The Scoop
ROTHE/RITCHIE PLAN TO “HAVE FUN” WHEELING DIRT LATE MODELS IN ’26
Posted on: Friday March 27, 2026
After racing for decades on both paved and dirt ovals, veteran racer Tim Rothe is insistent that his goal for 2026 is to simply have fun.
The 59-year-old two-time Fox River Racing Club (FRRC) super late model champion at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, Rothe has partnered with another longtime short track veteran – New London’s Justin Ritchie.
The duo will split time behind the wheel in a brand-spanking new MB Customs dirt late model. Rothe, a Fox Valley native, now lives just minutes from New London’s Ritchie. The two know each other well, as they battled against each other in dirt late models on and off for the past several seasons.
In recent years, Ritchie has wheeled the Schueffner Motorsports No. 70 DLM on the Dirt Kings Tour, and other specials at Plymouth Dirt Track, Shawano and Seymour. Ritchie will be busy this year, as he also will be piloting an MB Custom IMCA modified, to try and grow that brand in the northeastern Wisconsin racing circles.
The landscape has changed dramatically in the dirt late model scene in Northeastern Wisconsin in recent years. And that change happened rather quickly. Over the years Shawano had seen an abrupt drop in their late model car counts. The factors are multiple. The retirement of Abrams’ Ron Berna, Shawano’s winningest driver Nick Anvelink scaling back his own racing, and gonging competing weekly some years ago. Couple that with the soaring costs to field a dirt late model in 2026, among other reasons.
The Schueffner family decided after the ’25 season that they would sellout their racing operation, and focus on the family farm. “Justin and myself have been friends for more than 20 years,” Rothe said. “After Cale (Schueffner) announced they would retire as car owners, I asked Justin if he wanted to race for me in 2026.”
For 2026, there will not be a track on the eastern side of Wisconsin that will run a WISSOTA-style late model on a weekly basis. Plymouth Dirt Track adopted the “Super Six” series a couple of seasons ago for the late models. And last year at Shawano, around mid-season the late models were dropped (weekly) as there were nights there would only be two of three entrants.
This year, between the Dirt Kings Tour, PDTR’s Super Six Series, and Outagamie Speedway and Shawano Speedway, there aren’t really any true scheduling conflicts. “I think this is a step in the right direction for the health of dirt late models in the area,” Rothe pointed out. “I’m glad that the promoters and team owners got together and worked out a schedule. Having a schedule of this type I feel will help guys move into this class with more availability of nights at different tracks.”
Rothe raced the last half of the 2025 season after former Shawano Speedway champion Jordan Barkholtz wheeled Rothe’s ride the 1st half of the campaign.
In addition to clinching a pair of Thursday night, FRRC crowns, Rothe also earned the prestigious Red, White & Blue state championship series in 2008. Prior to that, Rothe criss-crossed across the Midwest, competing in the Mid-American Stock Car Series.
Rothe made the switch to dirt around 2011. “I dabbled a little bit driving a car out of the (Pete) Parker stable,” Rothe recalled. “They built me a late model. I always wanted to try the dirt, and what better driving coach to have then Pete Parker. They led me in that direction. I fell in love with dirt track racing. It’s a good thing I didn’t get into the dirt earlier in my racing career.”
While Rothe admits he did enjoy racing on the pavement, there are parts of the grind he doesn’t miss. “I don’t miss going through 800 sets of tires, and I really don’t miss all of the hot lapping on the asphalt,” Rothe explained. “The last season I drove for Rick Sweere with the Budweiser deal, I just hit a level of burnout. The cars are so particular on the pavement. Not that they can’t be on dirt. But the biggest difference is with the dirt late model, you can usually take a setup at one track and it will be good at another track. Pavement is a lot different that way.”
For decades, Rothe always took great pride in setting up his own race cars. With this new dirt late model from MB Customs, the car will be setup at the MB shop in Menominee, Wisconsin. “We do the finer points to get through the nights,” Rothe said. “I’ve always had a great team of sponsors that I’ve been fortunate to accumulate over the years. It’s tough for a newer driver these days unless they’ve got a mountain of money somewhere.”
When it comes to splitting up the seat time, Ritchie plans on handling a bulk of the Dirt Kings shows, along with some bigger specials at tracks like Cedar Lake and Wilmot’s UMP Hell Tour race. “My favorite track will always be Shawano, so I’m going to run some of those shows and Seymour, too,” Rothe said. “We want to give Justin as many nights as we can. These tracks deserve to have ALL of these late model teams show up to support their scheduling decisions. And that’s what we plan on doing.”
Rothe added: “We do want to have fun. I points raced for many years. There isn’t a lot of money in points racing, although Dirt Kings does a fairly decent job. With the Dirt Kings, we can throw away two nights and that helps.”
Justin Ritchie in victory late at Shawano Speedway driving for Schueffner Racing. (Turn 2 Photos)
Ritchie is no stranger to chasing a championship. The second-generation racer earned the Dirt Kings title in 2020. 2026 will be Ritchie’s 26th year of racing stock cars, and when you tag on four years of racing karts, ’26 will officially be his 30th season behind the wheel.
“When word got out I was done in the 70 car because they were selling out, Tim and I sat down and we made a deal,” Ritchie explained. “Tim had bought late models from Cale (Schueffner) before, so that’s sort of how I got to know Tim as I’d help him with setups. When it comes to cost of the late models, it’s really not that much more than the modifieds are these days. Lots of guys are afraid of the late models. To me, it’s not that much more expensive but it’s the time spent in maintaining the cars.”
Ritchie added: “I’m really happy the tracks and series worked out a schedule like this. I mean, there aren’t enough late model teams around to split them up on the same night between Plymouth, Dirt Kings and Shawano. Guys in late models already pick and choose already as it is.”
As if wheeling Rothe’s 56 late model wasn’t enough, Ritchie’s modified adventures will also keep him on his toes. “AJ (Diemel) and I talked about it, and we worked out a deal,” Ritchie said. “MB already has hundreds of USMTS and USRA mods out there, so I had a little information already for me to get my feet wet.”
Ritchie will also pilot an MB Customs IMCA modified in ’26. (Seeking photo credit)
According to Ritchie, there will be six area racers wheeling MB Custom modifieds in the area this year. “Along with myself, Tanner and Derek Janke will run them, along with the three Yaeger boys,” Ritchie said. “We’re in that CMD shock deal and AJ and Jimmy (Mars) are just a phone call away. They are letting us spearhead things over this way. The technology part of this sport has really grown and it’s critical. That technology can trickle down to me from the western side of the state, and we’ll setup the cars for each individual driver. We try to make everybody happy. It’s going to be a fun year, and I’m still friends with the Schueffners. I had seven great years racing with them, too.”
Marketing partners that support the Rothe/Ritchie late model deal include: B.C. Auto Body, K & E Sales and Service, Jack’s Maintenance Service, Behling Circle Track Equipment, Carow Land Surveying, MB Customs, Fire Protection Specialist, Global Fab. Inc., Van Pay Trucking, Total Aviation Hangar Door Services, Hank & Karen’s Pub & Grill, CMD Race Shocks, Barnes Race Oil Pumps, Dyer’s Top Rods, Schaeffer’s Racing Oil and FastSigns.