It’s not uncommon to see drivers barely old enough to legally drive on the street chasing their dreams of becoming a race car driver. We are fortunate to have many young and talented drivers who are regulars at Jacksonville Speedway. What’s a little more uncommon – if not downright rare – is for a person to start chasing that dream at the age of 43. Mike Van Preter is one of those rare individuals. A few years ago he might have been sitting next to you in the grandstands while you both were thinking about how fun it would be to be behind the wheel. One night about three years ago, Mike bought his first pit pass after years of watching as a fan. That same night he strapped inside a UMP Modified and took the green flag in his first race. We spent a few minutes with Mike to learn a little more:
Tell us a little about your family.
I have an awesome wife, Jenny (she frequently tells me she’s awesome) and a two year old little boy-Max.
How did you become interested in racing?
My father loved racing and I started going to the races when I was very young. Our family would travel weekends in Illinois, Missouri and Indiana to tent camp and go to the races.
You started racing later in life than most drivers. How old were you when you drove a race car for the first time? What made you decide to move from the grandstands to driver’s seat?
I will soon be 48 years old and like nearly everyone in the stands, I had always wanted to drive a race car. Unfortunately, the timing never seemed to work out. When I was 42, I finally got the opportunity to drive 100 laps in a sprint car at Southern Iowa Speedway, a half-mile dirt track. What a blast! Two years later I told my wife that I wanted to give it a try for a season… This is the start of my fourth year.
Why did you jump into a modified as your first race car instead of starting off in a hornet or street stock or a more traditional entry level class?
One reason I started in a modified was that I had the opportunity to buy a complete car and more importantly, Steve Goulden offered to give me a “little” help. I am sure he had no idea how much help I would need. Thanks Steve! Also, the rules for street stock/sportsmen seemed to be constantly changing making me unsure of putting money in a car that could become illegal.
Has the learning curve over the past couple of years been easier or more difficult than you imagined?
The learning curve has been very steep coming from a guy that had never really driven a race car and had NO mechanical abilities. I’m “that guy” who didn’t change oil in my own street cars. The first time that I actually bought a pit pass, I actually owned a racecar to drive. If I didn’t get all the help from Jim Lyons, Jason Coe, Steve Goulden, Matt Goulden and Jeff Schmidt I would have been finished shortly after I started. There are several stories that get told on how much I didn’t know.
How long do you see yourself continuing to race? Do you hope to move into a different class – or are you planning to drive Modifieds until you give it up?
I have no real plan as far as how long I will continue to race. With my family and work responsibilities, I can only race one night a week. While I would love to get in a sprint car, late model or even a street stock, I need all the seat time I can to continue to improve in the modified.
Who is your favorite race car driver and what do you admire most about him (or her)?
I know that I am going to regret this, but when I was sitting in the Jacksonville stands a few years back, I rooted for Jimmy Moughan. He always drove hard and clean every lap. (I know I should have said Bobby Hawks! )
What was your wife’s reaction when you told her you wanted to start driving race cars?
My wife has been very supportive of my desire to race. She actually was my pit crew the first year, changing tires and helping out. Again, as I mentioned…I sold her on the idea that, “I wanted to give it a try for a season.” We both get a laugh out of that line.
If you could change one thing about racing Modifieds what would it be?
I probably wouldn’t change much with the modifieds currently. While they’re not cheap to run, they are more reasonable that sprints or late models and seem to have good car counts and great racing in the area. I agree with those that say anything associated with the word racing is going to be expensive. If you make a rule to reduce costs, you will end up having racers spend even more money on another area of the car.
Tell us more about your occupation as a Business Management Consultant. What types of projects are you involved in?
I work in the area of healthcare financial management. Mostly assisting anesthesia and radiology physician groups manage their medical practices.
What is the best race car you have ever seen?
The first DirtWorks car that I actually owned, “what a ride!” I remember when it was dropped off in my driveway and I was so excited and at the same time thinking, “Now what the heck did I do?”
Seriously, I still get excited to see a car on an open trailer going down the road. It doesn’t matter what type of car; it’s someone’s pride and joy.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Mike Van Preter a little better. We will be sharing more stories of drivers, fans and crew members in future weeks. If you know of someone with an interesting story who is a regular at Jacksonville Speedway, please let us know.