The Scoop
JOEL BENNETT – AN OLD SCHOOL, D-I-Y DIRT RACER
Posted on: Friday June 3, 2022
Second generation racer Joel Bennett of Hortonville poses next to his MB Customs late model at Shawano Speedway.
Joel Bennett is keeping his family’s name relevant in the local dirt track scene – mainly at Shawano Speedway on Saturday nights.
The 40-year-old from Hortonville, Wisconsin is in his 14th season of racing dirt late models across Wisconsin. He comes from a large racing family that is well known across the region. And to top it off the Bennett boys were “assigned” their racing numbers by their Dad “Mr. B” Bobby Bennett.
Joel’s number is 7 as he was the sixth Bennett kid to go racing. Dad (Bobby) sported number 1. Joel’s eldest brother is a former Shawano Speedway champion and multi-time Slinger Super Speedway and Wisconsin International Raceway champion Lowell Bennett. Lowell’s number has always been 2.
Brady Bennett sported number 3 while Tim Bennett runs number 4. David Bennett sported number 5, Aaron Bennett number 6 and Joel with 7 – all in the order of how they were born. “I actually had to fight with me sister Becky to get that number 7,” Bennett joked. “Becky did some grass drags and other stuff and she wanted the 7.
The Bennett’s have raced on both paved and dirt tracks over the years. Lowell switched over to the pavement full time after the 1981 season, but Joel has always had a penchant for the dirt tracks. “I’ve never had a car on the pavement and just seemed to stick with the dirt from day one,” Bennett explained. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to try but just wasn’t in the cards.”
It’s “all hands on deck” when the Bennett family is at the race track.
Like the rest of the Bennett kids Joel began helping his dad “Mr. B” out in the shop at a very young age. “I remember I was 12 years old when dad would sneak me into the pit area because he really didn’t have any other pit crew,” Bennett recalled. “At that time dad had gotten back into racing a dirt late model from racing a Pro 4 car. And when it came time for me to race that’s what I did, Pro 4’s. The Pro 4’s were a lot of fun.”
The Pro 4’s were a class that raced weekly on Friday nights in the mid-1990s at Chilton Speedway’s now defunct quarter-mile, clay oval. Prior to that the class, developed by Bonduel’s Terry Kralovetz, were called mini-stocks when they got their start at Shawano Speedway’s half-mile in the 1980’s.
Joel Bennett’s sons Jett and Roczen both lend a hand in the pit area wherever Joel races.
Joel is passing on many of the same things his own dad taught him. And that includes keeping his own two sons Jett and Roczen involved in his racing program. “The boys help out in the shop quite a bit and they travel with me to races if it isn’t a school night,” Bennett explained. “They are still kids and sometimes they want to just play. But I try to teach them something like my dad did to me.”
Now in his 14th season of late model racing Joel Bennett wheels an MB Customs chassis on Saturday nights at Shawano Speedway and the Dirt Kings Tour events. “What’s amazed me is how the technology with these cars has changed since I started racing late models,” Bennett pointed out. “14 years ago, everyone it seemed was hiking their left front tire up off the ground a foot or a foot-and-a-half. Now all four tires are locked down pretty tight and the rear ends are hiked up. It’s crazy really but in my opinion that technology is cool and makes these cars so fun to drive.”
Dirt late models don’t have too many options in Wisconsin to compete at weekly anymore. On the eastern half of the state, it’s Shawano and Plymouth Dirt Track – both of which race on Saturday nights. “That’s one of the reasons I really like the Dirt Kings Tour is because it gets us to some different tracks,” Bennett said. “I like when we run at Seymour because that’s close to home. I enjoy tracks like 141 (Speedway) and Plymouth but probably my favorite track is Mississippi Thunder Speedway over at Fountain City. It’s a long hike to get there but it’s so wide and you can race just about anywhere on that track. It’s so wide you can throw some pretty good sliders and go four wide sometimes. It reminds me of the old Sunnyview Speedway (Oshkosh) only with more banking. And the best part of traveling is you are always learning something new and with Dirt Kings the regulars are tough enough and then you have the track’s regulars wherever you go who are always tough. It just makes you a better racer.”
Joel Bennett scored a feature win at Shawano Speedway earlier in ’22. He’s shown here in victory lane at Outagamie Speedway in Seymour following a Dirt Kings heat win. (danlewisphoto.net)
Bennett has an old school characteristic to him in that if he can build something or fix it himself, he’ll do it. “My dad was a true pioneer and taught me a lot of life lessons,” Bennett explained. “One of them was building things yourself. I can build my own transmissions, rear ends and motors. That’s all because of what dad taught me. Sure, it takes more time, but you can save yourself some money and the other benefit is you can teach your kids what you’re doing as you go along too.”
When Bennett is racing on the track, he’s also conscious of the cost of the sport and hesitates to make a foolish move that could hurt his pocketbook. “I’ve always tried to be really easy on my tires for example,” Bennett explained. “I mean one full night of maintenance in the shop is usually dedicated to tire maintenance. So, when I’m in a race it’s hard for me to justify passing somebody towards the end for a move that may net me $10 more but could burn the tire up. Many times, I’ll opt to save the tire so I can use it again.”
Joel’s oldest brother Lowell is still racing while in his mid-60’s. How long will Joel race? “I would love to think I could keep racing that long,” Bennett explained. “My goal is to be as competitive as I can be until the time my boys want to get into it. It’s all about getting them a better start than I when I began my own racing career.”
In addition to his sons, other pit crew members who lend a hand with his number 7 late model include Brandon Thebo and Nolan Theisen.
Bennett’s team of sponsors includes Wegner Automotive Research, Trees By Brady, Servicemaster and Visionary Metals.