Profile On: The Racing Heskins!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Davey Heskin, #56 410 Sprint
Danny Heskin, #6 360 Sprint
Dave and DJ Heskin, Butch Maxwell- The Heskin Family Racing Story
(Joanne Cram) There’s a lot to be said about a family legacy. St. Michael Minnesota’s Heskins’ have a long legacy of racing- beginning with Dave Heskin, trickling down to DJ Heskin (David Heskin II), then again to Davey Heskin (David Heskin III) and his brother, Danny Heskin. Add to all those Heskins, Grandfather Butch Maxwell, and the Heskin family racing team is complete.
It all began back when Dave Heskin pursued his racing dreams back in the day,
running IMCA sprints around the southern Minnesota area. The Heskin
grandchildren remember going to races to watch their Grandpa Heskin run. In
fact, up until last year, Dave had run every Master’s Classic race here at Knoxville
Raceway. After Dave decided to hang up his racing career (aside from those
yearly Master’s Classic Races each spring), he contributed to his son’s and
grandsons’ racing careers by owning the trailer that would transport their
dreams from track to track. There was even one year that all the Heskins’ were
racing, Dave, DJ, Davey and Danny- and they won a family award at the Arlington
Speedway for their family dedication to racing. Sadly, Dave Heskin lost his
battle with cancer last summer, but will be fondly remembered this and every
other Master’s Classic race. Grandpa Butch had his hand in racing as well, being around
racing for several decades. The Heskin boys say there isn’t a racetrack they go
to that Grandpa Butch doesn’t find someone he knows, and doesn’t hesitate to
strike up a conversation! Butch raced back in his day also, but has spent the
majority of his racing career as a mechanic, and most recently as a car
owner/mechanic.
When Dave’s son, DJ (an abbreviated version of David Heskin II) decided to race,
he was a junior in high school. DJ pursued hobby stocks at first, running
locally around Princeton, Minnesota and around the Twin Cities area. As DJ
climbed the racing ranks, he earned a second place track championship at
Arlington in a 360 sprint car. Then in 2003, DJ took the car to Knoxville to
race weekly.
All the while, sons Davey and Danny, who were racing themselves, worked on
sprints with their dad to help race every Saturday night in Iowa, then the
family would high-tail it back to Minnesota, swap trailers and head karting for
the Sunday races in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin at Flying Pines Kart Raceway. The
boys grew up scraping on sprint cars as soon as they could walk, so it was
inevitable that they too, would be driving the open wheeled cars.
In their early days, Davey and Danny began racing at the kart track in
Arlington, Minnesota, where youngsters had to be eight years old to race. Only
a year between the Heskin boys, Danny had to wait until it was his turn in the
kart. With just enough rule bending though, Danny found a way to get laps in by
practicing his brother’s kart in Davey’s class, then Davey would run his
practice laps in the next class up. After a few seasons of initiation at
Arlington, the Heskin boys decided to take their racing over to the Flying Pines
Kart Raceway about an hour away. The two brothers competed neck and neck most
years, with Davey running second to Danny one of those years. Davey ran second
for seven years in a row, and finally clinched his track championship in 2006,
the same year he was getting his feet wet in a sprint car at Knoxville.
In 2005, Davey turned 16 late in July. With only a few races left on the season
at Arlington, Davey hit the track in a 360 sprint. He remembers the feeling of
winning his first heat race on his second night of racing. Finding his knack
behind the wheel of a sprint car, Davey committed to a full time Knoxville
schedule for 2006. Knoxville has a way of commanding respect from new drivers
though. Davey spun out while racing in the B Main with his father, DJ. When
relining up from the yellow caused by Davey, DJ spun out just before he got to
the cone, which Davey laughs about being the reason for the first race he beat
his dad in. A season ending wreck later in 2006, found DJ hanging up the
driving gear, and putting on the full time mechanics gear for his two boys;
Davey running sprints, and Danny running karts.
2007 brought another full year of commuting from St. Michael, and a season
highlight of 4th place just before the Nationals for Davey. Danny began racing
a sprint in the 360 class at Knoxville as well in the number 65. He really
enjoyed getting the chance to run the 360 Nationals with all the best
competition from around the country showing up. This season, he’s dropped the 5
in his car number, hoping for better luck and plans to stick with the 360 for a
while. The family has a history with combinations of the numbers 5 and 6.
Grandfather, Butch says that the 5 and 6 add to 11, and 6 minus 5 is 1, equaling
the two greatest sprint car drivers, according to the Heskin’s: Steve Kinser
and Sammy Swindell.
In the future, both Heskin boys hope to continue racing as long as they are
still having fun. Davey wants to see how far he can take his career,
entertaining the idea of someday racing with the World of Outlaws or All Stars.
Danny says that he is having fun with racing right know- enjoying the ride, and doesn't
know quite yet where he wants his racing future to go.
Both boys are also pursing careers aside of racing. Davey is going into his
sophomore year at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, studying business and
economy. Danny has just graduated high school this week, and plans to attend
North Dakota State University in Fargo, possibly to study computer engineering.
The family enjoys snowmobiling when they are not racing, as well as time at the
lake.
Brothers being only a year apart, Davey 19 and Danny 18, have always been very
close, not just in age. The boys have had a lot of years of competition racing
in the same kart class, and Davey recalls many times how great of a learning
experience it is to not only have fierce competition on the track, but having to
ride home with your biggest competitor. It really teaches you how to be a
sportsman both on and off the track.
The Heskin boys also have a younger sister, Sami, who is 13 and very involved in
basketball, and their Mom, Joan, prefers to hear how the races go after the boys
return home. Davey says she gets nervous watching them all race!
Sponsors this season include Gruebel Farms of Melcher, Iowa; Deluxe Crates of
Blaine, Minnesota; Maxwell Racing, and Garrett Racing does the motors for the
Heskin program. Crew include dad, DJ; Grandfather and car owner, Butch Maxwell;
brothers Davey and Danny work on each others’ cars; Paul Jenkins drives truck
each week- and has graduated as each Heskin, (beginning with Dave and on through
the boys) has moved through their racing careers; and the Gruebel Family: Jeff,
Casey, Chelsea, and Amber. Davey’s girlfriend, Laura, also comes to the races
when she is able to- she attends college in Tampa, Florida.
Special thanks goes out to the Gruebel’s and Grandpa Butch Maxwell. The team
couldn’t do it without them!
The Heskins’ have t-shirts for sale, so if you’re in the pits, be sure to stop
by.
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