It’s been a few years since a member of the Trickle family has been a part of the Oktoberfest Race Weekend at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin. With the passing of Dick Trickle in 2013, there has been a void, but that will be void will disappear this year with the entry filed by Dick’s great nephew Chris Trickle.
The 16-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada will make his second trip to Wisconsin and compete in a new Super Late Model Hamke chassis from Jim Wisz’s Race Car Help in Amherst, Wisconsin during the four days on October 6, 7, 8, and 9.
The great nephew of the legendary driver is eager to make his first visit to Oktoberfest and hopes to make the starting field for Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons on Friday, October 7th. He also hopes to compete in The Futures race on Thursday, October 6th and the ARCA Midwest Tour’s Oktoberfest 200 on October 8, 9.
“I’ve heard there are going to be a lot of really good drivers there, and there will be good competition,” Chris Trickle said. “I also heard that they put the pedal to the metal on the last lap.”
The young driver got to know his famous great uncle while he was growing up.
“Me and him were pretty close,” Trickle explained. “I just know that he was a real man, and the most down to earth guy that I ever knew. I have heard a lot of good stories and I am eager to listen to more stories about him.”
When asked about any personal memories he has of Dick Trickle, he didn’t hesitate with a recollection.
“He came out to the track in 2010 when I was racing bandoleros. It was our championship night and I won it,” Trickle recalled. “He told me to keep my nose clean and that I have a bright future.”
He also been part of Trickle’s practical jokes that many others who knew him fell victim to in his career. He especially recalls about Trickle telling him that he saw a rat and had him worried for about an hour.
Chris Trickle is currently in his second full year racing Super Late Models on the west coast at some tracks like Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, California, Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, California and the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He won in his third start last season and finished third in points along with claiming the Rookie of the Year honors at The Bullring. He admitted being in a sophomore slump this year, but hopes picking up a win during Oktoberfest will turn his year around.
He is quite aware of the history of Oktoberfest and his great uncle. The opportunity he will have by competing left him speechless.
“Words can’t describe it,” Trickle said. “It feels amazing to get on a track that my great uncle has won at and hopefully I can win on and carry on the legacy. I know I will have my hands full when I go up there.”
The fourth-generation driver is the grandson of Chuck Trickle (Dick’s brother), who bought him his first go kart when he was five years old. His uncle, also named Chris Trickle, was working his way up the racing levels in the mid 90’s until he was shot in a drive by shooting in 1996, and passed away on March 25, 1997, an unsolved mystery to this day.
The 47th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend takes place on October 6, 7, 8 and 9 at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin. 17 divisions will be competing over four days of racing action on the quarter-mile and 5/8-mile oval.
More information can be found at www.oktoberfestraceweekend.com.