Why has Deece Schwartz won three DIRTcar pro modified championships? It might be because he’s had a great lineage of racers to learn from as a fourth-generation driver.
His great-grandfather, Jim Schwartz, started the family’s passion for the sport. Grandfather Denny Schwartz followed and then his father Danny. With a pedigree like that, it’s no wonder what sport Deece would try as a kid.
“I started racing karts when I was 12,” Deece, 21, of Ashmore, Illinois, said. “Then at 13, my dad and grandfather thought pro mods would be a good idea for me. My great-grandfather saw me race a modified — he passed away when I was 14.”
Denny Schwartz won the 2006 DIRTcar national modified championship. Denny not only instilled into Deece the work ethic required to win a national title, but also inspired him.
“I saw how he had his own ideas, made them work, and succeeded because how smart he was,” said Deece. “[My grandfather] was and is always ‘Mr. Excitement’ on the track — with wild and unpredictable moves. He races as hard as he could, always looking for the win. He is one of the best role models a kid could have.”
Deece sees his career paralleling his grandfather’s. Deece earned his first pro modified feature victory in 2019. From there, he took home the DIRTcar pro modified national title every year since 2022. Last season he won 17 of 33 DIRTcar-sanctioned features. He traveled the Midwest with his fiancée Hadley Laster and little brother Drew. In total, the Schwartz family fielded six cars last season: pro mods and mods for Deece and Drew, and mods for Denny and Danny.
“My dad had raced modifieds full time — he had a ride for a bit, but he chose to make time for family,” Deece said. “My older sister was born, and I was on the way. He gave up his big shot to be with his family, put food on the table, and enjoy family life.”
His father Danny instilled into Deece the importance of family.
“My brother Drew just started racing,” said Deece. “He’s learning a lot by watching me just like I watched my grandfather. We’re close because of racing. He’s surprised us all with a lot of podium finishes this season. Now I share the feeling my grandfather and father had when they saw me be successful. There’s nothing better than seeing my brother walk up with a big smile on his face, saying he is so appreciative of us.”
Deece Schwartz plans to once again defend his DIRTcar pro modified national title, and you can find the entire Schwartz clan, and then some, behind him.
“What is nice is that we do all of this as a family — racing, dinners, and even our initials,” Deece said, referring to his father’s, grandfather’s, and brother’s initials are all DWS. “It is a bonding thing — if one of us succeeds, all of us succeed.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
