The Scoop
LANCE ARNESON AND HIS 12-YEAR-OLD CREW CHIEF GREYSON
Posted on: Thursday April 30, 2026
Abrams’ Lance Arneson poses with his pit crew of youngsters at Shawano Speedway’s season opening race April 25.
Lance Arneson’s young pit crew is reminiscent of the popular movie “Six Pack” with Kenny Rogers in the ’80’s.
The 45-year-old IMCA modified driver from Abrams, Wisconsin has an all-kids pit crew, led by his own 12-year-old son Greyson, and a couple of his buddies. Arneson, a veteran IMCA modified racer in the region for close to a quarter-of-a-decade, is back behind the wheel after stepping away from the sport for a couple of years.
Arneson has most certainly “been there” and “done that” when it comes to the local racing scene. He’s been an IMCA modified state champion (2011) and has won track titles at Shawano Speedway (2005) and also at the old Seymour Tri-Oval (2003, street stock title).
Arneson had a very good reason to step away from the sport of speed for a bit. Not long ago, Arneson launched his own business – Arneson Well Drilling LLC. The business consumes a bulk of his time, which leaves him with very few hours to thrash on his own race car in the shop.
Greyson Arneson isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
That’s where Greyson comes in. A racer himself locally with the karts and regionally on the UTV/Off Road scene, the younger Arneson isn’t one of these young kids who watches while the elders do all the work on the car. “He’s always been very hands on, even at a young age,” Lance said. “Greyson loves working on these full-sized race cars, and yes, he’s pretty much my crew chief. I’ve got more than enough on my plate with the well drilling business, so having Greyson as an extra set of eyes is huge. I couldn’t do it without him.”
Lance and Greyson Arneson
According to Lance, Greyson can do pretty much everything Lance can with the modified. “He’s pulled out engines, drive trains, and changed gears,” Lance pointed out. “He’s quick to do the nut and bolt checks, too. He can do it all, really. Anything I do with the modified he does as well. I’m always on Greyson that he needs to lead. I can’t stay on top of everything. Sometimes he catches stuff I don’t always catch. Even before we came to Shawano for opening night, we had an oil hose coming down from the breather and it was on the wrong side of the spring. I need someone who can think about what’s going on. He caught that.”
Work always comes first in the Arneson household. “It’s what pays for our racing and everything else we do,” Lance explained. “There are a lot of Saturdays where I’m working instead of being in the race shop working on the modified. Every few weekends or so, we’re off somewhere racing with Greyson.”
Lance Arneson in action at Shawano Speedway. (S and A Action)
Lance initially thought he was “washed up” being away from the sport for two seasons. “But, I was lucky enough to get into a brand new Rage chassis,” Lance explained. “Their tech support and setups are top notch. This car has been fast out of the box, and I really don’t have to do much with it at all.”
Arneson bought the car brand new with an eye towards the future. In two years when Greyson turns 14, he will start his own oval track racing career on the dirt locally. The father-son duo plan to convert the Rage chassis into an IMCA northern sportmod. “That’s why I wanted this car to be somewhat new,” Lance pointed out.
For Greyson, jumping up to the bigger cars is something he’s had an eye on since he was a little shaver. “I’ve learned a lot from watching Dad,” Greyson said. “It’s put me ahead a little bit with the off-road stuff. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I was little. It will be nice to race the sportmod one day.”
For 2026, with the roughly every-other-week off-road racing schedule, and Lance putting in 50-60 hour work weeks with drilling wells, weekly racing anywhere is not an option. “We’ll bounce around a lot between Shawano, 141 Speedway, Luxy Raceway and Outagamie Speedway with the modified,” Lance explained. “We’re going to mix it up a bit. I’ve chased points and titles. Those days are done. Too much else going on with life.”
In northeast Wisconsin, fans and drivers alike are pretty spoiled compared to other parts of the country. “I’m still amazed there are as many people still racing these days,” Lance said. “If you travel to race out-of-state, you quickly realize how lucky we are to have four or five tracks within 45 minutes of each other. At some tracks out of state, you might not even get paid if you finish outside of the top 10. At least we still have payoffs throughout the field here in Wisconsin. If they tried that around here, I’m pretty sure there would be an uproar. (Racing) is really dying off in a lot of places.”
Having been around the sport his entire adult life, Arneson insists on giving back to the sport. Arneson Well Drilling is the title sponsor of the IMCA modified class at Outagamie Speedway, and sponsors nights at other tracks. In addition, Arneson Well Drilling sponsors several race cars, go karts and off-road vehicles. “I’ve been around this sport my whole life, and you want to give back to the sport,” Arneson explained.
One of the biggest challenges in short track racing is keeping up with the ever-evolving technology that is a critical part of the game. “When I started racing a street stock when I was 16, there were a lot of things I was doing wrong,” Arneson confessed. “I began to surround myself with some good people. I’ve gone to suspension schools and stuff like that. I learned a lot. Overall, the basics are still there. A lot of things with the modified itself has changed. You really don’t even scale a modified anymore. We use a load stick. You just take your measurements and fine tune the car.”
The Drill Rig
The Arneson family lives by a “Work Hard, Play Hard” mentality, guided by God and family. “We pride ourselves in surrounding ourselves with good people,” Lance explained. “That’s what ultimately makes you successful at everything you do. We emphasize doing the right thing in business even when no one is looking. Balancing work with family and racing requires good employees, taking good care of those employees and customers, and setting boundaries for everyone to have a good work/life balance. But at the same time, we do whatever it takes to get the job done and take care of people.”
As a result, Lance puts Greyson to work at the business’ shop so he knows with grit is and instilling a solid work ethic.
And when Greyson takes over the wheel of the 75 modified/sportmod, will Lance keep on racing? “I’ll probably take a backseat when Greyson gets into it. My body hurts a lot more.”
Arneson’s 2026 marketing partners include Arneson Well Drilling, Holtger Brothers Inc. (HBI), Wouters’ Sports Bar, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Services and Victory Sign. To learn more about Arneson Well Drilling, check out their website arnesonwelldrilling.com.