Profile On: Eric Vanderploeg!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Eric VanderPloeg, #10 360 Driver
After a three-year hiatus at Knoxville Raceway, Eric VanderPloeg is back behind the seat of a sprint car, driving the Wares-Harrison Motorsports number 10. The 22-year old Altoona native is no stranger to racing either. With an extensive resume around the track in anything that goes fast, VanderPloeg will be an exciting driver to watch.
Newly dubbed the “Ice Man”, VanderPloeg does a lot besides racing off the track as well. With a new dry ice business under way, Eric spends his day driving dry ice around the metro in his delivery van to anyone in need of it, hence the nickname, “Ice Man”. VanderPloeg jokes that he is ready to race the van, and team up with someone for a commercial opportunity! Move over Dale Jarrett and UPS! All kidding aside, this determined racer has done a lot outside of racing. With a nearly completed business management degree, working full time at his Burtek Dry Ice business, where Eric finds time to teach himself to play the guitar is impressive! In his free time, Eric also enjoys riding 4 wheelers as well as playing in the worship band at Altoona’s Church of the Cross.
VanderPloeg blames his obsession with fast moving machines on his grandfather, Ron Stubbs. When Eric was just four years old, his grandfather would let him ride around on the tractors and skid loaders at his building sites. Then one day, Eric decided it was his turn to run the skid loader by himself! So, at the ripe old age of four, VanderPloeg began back filling basements. So small that passers-by couldn’t see the youngster, police were called in to assist with the ghost-ridden machinery, only to find a small boy operating it! Then to make matters worse, Grandpa Ron bought the young Eric a 4 wheeler to run around on the farm property. Its been all down hill since, as he continued to move up to faster moving methods of movement. When VanderPloeg was nine, his father moved him into competitive go-karts, which he’s been racing ever since.
At the age of ten, VanderPloeg won his first National Title in his class. He’s been racking up wins ever since; winning 9 Nationals, over 300 race wins, and earning Expert status in every class he’s raced in. VanderPloeg is still very involved in karting, in fact, he just won the Ed Peterson Memorial Race in Newton over Memorial Day Weekend. Eric also owns a kart that Jake Strayer of Newton runs for him. Jake reminds Eric of himself, he’s a very determined young man, and extremely talented. Jake inspires Eric with his natural talent and ability to race. Jake won last year’s Nationals at the English Creek Karting Speedway. Some day, Eric knows he’ll be the one watching Jake race sprint cars! Winter time finds VanderPloeg racing at coke syrup races, where they throw down soda pop syrup on the track surface and turn 5 second laps! Eric says they are in lapped traffic after the first lap, and he has a blast racing.
Summer time has now found VanderPloeg back in a 360 sprint- finally! Three years off of racing was hard to do, but now that he’s back, he hopes to not go back to taking summers off in a sprint. In 2002, VanderPloeg began his sprint car racing career with his father, Tim in a 410. With a hero like Johnny Anderson to watch as you grow up in the karting world, VanderPloeg was determined to follow Johnny into the sprint world as well. Eric has always looked up to Johnny, and since he never got a chance to race him the same karting class, he wanted a chance to whip him in a sprint! That first season was a good one for Eric, as he had highlights that included qualifying for the B Main of the Nationals, as well as winning a heat race at the Front Row Challenge in Oskaloosa just before the Nationals. He even traveled up to Husets a few times and made an Outlaw A Main and was part of the Dash.
The following season of 2004, Eric was hired by Josh Higday to drive his familiar number 24 360 sprint to run a full season at Knoxville. He won a feature and ended up 4th in overall points for the year.
The following seasons of ‘05, ‘06, and ‘07 found VanderPloeg in and out of a few cars here and there, but nothing consistent. He ran a few races in Leonard McCarl’s ride, as well as the Jeff and Jerry Smith #86 car out of Missouri.
Over the winter of 2007-2008, the vacancy in the Wares-Harrison ride found VanderPloeg on the phone with Steve Wares, accepting a ride full time at Knoxville once again. The team hit a few pre season races before Knoxville, and then hit it hard to try to put the #10 up front. With several rain outs this year, its been a slow start to the season, but VanderPloeg is bound to have a great season in the Eagle-Weseman sprint.
Sponsors this year are Burtek Dry Ice, Goodyear Tires, Vander Kamp Framing, Bradley Tools and Fasteners, and of course, Wares-Harrison Motorsports. Loyal crew include owners Steve Wares and Vern Harrison; Helen Fisk, Brandon Wagner, and Jeff Jeffreys. Eventually, VanderPloeg plans on having t-shirts available this season as well.
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