Wisconsin racer Jasper Drengler had to venture to Florida for work in February. So, he brought a car with him to race the Winter Warm-Up at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton, Florida. Drengler then came back with another race car (pictured in the background). With his work taking him all across the country — and sometimes beyond the borders — Drengler looks to take in some racing along the journeys.
“I get bored with weekly points racing,” said Drengler, 40, of Shawano, Wisconsin, who owns a company that builds and maintains fireplaces of all kinds, from modest, to historic, to incredibly elaborate. “It’s also the drama of racing with the same people every week. I don’t want to deal with it. I want to hit up places where everyone is happy see you. That’s more fun to me.”
Drengler has raced in every state except for six — Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont. Yes, the includes Rhode Island, in competitive go-karts at R1 Indoor Karting in Lincoln. And, his list goes beyond the contiguous states, racing at Alaska Raceway Park in Palmer and Paradise Speedway Maui in Hawaii. Beyond the U.S., Drengler has competed in Australia, Canada, Germany, and Panama.
He has raced in various divisions on dirt and pavement ovals, as well as road courses. Drengler also competed in snowmobiles. He sometimes brings his own cars from Wisconsin, but he often rents rides or buys them on the spot.
“Sometimes, when people see me try to buy a race car, sight unseen, they think I’m crazy or a fraud, trying to rip them somehow,” Drengler said. “I’ve made a habit of wiring cash for cars I’ve never seen to people I’ve never met, and I’ve never been ripped off, yet.”
Jasper Drengler once raced professionally in what is now called the Fanatec GT World Challenge America series. He enjoys traveling the world, with his helmet in hand. Drengler has a few goals for 2022.
“I’m looking forward to the new Ozarks [International Raceway, a road course in Gravois Mills, Missouri],” said Drengler. “I’ve got a bunch of friends who live in the New Hampshire-Vermont area begging me to come see them. I’ve never been to those states [and raced]. If I could pull off a trip to Baja 1000 [and off-road truck event in Mexico], that would be unbelievable.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
