The Scoop
TUNDRA CHAMP RILEY STENJEM – MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Posted on: Thursday January 20, 2022
Riley Stenjem celebrates with his team at Dells Raceway Park after clinching the 2021 TUNDRA super late model series title. (TUNDRA PR photo)
Riley Stenjem isn’t yet a household name in Wisconsin’s pavement short track ranks – but he’s getting there.
The 22-year-old from Stoughton, Wisconsin continues to slowly climb that proverbial ladder amongst top-flight, blue chip super late model racers in the Midwest. Stenjem, who won the TUNDRA super late model series title in ’21, plans on defending that crown in 2022 in addition to spreading his wings a bit into other tracks and series.
With his successful campaign a year ago Stenjem’s name is slowly starting to work its way into the same conversations with names like Casey Johnson and Ty Majeski when those talks center around the state’s super late model pavement scene.
Riley Stenjem displays the hardware at the TUNDRA super late model series 2021 awards banquet. (EPYK Media photo)
When he’s not racing Stenjem is a senior at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). Stenjem has plans to graduate in November of this year with a degree in mechanical engineering. “I’d love to eventually work in the racing industry in some capacity,” Stenjem explained. “Whether it’s here in Wisconsin somewhere or moving down south who knows. That all remains to be seen.”
Stenjem explained he’s also taking his racing career literally ‘year-by-year.’ Stenjem lives directly between Madison and Jefferson and has raced more frequently at Jefferson in recent years which he called his “home track.” “I started racing go karts when I was 12 and moved two racing INEX Legends a few years later,” Stenjem said. “We’ve been doing the late model thing since 2018.”
When you ply your craft weekly at a track like Jefferson, aptly called “Wisconsin’s action track,” one could easily argue the fact that Jefferson’s tricky quarter-mile, paved oval can prepare a driver for just about any other paved track in the Midwest. “With our limited late model at Jefferson we’d run 50 lap features every week,” Stenjem recalled. “So, if you get fast time for example, you start the feature 14th. When you win a feature at Jefferson trust me when I say you’ve more than earned it because most of the time you will have had to work your way through the field.”
Jefferson’s oval is what Stenjem described as a “big quarter-mile.” “There is always a lot of two and three wide action at Jefferson,” Stenjem admitted. “That track prepares you for every other track you’ll compete at. That place is flat on the bottom and has progressive banking in (turns) three and four. I know for me after racing at Jefferson, places like Plover, Wausau and the Dells sure do seem like a breeze.”
Evidence of his TUNDRA series title. “Truth is a lot of the TUNDRA series regulars don’t have a lot of experience at a place like Jefferson,” Stenjem confessed. “Jefferson is a home game for us and we’re glad TUNDRA has a show there.”
According to Stenjem TUNDRA’s “buy-in” plan which supplies teams with tires and pit passes for all six shows were just what the doctor ordered for their team. “We’re a family team and we don’t have an unlimited source of funding, so the TUNDRA deal was a really good fit for us,” Stenjem said. “We have one limited late model and one super late model and because of that we have to take really good care of our equipment.”
Another factor which drew Stenjem’s team to battle in the entire six race TUNDRA series was their location. “Where we live near Madison it’s really hard to race a super late model weekly anywhere real close,” Stenjem said. “Most of our team members can’t get off on Thursdays and tow north to race at WIR (Wisconsin International Raceway) in Kaukauna, for example. And a late Sunday night at Slinger would make for some rough Monday mornings heading to work. So, TUNDRA is a great fit for us and we will defend that series title in 2022.”
For TUNDRA series promoter and announcer Matt Panure, the six-race series remains the perfect fit for many teams who are in the same boat as Stenjem. “Riley had two major standout moments in his first season with TUNDRA (2020),” Panure said. “The first wasn’t too much of a surprise when he had a podium finish in his debut at Jefferson, his home track. What was surprising was when he set fast time at WIR in September. The only other guy I ever remember setting fast time in his first trip to WIR is Kyle Busch. It’s just something that doesn’t happen at that place.”
Panure added: “Riley is the model of consistency. He’s consistently fast. Despite it being his second season with us, we started to expect Riley to be a contender to win each race. He proved that point when he won at Marshfield in just his second ever trip there. He clearly has a ton of talent and his and his team’s dedication is what leads to his success.”
As a model of consistency Stenjem not only wound up in Marshfield’s victory lane but also placed in the top five in every other TUNDRA series race where his worst finish was at WIR where he finished fifth.
Riley Stenjem (77) in action at Marshfield Motor Speedway. (T.J. Harron photo)
For 2022 Stenjem will use his same Toby Car that was built by Majeski and Toby Nuttleman. “In 2021 we purchased that car and it was actually the first one those two had built together,” Stenjem explained. “I actually first met Ty racing on the internet. Up until that point I didn’t know Toby too well. But he was very helpful with any questions we had with that car.”
In addition to defending his TUNDRA title, Stenjem plans to hit all of five of the “Alive For Five” series races at Dells Raceway Park, beginning with the Icebreaker at DRP in April. “I never ran the Icebreaker race and overall haven’t run really well at the Dells,” Stenjem admitted. “So, we’re really looking to change our luck there a little bit.”
Also on Stenjem’s 2022 racing calendar will be some ARCA Midwest Tour shows. “We’ll likely pick and choose those,” Stenjem explained. “Right now, it’s looking like probably Jefferson and the Dells.
There are two tracks I haven’t run yet in a super late model – Hawkeye Downs (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Norway (Michigan). I’ve run Hawkeye Downs in a limited late model but have never been to Norway. We’d love to give that place a try and I hear a lot about their Stateline Challenge race up there.”
Stenjem breaks the stereotype of the young drivers who aren’t hands on. “My Dad (Randy Stenjem) is the car owner and mechanic and I do all the setup stuff myself during the week,” Stenjem explained. “I like to be hands on with everything we do and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. I think overall doing that makes you a more well-rounded driver.”
Other loyal team members include Randy Teigen who handles the teams’ tires and spotter Brian Tedeschi. Other crew members include Kade Vethe, Kevin Berg, Ross Stenjem, Stenjem’s mom Debbie and his girlfriend Bel Dennis. “We’re all a pretty tight knit family and have a lot of fun doing this,” Stenjem said. “Everybody chips in and Mom always has the coolers ready and films all the races for us. She’s filmed all of my races since I was racing go karts.”
When asked if Stenjem had any true “rivals” he mentioned Casey Johnson. “I think Casey is maybe eight years older than me and we don’t live far from one another,” Stenjem said. “While we don’t really
hang out or talk much outside the track he’ll always talk to us on race day. I always try to follow guys like him and Ty (Majeski) and see what lines they take and learn as much as I can from them. Those two guys always seem to be the ones to beat no matter where you race.”
Stenjem’s team of marketing partners includes the Screamin’ Norwegian, Hougan Farms, Hausz Contractors, Direct Networks, Stenjem Construction, Brown Heating and Air Conditioning, Kurts Welding, Stenjem Rosemaling, Utica Bar, D and D Olson Farms, Performance Parts Supply, Olson Auto Exchange, Gullickson Trucking, NORA’s, Two Sisters Inc., Phillips Graphics, Swift Springs, Wehrs Machine, Wegner Automotive Research and FRS Shocks.
Stenjem’s TUNDRA title defense will kick off at WIR May 14. The series website is tundrasuperlates.com.
