Interesting hobbies come in many different forms. For junior TJ Reichenberger, this is racing competitively with a street stock car. The raceway in Beaver Dam Raceway has racing competitions every Tuesday against people from Montello, Randolph, Watertown, and Iron Ridge.
“I practice when I’m out there racing, that’s the only practice we got. We practice at Beaver Dam where I race. I drive around circles and hit people, even get hit by those people,” Reichenberger said.
Reichenberger is not the first in his family to enjoy the hobby of racing. His whole family has done racing for many years. The newest Reichenberger to start racing is his younger sister who is about to turn five, she will start with go-karting for a while then move up to street car racing if she wants to keep the tradition going.
“I feel thankful we have the knowledge and resources for TJ to keep up this family tradition that has been going since the late 1960s,” mother and TJ’s Business Manager Nicole Reichenberger said.
The team that TJ has is not only his family but they are people who have inspired him and helped him with knowledge about the car, driving the car, and even helping him when his car has been damaged.
“My grandpa was a huge inspiration to start racing, my uncle has been racing for 15 years, and my dad 20 years, and I have been racing since I was five years old, so I’ve been racing for 12 years. My whole family has done it my whole life, been racing forever. I guess it’s just in my blood,” TJ said.
The car he races in is a street stock car that he has repaired and rebuilt before each new racing season. TJ’s determination has paid off.
“I have gotten awards, and they were flags and trophies. In other words you get a little sticker and a flag if you’re in the heat race, and if you’re in the feature race you get a little plaque. And if you win the feature it would be $450 if you win, so there is money in it, too,” TJ said.
Among his biggest supporters are his parents, his family, and his girlfriend Emilee Wegner, ‘23.
“I support TJ by going to every race that I am able to. It is cool to see him be so into racing because not everyone has a hobby that they have an extreme passion for,” Wegner said.
Some of the things that happen on the track are very scary for the family because the cars can run into each other and ruin something in the engine or ruin the side of the car, or even hurt the person inside the car.
“It has been so neat watching him grow and learn over the years, but honestly I am a nervous wreck every time he drives out on the track. I know it’s his passion so I support and help anyway I can,” Nicole said.