2021 Grant Recipients

A rookie season in racing is a critical year. It means learning the car, getting advice from competitors and finding your groove. Mike Winters knows this well. He's been Rookie of the Year in all of the five divisions he's competed in, but he’s no rookie to racing. 

After 10 years on pavement, Mike was offered an opportunity by Scott "Chico" Riedner to race on dirt. Racing a Street Stock on dirt was a positive shift for Mike and his racing career. It renewed his passion for the sport and ignited his drive to succeed. In his four years on the dirt at Beaver Dam Raceway he won four track championships including Rookie of the Year.

Mike’s recipe for success in short track racing is preparation, consistency and patience. Time in the shop is just as important as time on the track. Hard work will lead to a well-prepared race car that yields consistent performance. Season all of that generously with patience and enjoy the ride. 

After the 2019 season Mike took a year off. But, like any chef he couldn't stay out of the kitchen. He was a regular at tracks helping his peers in the pits and cooking his favorite recipe. Mike knows racers need support and encouragement. Just like Chico has been a mentor to him, he wants to be the same to others. After all, racing is meant to be fun.

Mike will return to the track in 2021 as a rookie in the 602 Late Model division at Dells Raceway Park. He's a champion on the dirt and wants to be a champion on the asphalt.

Karly Stadler is living her racing dream. She is driving an IMCA Stock Car in the division deemed "Too Tough to Tame". But that slogan doesn't distract Karly. Her father and former racer Dean taught her to be a clean driver. To keep her focus on racing the track and not the other cars. This approach has earned her the respect of her peers and the reputation of being a class act. Karly strives to be the best person she can be on and off the track.

Happiness and enjoying racing is Karly's priority. Her success on the track and the trophies she's earned are the byproduct. That philosophy was proven when she won her first IMCA Stock Car feature in 2019. Getting there took years of learning and maturing. There were nights she was out-driven, out-powered and out-moneyed. But, she knows the good nights outweigh the bad and her fans always have her back.

Karly is a fan favorite. She has been racing since age 11 and is determined to be a role model to girls. Her motto "This One's for the Girls" is a tribute to current and future female racers. She dedicates her efforts to the advancement of women in auto racing. She carries herself with a mature and calm demeanor that is amplified by her high standards of sportsmanship.

Outside of the driver seat, Karly continues as an advocate for girls by mentoring her Little Sister as a Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley.

Every racer has their roots. A track they call home and people that stand by their side. For Faith Zellmer and the HZ17 Racing team, those roots are deep. The team was formed in 1996 when Faith's mother Darlene fell in love with Legend cars. The Zellmer family’s close friend Wayne “Hutch” Hutchinson bought a car that Darlene competed in one for two years on asphalt and dirt. The third year her husband Tim got behind the wheel.

After the 1999 season, the car went into storage while Darlene and Tim focused on starting a family. Faith was born in 2002, her sister Mary in 2004 and brother Adam in 2007.

By 2009, Faith was racing dirt oval karts at Beaver Dam Raceway. During the next ten years, she and her siblings would all be successful at the track winning multiple kart championships. The team became a fixture there during summer Tuesday night kart racing. To this day they are always welcoming new racers and lending a hand to competitors.

In 2019, Faith turned 16 and the Legends car Hutch had stored 20 years prior returned to the track. The roots Darlene and Tim nurtured as parents had blossomed into a second generation Legends racer. Faith is a fan favorite and while very quiet, always lights up when a young fan asks for an autograph.

The HZ17 Racing team embodies grassroots racing. Their high standards of integrity and humility are a shinning example to their peers. They let their hard work and honest approach be the fruit of their family tree.

Being born into a family of racers often means racing is in your blood. But it's not the only thing in flat track racer Patrick Tratar’s blood. A long line of addiction and alcoholism meant he was also predisposed to that. Substance abuse consumed Patrick for a period of time and he found himself in prison.

When Patrick was released from prison in 2017 he chose to hit the track and begin his road to recovery in society. He took up the mantra, "When life gives you a curve, lean into it". He met his girlfriend Hannah, her daughter Grace and nephew Matyx at the track. Matyx was a broken boy, the product of addiction – fatherless. Their family would be built at the race track.

In the summer of 2019, Tratar Racing became a two-man team with Matyx joining Patrick. Though injuries would sideline Patrick and strip his chance of winning the championship, his relationship with Matyx helped him rise above and maintain focus. Patrick would heal and finish an abbreviated 2020 season earning his first class championship with Matyx finishing 2nd and 3rd in his classes.

Patrick is an incredible mentor to not only Matyx but other youth riders, their parents and newcomers. At eight years old, even Matyx has become a mentor to his competitors and is a radiant reflection of Patrick's influence on him. Both racers are making a difference in amateur flat track motorcycle racing and are the essence of champions.