The Scoop
CRAIG VANDEWETTERING – ‘FIGURE 8 RACING ON STEROIDS’
Posted on: Monday August 9, 2021
Freedom, Wisconsin’s Craig VandeWettering poses next to his Outlaw rules late model Figure 8 car. The former WIR champion is able to race between six to seven times a year out-of-state in the World Figure 8 Tour.
‘It’s like strapping into a rocket ship’ is how Craig VandeWettering describes when he’s racing his late model Figure 8 car.
The 37-year-old from Freedom, Wisconsin, who’s won multiple Figure 8 track titles and other accolades at his home track Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna decided to take his Figure racing program to the Nth degree a couple of years ago. And it was of all things a Facebook video which prompted him to do so.
“I was literally lying in bed one night and I switched my Facebook setting on my phone to Indianapolis, Indiana,” VandeWettering explained. “All of a sudden one of these outlaw, late model type Figure 8 cars popped up and it was for sale. It was a big deal because you don’t see those cars for sale very often. I woke my girlfriend to show her as she knew how much I wanted one. She was just as excited as I was.”
VandeWettering promptly hopped in his truck with a trailer attached, drove south and bought the car. Once they brought it home and surprised all of their friends, the crew stopped over to check things out. After looking the car over Craig decided instead of running the car as is he instead wanted to make some changes to the car. Over the winter months the car was transported over to VandeWettering’s friend Matt Bauer’s garage where they spent long nights thrashing on the car.
Earlier in June another outlaw car became for sale and the deal was much too good for VandeWettering to pass on. That weekend the crew hopped in the truck with a trailer and picked it up. “Funny thing is an hour and half after buying it I was strapped into it and racing it in Indiana,” said VandeWettering, who placed eighth in his debut and turned some heads in doing so.
Truth is the late model Figure 8 is a totally different animal than what race fans enjoy during the finale each night at WIR’s ‘Thursday Night Thunder.’ “This outlaw car would not even come close to matching the weekly rules at WIR,” VandeWettering.
The late model Figure 8 cars are not a cheap date, either. “You can build a competitive car for a reasonable price, but to build one brand new with all new parts can get a little pricey,” VandeWettering admitted. “The only rules they have is no nitrous oxide or alcohol motors. It’s pretty much ‘run-what-you-brung.’ You must run minimum weight of 2,450 lbs. for regular races and 2,350 lbs. with the driver in the car for the specials. The body rules are pretty liberal, and you can get pretty creative in that department.”
The body rules for the Outlaw Figure 8’s are very liberal and allow ‘wiggle room’ for drivers to get creative when fabricating their bodies.
The aluminum engine under the hood of VandeWettering’s machine is a 415 cubic inch powerplant from a dirt late model that cranks out 800 horsepower – similar to that of a winged sprint car. “I’m having trouble getting the tires to hook up even with a restrictor plate, so we’ve got some work to do there,” VandeWettering said. The chassis are custom built out of the Indiana area and are designed to make both left-and-right-hand turns.
According to VandeWettering the tracks and series that host late model Figure 8s used to allow soaking of tires but has since forbidden that practice. “They make you buy your tires right at the track,” VandeWettering said. “They impound them just like they do at WIR for the super lates and lates.”
And while there is a series of high-paying special events that dole out big prize money in the World Figure 8 Tour the closest track that hosts late model Figure 8’s is over six hours away from VandeWettering’s hometown of Freedom. Because of the long distance and other responsibilities VandeWettering plans on competing in six to seven races in the Tour. “I’ve got my daughter Lili’s softball games and other adult things that prevent me from racing more,” VandeWettering admitted. “But I’m not going to lose my house over racing this car. And I enjoy playing with it even if it’s six or seven times a year.”
On August 7 VandeWettering traveled to Indiana to race but pulled off just 20 laps into the event with low oil pressure, opting to play it safe rather than blow an expensive motor. His next race will be August 28 in Indianapolis for a one-hour race. On September 11 VandeWettering will also compete near Indianapolis in the World Figure 8 Championship – a three-hour endurance race that pays $20,000 to the winner. That event is set to be televised on several networks, including possible coverage on ESPN. “For those one-or-three-hour races they bring about fifty cars and everybody qualifies,” VandeWettering explained. “The top 28 cars in time start the race. And when the first two or three cars drop out of the race, they let the next cars in the qualifying order come and race. But those cars who dropped out initially can come back on the track so you can have as many as 40 Figure 8 cars on the track at once. It’s crazy. I mean you have ‘X’ action maybe three laps into the race. But those guys are good. They are like the NASCAR of Figure 8’s.”
VandeWettering also plans to travel to Florida in February to compete in a pair of back-to-back $10,000-to-win races at Showtime and Auburndale Speedway’s, respectively.
One would think racing out-of-state all year that VandeWettering would have a tough time rounding up any local sponsors who wanted to stick with him – even if he doesn’t run WIR regularly any longer. “Surprisingly most of them stuck with me,” VandeWettering admitted. “We have packages that start around the $300 to $500 range. I had to up the ante a little bit for this venture obviously. I appreciate every single one of them as this is a very costly deal to do.”
Despite racing a handful of times out-of-state, VandeWettering has been able to keep many local businesses who support his racing effort through sponsorship.
While the Figure 8 rules for the outlaw late models prevent VandeWettering from racing his car at both WIR and to the south at Slinger (WI) Speedway, there is a ray of hope of possibly getting an outlaw Figure 8 race at WIR down the road. “I talked to Danny Van Daalwyk (WIR promoter) and he’s at least got some genuine interest. We’ll see what happens down the road and it would be cool to make it happen someday.”
With races all out of state it’s often tough for VandeWettering to round up a pit crew to travel with him. “It’s sort of hit-and-miss with who can make it and when,” VandeWettering admitted. “I like to travel to each show with a crew of seven but sometimes only four or five can make it.”
Team members who lend a hand with VandeWettering’s Outlaw Figure 8 when they can include his girlfriend Kenlyn Bauer, Matt Bauer, Mike Bosshart, Randy Van Roy, Matt Prouty, Dusty Wenninger, Chris DeShaney, Tim Springstroh, Josh Anthony, Jess Johnson, Joe Nechodom, Eggy and his daughter Lili.
Among the marketing partners who are on board with VandeWettering are 1,000 Island Airboats in Marion, Action Auto in Kaukauna, Beaver Hut in Freedom, Bedliner Specialists in Freedom, Bert and Patcheroo of Crete, Illinois, The Chimney Guy in Menasha, Fox Cities Towing of Greenville, Jacobs Concrete LLC of Kaukauna, Klink Equipment Inc. of Freedom, Marty Nussbaum Racing of Kaukauna, Mirror Finish of Appleton, Plan B of Kaukauna, Precision Powder of Appleton, Roundabout Bar and Grill in Kaukauna, Rusty Nuts Garage in Appleton, Schadrie Poured Walls Inc. of Freedom, Showtime Fab and Machine of Neenah, U-Haul of Phoenix, Arizona, Victory Signs of Suamico, Weenie’s Still of Little Chute, Waite’s Tree Service of Little Chute and The X Bar in Kaukauna.
VandeWettering is the lone representative from Wisconsin in the long-standing history of the three-hour Figure 8 enduro race. That goes back to 1977 the first year they did it,” VandeWettering said. “According to their stats a total of 372 drivers actually turned quite a few laps in that event. I’m honored to represent Wisconsin. These guys are really good. They don’t crash much at all. It’s like going from high school football to the NFL in all honesty.”