3/5/2024
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
Meet AFS Badger Midget Series Driver Brian Peterson
The AFS Badger Midget Series shows him placing 22nd in 2023 points. But Mukwonago, Wisconsin's Brian Peterson is one of our hard working drivers who's day job gets in the way of his racing. Nonetheless, his colorful #7 is a welcome addition to any BMARA field.
Let's hear more from the veteran racer:
Car Number: 7
Owner: Brian and Dee Peterson
Team Name: Peterson Racing
Sponsors: American Glass and Window, Spankin’s Racing, Gary Belman Trucking, VMS Motorsports, M3 Custom Creations, Amish Cabinets 4 less
Crew: Austin Peterson, Dee Peterson, Taylor Peterson, Brian Benisch, Preston Benisch
BMARA: Were you a fan of racing before you got behind the wheel and if so, who were your heroes and what tracks did you attend?
BRIAN: I started attending races at Wilmot and State Fair Park as a young kid with my grandfather, he raced back in the 60’s on the Modified circuit Hales Corner, Slinger, Beaver Dam and Cedarberg, he would help a very young Alan Kulwicki at Badger Kart Club in Dousman as he was friends with Alan’s father Jerry, needless to say when I first met Alan at the Slinger Nationals I believe in 1981 and he won he became my hero that night.
BMARA: Give us a synopsis of your racing career.
BRIAN: I started racing Go Karts with my Grandfather (I was the first boy in the family) in 1981 at Dousman and we ran there until 1987 when we decided to move up to the National level and traveled the country racing WKA.
We then ran a Mini Sprint for a year and then was able to talk my grandfather, Wally Burke, into letting me race a Midget (he hated the idea) and we setup a deal with the late Frank Kater for a second place run for ROTY with Badger Midgets in 1990. I finished behind my friend Roger Miller.
I then took 15 years off to start my career, got married and started a family. In 2005 after crewing for my brother Tony, I saw the Legends cars racing with us at Beaver Dam and jumped back in, and raced Legends for 15 years, the biggest accomplishment was the track championship in the Legends division at Angell Park 2012
BMARA: How much time do you spend on the car each week during the season?
BRIAN: A midget is a 3-4 night per week job to clean and maintain the car, equipment and trailer.
BMARA: What is your day job and how does racing fit in?
My full time job for the past 30 years is a Firefighter/Paramedic and I also work a second full time job in the home health industry. Every season is a challenge to make races around the work schedule. I will retire from fire house January 2nd 2025 so that puts me on a normal person's schedule for the first time in decades, allowing nights, holidays and weekends off.
BMARA: What's something interesting the fans might not know about you?
BRIAN: Dee and I love to travel and will be heading to Europe for the second time this year.
Camping and following our friend Chase McDermitt to some Xtreme races is something else we do.
Article: Bill Blumer Jr. with Brian Peterson
Photo credit: Bill Blumer Jr.
Submitted By: William Blumer