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By Steve Eighinger
CHAPIN, Ill. — The next stop in Paul Niehiser’s season of success will be Friday night’s Herb Barlow Memorial at Jacksonville Speedway.
And what a season it has been.
The 16-year-old Triopia High School student has firmly established himself as one of the region’s rising talents in the 410 sprint cars.
“There is no greater feeling than getting into the car, strapping yourself in and getting in ‘that zone,’” Nienhiser said. “That’s when the adrenalin just takes over.”
Nienhiser and his familiar No. 9 power plant will be one of the principal names to watch in Friday’s marquee event sanctioned by the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA). Also on the card are the Lucas Oil POWRi Midgets, Micros and Street Stocks. Racing starts at 7 p.m.
Nienhiser will return to Jacksonville with plenty of momentum on his side. He collected his first checkered flag in a 410 sprint Sept. 1 at the challenging .29-mile bullring in Quincy, a victory that may serve as the punctuation to what has been Nienhiser’s breakout season.
“I’d have to say that win is the highlight of my career so far,’ Nienhiser, who outdueled former Jacksonville Speedway Rookie of the Year Joey Moughan of Springfield. “The whole race was pretty close to the edge.”
Nienhiser rode the cushion and incorporated a handful of breathtaking slide jobs that earned more than one ovation from an appreciative crowd.
“The bullring-type tracks usually make for close, exciting racing … and some hot tempers,” Nienhiser said. “Those are the kind of tracks you just get up on the wheel and say, ‘Let’s go!”
Nienhiser has two other feature wins this year, both in a 360 sprint at Iowa tracks in West Burlington and Donnellson.
Nienhiser has been racing since he was 5 1/2 years old. That’s when started trading paint in a quarter-midget, working his up the dirt-track ranks to this year’s seat in a 410 sprint. But it’s more than the nuts, bolts, power and speed of a race car that makes motorsports so appealing to Nienhiser.
“I’d like to have a career in motorsports, and sure, being a driver would be my first choice … but there are a lot of other opportunities,” he said. “You always need a ‘Plan B.’”
Schoolwork is equally important for Nienhiser, especially math, which also plays an important tole in racing. Nienhiser loves to dive into the physics of racing, which makes him appreciate all of the other options tied to the sport besides driving the car.
Nienhiser’s team is an operation run entirely by family and close friends. Along with his dad, John, and mom, Bev, Nienhiser is helped by Bobby Hawks, Roger Willhite and Roger Staake.