The Vault
Gene Wheeler
Posted on: Thursday September 24, 2020
FROM THE CHAPTER TITLED “CUBIC DOLLARS” from the book “Wisconsin International Raceway – Where The Big Ones Run” 2016
Gene Wheeler estimates he’s spent literally millions over the years on race cars during his racing career as both a driver and car owner at WIR. Much of that was spent writing checks on late models that toured the half mile in the 1980’s through 2009. The Appleton car owner always seemed to have the latest trick chassis, the best bolt on parts, and the sharpest looking cars that money could buy.
As a result, Wheeler’s top notch rides were attractive to a number of “hired guns” over the years. When big name NASCAR drivers rolled into town for big specials such as the Dixieland 250, ARTGO promoter John McKarns often called upon Wheeler to field rides for the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Ernie Ervin, Kyle Petty, Dave Marcis and Buddy Baker. “(The promoters) would usually give me tires and free pit passes for doing it and we’d have a crash clause written up,” explained Wheeler. “We never had to use them though. Bonnett was a real nice guy. Ervin really raced the car hard. He was out to win.”
A number of local weekly racers wheeled Wheelers race cars over the years as well. They included his own son Rod Wheeler, Bucky Wagner, JJ Smith, Roger Regeth, Dave Valentyne, Dave Watson, “Smilin’ Clyde” Schumacher, Axel Dahlberg, Lyle Nabbefeldt, Al Stepan, Glen Bessette and Jim Courtney.
“I was 14 years old and a friend named Jack Nystrom from Appleton and I got a car from Sam Malosky’s Motor Sales in the Valley,” said Gene Wheeler. “Sam had a ’44 two-door Sedan he donated to me and my buddy and we built a race car out of it. We got a flathead Ford motor from him and we went racing with it. That’s how it got started.”
Gene and Jack got their start running Outagamie Speedway in Appleton Creek. “We’d run Shiocton for many years too,” said Wheeler. “KK Sports Arena wasn’t even open at the time.”
Wheeler fielded cars that would race both on the dirt and the asphalt in the roaring ‘70’s, with Regeth and JJ Smith at the helm. Smith’s famous “Tweety Bird” car sparkled and was a showstopper wherever it went. With Smith driving Wheeler’s Boyce Trackburner built in Chicago, the pair nabbed dozens of dirt track feature wins and were perennial front runners Thursday nights on the tar.
In 1980 dirt track racing was dying in Northeast Wisconsin. Tracks in De Pere and Seymour were both closed in part between the feud between rival promoters Jack Peters and Paul Kaczrowski batting against each other on Sunday nights. As a result many race teams began converting their late models to compete on Thursday nights on WIR’s pavement full time. “In ’79 I had built a brand new Holman Moody USAC car for Jim (Sauter) and he became a hired gun for us then, and he stuck with us on Thursday nights pretty much after that,” said Gene Wheeler.
It was two former NASCAR stars were a pair of ringers who drove for Wheeler over the years – Sauter and Marcis. “Those two were real good friends who both cut their teeth starting in the Central Wisconsin racing circuit in the mid 1960’s,” said Wheeler. according to Wheeler both were masters at chassis and setup. “Those guys both were sharp, real sharp,” said Wheeler.
It wasn’t until Sauter, who would later become a regular on NASCAR’s Winston Cup circuit, drove for Wheeler that he collected his first track championship as a car owner. “I believe that one year (1981) we won all but one race that year and the title,” said Gene Wheeler. “That was a dominant race car that year, no doubt.”
The Necedah driver followed that dominating performance up by winning John McKarns ARTGO Challenge Series title in 1982.
Sauter wasn’t afraid to take a chance. That got him into hot water on more than one occasion. One night in June 1981 during the “six-for-six” fast dash, Sauter tapped Oneida’s Wayne Roffers and spun him. Roffers, a big hearted driver who also possessed a short fuse, stormed over with a sledgehammer and stated “If I can’t run the feature you ain’t either” and Roffers started hammering on the windshield of Wheeler’s car. The team made the repairs and made it out for the feature with a new windshield installed. “Jim wouldn’t take a back seat to no one,” exclaimed Gene Wheeler. “I mean he won the ARCA 300 race that one year at Daytona. He spun the guy out on the last lap to win.”
When it was all said and done Sauter was Wheeler’s hired gun for 19 seasons, the same number of years that Smith drove for Wheeler.
“Sauter was probably the best driver who ever sat in my car really,” said Gene Wheeler. “He just knew the car inside and out. He could change a car over at the track like nobody else. Not even close. He’d go underneath the car and wasn’t afraid to get right in there.”
Wheeler always fielded a car with the potential to win every week, often with the most up-to-date, latest-and-greatest of technology that was around at that time. “We didn’t always win too many championships but were always a threat to win,” said Wheeler. “Jim (Sauter) won a title with us at Kaukauna, and ARTGO. Rod (Wheeler) won a title on the quarter-mile in the sportsman class and one on the half-mile.” Gene Wheeler pointed out the team only ran for the Thursday night title one year with Sauter and that was in 1981. “We were traveling with ARTGO a lot the following season and we actually missed a few Thursday nights because of it.”
Sauter was one tough customer, according to Gene Wheeler. Despite battling cancer and a broken foot suffered in a WIR wreck, it did not slow down Sauter. “Jim broke his foot in a wreck one Thursday night. The following week we made a brace for him. We had to sit Jim in the race car to fit the brace for him,” said Rod Wheeler. “He raced even when he wasn’t feeling well. He was tough, real tough.”
Sauter basically raced for a living. “Our arrangement with Jim was a 60/40 split with the prize money, with Jim taking 40 percent of the winnings,” said Gene Wheeler. “We’ve won with him at places like Rockford and Grundy Speedways (both in Illinois). We even ran some ASA races with Jim that were somewhat close from a schedule standpoint like Minnesota State Fair, Milwaukee Mile and at Nashville too. He was one of the best.”
Sauter passed away on October 31, 2014 after a brief illness. He was 71-years-old.
“JJ (Smith) was just very conscious and he wasn’t overly aggressive,” said Gene Wheeler. “He was patient. He’d sort of take his time and let things happen. He did a real good job for me, and won a lot of races.”
But Wheeler had another driver from Western Wisconsin who, as far as the dirt tracks went, was the best. “That was Leon Plank, by far,” said Wheeler. “That guy, when I still fielded dirt cars, could win anywhere we ever went. There would be a hole and Plank would be in there. He didn’t care if the fenders got tore off.”
Another controversial driver Wheeler had in the early ‘70’s was “The Bear” Roger Regeth. “To me first place is the only place – second place is the first loser. Roger was the same way,” said Wheeler. “He didn’t care how he got there. He was very aggressive.”
While Wheeler spent tons of his own money through his long time business Appleton Auto Wrecking (now called Appleton Auto Recyclers) they also were able to secure some decent sponsors along the way. “We had Old Style beer when Rod ran and before that we had Boyce Trackburner Chassis out of Chicago,” said Wheeler. “When Sauter ran for me we got free motors from Baker Racing Engines. We worked hard for a lot of years to get to the point where we’d get that sponsorship.”
Having been retired from racing for quite some time now, Wheeler spends his time as his Special Memories Zoo in Greenville. The zoo features several exotic animals and is open from May through September. “I’ve got no regrets, it’s been a great ride,” exclaimed Wheeler.