitted there isn’t a whole lot that carries over. “For starters I feel safer in the car with a roll cage over you,” Ambrosius said. “It’s different in karts because you’re allowed to prep the tires. When you pitch the kart into the corners you pretty much can toss it into the corner once and you’re set up. With the sportmod you have to really burp the throttle through the corners to keep the car underneath you and under control. I do think though that racing karts it’s taught me to pass other racers cleanly so that part carries over.”
During his karting career Braxton scored multiple feature wins and track titles.
Ambrosius has had fellow racer Tyler Wilson and Tyler’s dad Troy lending a hand in the rookie driver’s efforts. “They’ve been really great when it comes to scaling the car and really helping us out,” Ambrosius said. Others who lend a hand with Ambrosius’ racing efforts include his parents, his siblings Gavin, Kaiden, Maverick, Londyn and Darren and Nathan Otto.
Ambrosius’ 2024 racing plans including racing weekly at Luxemburg should Kewaunee County be able to find a group to promote weekly races at the fairgrounds. “We plan on racing at 141 as well once in a while,” Ambrosius said. The ’24 goals for the Pulaski teen racer include earning rookie-of-the-year honors at one track, maybe win a feature and bring the car home in one piece each night. Ambrosius still plans on working Friday nights at Little Buckaroo, helping with whatever is needed at the track and assisting his siblings in their own racing efforts.
Like any racer Ambrosius is seeking marketing partners for his 2024 racing efforts. You can request one of his sponsorship decks by emailing Kas18@netnet.net.