Profile On: Chad Heimbaugh!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Chad Heimbaugh #04 360 Sprint Car
Growing up with Mackie Heimbaugh, 1985 360 Champion, as your uncle, its easy to see why Chad Heimbaugh always dreamed of racing a sprint car. At the age of 35, with no other racing experience, Chad got his chance to make his dream come true.
In 2008, during the Master’s Classic practice night, Frankie Heimbaugh, previous driver of the 04 sprint, was in a horrific crash which badly injured his back causing him to forgo the remainder of the season and inevitably ending his racing career. The opportunity presented itself for Chad to purchase the 04, and Mackie came with the deal as crew chief! This has been the highlight of Chad’s racing- he enjoys all the family interaction and is very appreciative that Mackie has been able to stay as involved with the car as he was when his cousin, Frankie raced. Chad had been a part of Frankie’s crew for years, so knew the ins and outs of working on the cars and knew how much dedication was involved- so he was ready for the 2009 season to begin.
The 2009 season was a huge learning curve for Heimbaugh- he laughs that his first important lesson in a sprint car that to ease into a turn at high speeds, you have to remember to stay in the gas, not get off the gas! Chad is impressed with the fact that he was able to finish the season, and got 28th in overall points. He chose to race at Knoxville because that was always his dream, and its economical proximity to Chad’s home town of Pleasant Hill.
2010 brought a little more success for Heimbaugh, as he was able to make a few more A Main Events (making 4 on the season), including a career best finish of 14th on Twin Features Night. He got 18th in points last season.
This season, the Eagle Chassis- Bill McCuen Motors team added Johnny Anderson to the crew- also a cousin of Chad’s. With Johnny’s recent decision to quit driving, this opened up the opportunity for the guys to pull forces and team up. Chad has benefited from Johnny’s many years of racing- and the set ups that Johnny has brought to the team have partnered with Chad’s driving style and helped him move forward in the car. Heimbaugh hopes for a top ten finish this season and to continue making more feature events.
In the future, Chad would love to put the Heimbaugh name next to another 360 Track Championship Title. He has no plans to move up from a 360, but would like to travel to more tracks and learn how to race on a short track. Ultimately, Chad hopes to get more competitive over the next few seasons and to gain more consistency in his driving.
Sponsors for the season include C & J Tap Two, New York Life with Mike Palmer, Fairlane Bowling, Yaws Auto Salvage, Signs Creations, and Dee Zee. Crew include Mackie Heimbaugh, Johnny Anderson, Richie Leach, Candy Heimbaugh, and Jenny Anderson. Chad and his wife, Charla, have three children; Jessee, Kayla, and Mason. When they have spare time, the family enjoys camping and bowling, but most of the summer is consumed with racing related activities! Chad is a forklift operator for DeeZee Manufacturing.
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