The Scoop
JAYDEN SCHMIDT – ‘WE PLAN ON RACING 50 NIGHTS THIS YEAR, POSSIBLY MORE’
Posted on: Tuesday March 16, 2021
Seymour’s Jayden Schmidt, shown here in 2020, shook down his new Razor chassis by Roth recently at Gravity Park USA in Chilton. (Turn 2 Photos)
Jayden Schmidt doesn’t plan on getting much sleep in 2021.
Same goes for his dad Jamie Schmidt and grandpa Tom Schmidt. Might as well throw in pit crew members J.J. Tuyls and Ted Van Boxtel into that equation as well.
That’s because the soon-to-be-graduate at Seymour High School plans on a most ambitious schedule of racing this year. The Wisconsin IMCA northern sportmod state champion in ’20 wound up just seven points shy of IMCA’s national crown a year ago, playing bridesmaid to a pair of Iowans – Matt Looft and champion Doug Smith.
While Schmidt claims he and his team are ‘undecided’ on chasing the national title this year they plan on racing more than any other sportmod team in northeastern Wisconsin this year. “We plan on racing at least 50 nights and possibly more,” Schmidt explained. “When it comes to the national points battle, we’re going to take a wait-and-see attitude, but we’ll race wherever and whenever we can with the sanctioned shows.”
A season ago the third-generation racer scored a total of 15 feature wins, with 13 of those victories being IMCA sanctioned. Schmidt also wrapped up the track championships at Shawano Speedway and The Burg Speedway in Luxemburg. With the chance to run three sanctioned nights so close to home Schmidt feels he’s at least got a ‘fighting chance’ at a national crown if all the stars align. “We figure to win it all you’d need at least 15 sanctioned feature wins and when you don’t win top three or top five finishes along the way,” Schmidt explained. “Plus, you would need to pick up at least two track championships. The bonus points you get with those titles you need if you want to have a chance of winning it. On top of that you’ve got to avoid wrecks and DNF’s.”
The winning Razor Chassis by Roth was sold to Vanderloop Racing during the off season and the Schmidt gang wasted little time putting together their new machine for this year – another Razor chassis by Roth. In fact, they were even able to shake their racer down at a rare, March practice session recently at Gravity Park USA in Chilton. “We couldn’t do much because the track conditions weren’t really the best,” Schmidt admitted. “But we made sure the motor was fine and the gears worked fine. Sort of a nut-and-bolt check that day too.”
The shelf life of a dirt chassis is typically a short one – at least if you want to stay on top of your game. “No two cars will handle the same and this is like a whole new ball game for us,” Schmidt admitted. “We were able to get a rough idea of the bar angles we’ll run compared to last year. There are always unknowns with a new car that’s for sure.”
Schmidt’s weekly game plan this season starts off on Friday nights in his own backyard at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour. With only one car at their disposal the half-mile gears will get changed Saturday mornings to run Shawano Speedway. Another morning in the shop and another gear change for the trip to Kewaunee County Sunday afternoon to battle at The ‘Burg.
“We plan on hitting as many sanctioned specials as we can including 141 Speedway (Francis Creek) and the Captain at the Creek race,” Schmidt explained. “We’ll be hitting the IMCA Supernationals in Boone, Iowa in September and we’ll run the Harris Clash at Deer Creek (Minnesota) too.”
In 2020 the Schmidt Motorsports stable competed in a total of 45 nights. The game plan in ’21 is to exceed that by at least five and even possibly ten nights. Going for broke you might say. “It is nice that we have a track in the area that is running Sundays anyways and that helps us out in what we’re trying to do,” Schmidt confessed. “If there is an event out of state within reason we’ll go down there and try to hit it.”
To his knowledge Schmidt admitted he may be the only sportmod team from northeast Wisconsin to run that many nights this season. “You do get teams on occasion who’ll run three straight nights locally but very few if any do it every week like we do,” Schmidt said. “It’s not easy.”
Schmidt’s season will begin later this month with Nebraska’s Dirt Crown Spring Tour March 25-28. Luckily, Schmidt’s employer Michael Peterson is generous with letting Schmidt off for racing. “He’s really good about it and dad saves his vacation days for racing too,” Schmidt said. “Grandpa Tom is retired so he can come along most anytime.”
Despite being just a teenager Schmidt has been making left hand turns and racing for several seasons now. Schmidt knows full well the enormous time commitment that lies ahead of him in ’21. “We all know what it will take,” Schmidt said. “To be this committed and stay on top of your game it’s an everyday grind. We’ll either be working on the car in the shop, traveling to a race or being at the races. We all know what we’re getting into.”
Sponsors who will be assisting Schmidt in his grueling 2021 racing schedule include MJI Building Services, DK Auto Body, Kailhofers Greenhouse, Anderson Plumbing, Titletown Manufacturing, St. Auburn Construction, T.S. Machine, Arcs N Sparks Frame Repair, Zirble Unlimited Services, Razor Chassis, Trophy Hunters Supply, Pelisheck Motorsports, Yurek Excavating, 5 Point Fabrication and Classic Chevy.
After his phenomenal season in ’20 Schmidt and the family had toyed with moving up the IMCA modified class this year. “We decided to hold off on that for at least one more year,” Schmidt explained. “But the way it’s looking there is a very good chance this could be my last year in sportmods and that next season we’ll be in a modified. We’ll see how this year plays out first.”