The Scoop
JOSH LAMBERT AND HIS MILITARY TRIBUTE RACE CAR
Posted on: Friday July 8, 2022
Casco’s Josh Lambert poses next to his military-themed IMCA modified designed by Victory Sign in Little Suamico, Wisconsin.
Josh and Mark Lambert wanted to do a tribute of sorts to all the veterans of the United States who served in the military.
And with a little help from Chad Nelson at Victory Signs in Little Suamico, Wisconsin they were able to do just that.
Josh, who’s 30 and lives in Casco, pilots an IMCA modified at northeastern Wisconsin dirt ovals. Mark is Josh’s dad and Mark served in the United States Army as a combat engineer from 1984 thru 1986.
The idea of a military-themed, tribute racecar initially came later in the 2021 season. “We were actually racing up in Escanaba, Michigan at UPIR (Upper Peninsula International Raceway,” said Mark Lambert. “Josh actually brought up the idea first and we continued to talk about it into the winter months about doing something different with our paint scheme as a salute to veterans. I almost teared up initially when Josh first brought up the idea.”
Enter “Sticker Chad” Nelson from Victory Sign who ultimately came up with the unique camo-based paint scheme/full wrap which acknowledges all branches of the military. “We had quite a bit of all of this planned out ahead of time,” Mark Lambert admitted. “And we pretty much let Chad (Nelson) work his magic. He really knocked it out of the park. The car looks great.”
Although Mark Lambert served in the United States ARMY, all branches of the military are recognized in the race cars design.
What veterans in the military often do is make a ‘sacrifice’ for their country. Lambert’s many sponsors also ‘sacrificed’ in a different way by not having their logos splashed all over the race car in support of the race car’s unique design. “All of our sponsors were on board with what we were doing 100 percent when we approached them,” Mark Lambert explained.
Lambert’s number 5 racer is a true conversation piece both on and off the racetrack. The Lambert’s have taken part in local parades to show off their salute to the vets. “We get some great comments from both veterans and non-veterans all the time who tell us they really love the race car,” Mark Lambert said.
Every inch of Lambert’s IMCA modified is covered with some sort of a military/war theme.
Every inch of the race car’s unique wrap has a little scrap of military and war history associated with it. “There is quite a bit of detail that goes into this that many people may not notice unless you look at it up close,” Mark Lambert pointed out.
Take the nose piece for example – right inside of the front nerf bar. “That’s a design from an 810 warthog from the U.S. Air Force,” Mark Lambert said. “If you look around where the engine is you’ll see some bombs on the car representing some bombing missions that took place in World War II.”
Not even the engine area is immune from some sort of military signage.
On the sides of the car one can notice exhaust pipes from war planes. “We just dropped the car off by Chad (Nelson), he did his thing and we just picked it up when he was done with it.”
Josh Lambert wheels a brand-new Razor chassis and admittedly is still working the bugs out of the new piece of iron in the never-ending quest for speed. “We started out the year at 141 Speedway (Francis Creek) and tried Shawano and hit Luxemburg too,” Josh Lambert explained. “We missed a couple of weeks at some tracks, so we’re not really committed to running at any one track anywhere.”
Lambert’s car is one of just a handful of chassis of that type competing in the United States. “It’s a concept chassis and we’ve been working with Travis Roth trying to work the bugs out of this car,” Mark Lambert said. “These modifieds are a lot more technical than the sportmods we used to race. Sometimes it feels like the two classes are two totally different worlds. We’ve got the only chassis like this in Wisconsin.”
When Josh isn’t making left hand turns on the local dirt tracks, he works on a local farm.
In addition to Josh’s dad Mark Lambert, other crew members who keep the No. 5 car running regularly include Dave Pribeck, Steve Kaiser, Mike Leiterman Josh’s sister Tara Lambert and his mother Ann who always keeps a crock pot full of goodies to eat inside of their enclosed trailer.
Lambert’s team of marketing partners for his IMCA modified include Pribek Trucking, Cabinet Creations, Jandrin Trucking, Anderson Construction, Otto’s Meats, J. Jadin Inc., Lorrigan Construction, American Power Transmission, Blazei Hoof Trimming, Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, Ron’s Wisconsin Cheese, Crow Bar & Grill, Wautlet Farms, Deal Gang Meats, Schaeffer Oil and Victory Sign.