They recorded some big wins during those years with a couple of the biggest being the 1984Modified invitational at Rice Lake and the 1989 Aquafest trophy face. Perhaps the most memorable years for the #145 team were when Woody and Patty Kurtzhals were the primary owners of the racing team. The #145 that Erickson raced under had a large fan following of folks from Barron county and became known as a group that had a lot of fun at the track, both racing and afterwards as they were always up for a party. Viltz teamed up with as many as ten other co-owners to the race team over the years, coming from every corner of Barron County to as far away as North Pole, Alaska. Together, they did whatever it took to keep Erickson on the track and racing, even if it meant coming up with a new “money person” or “co-owner” every couple of years or so. Erickson, who is also a member of the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame, had been racing for a few years and had picked up a win or two before Jim joined the operation. When asked about his action, young Jim simply exclaimed, “Stock Car!”įollowing graduation from Prairie Farm High School, where Jim played as a speedy tailback for the Panthers, he went off to basic training at Fort Jackson in Columbia South Carolina and followed that up with service in the National Guard.Īt some point in the late seventies, Jim got the “bug” again for racing and started helping his cousin, Dave Erickson, work on his race cars.
As a youngster, his folks took him to his first race at the Rice Lake Speedway and the next morning when his parents went outside, they found that young Jim had taken a hammer to the headlights in the family sedan, knocking them out. Left to right Sue Rudesill accepting for her mother Ione Harrington, Jim Viltz, Don Folz and Brian Ward accepting for his father Ron Ward.Īn interest in dirt track racing and particularly racing at the Rice Lake Speedway came early to Jim Viltz. The ninth class of the Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame inducted August 10, 2019. 2019 Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame Induction
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