Jam Profile: Bill Wegmann

For over 50 years Bill Wegmann has been a fixture in auto racing on Long Island, he started his racing career back in the mid 1960’s at Freeport Stadium which was were he drove in the Street Stock division. “It was the least expensive division,” said Wegmann, “and back then we raced three times a week (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights).”

As the years went by Wegmann moved to the Blunderbust division.  It was a new division that became popular fast, where the cars were usually full size cars like oldsmobile 98’s, Buick Park Ave’s and even Cadillac’s that weighed over 4000 lbs. Unlike the Street Stocks, the Blunderbusts only ran once or twice a week which make it easier on the drivers, teams and their families.

Nowadays Wegmann takes to Riverhead Raceway, driving the No. 79 Blunderbust, every Saturday night where he not only races against his fellow competitors but his son, Billy and grandson, Derek “I love competing against them,” said Wegmann, “it always is a lot of fun, especially when I beat both of them. I get to rub it in a little.”

Even after 50 years of being behind the wheel of a racecar, Wegmann still is going strong being only 71 years young. In a recent time trail race, Wegmann qualified as the second fastest time out of the entire field even with him being three times the age of most of his competitors. Even after all these years, Wegmann still gets behind the wheel of the same Blunderbust car that he started out in back in 1989 which was a 1974 Oldsmobile 98.

Wegmann definitely has no intention of retiring anytime soon. “I’ll keep racing as long as I can,” said Wegmann. “Hopefully I can catch up to my racing number on my car.”

Wegmann says that his youthfulness is due to his big family, he has four children of his own and eleven grandchildren. “In my opinion, you’re only as old as you feel,” said Wegmann, “and I don’t feel my age at all. My family keeps me young.”

Source: Bob Mack/LongIslandJam.com